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IndyCar: Driver Power Rankings After Pocono

By Asher Fair

FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Marco Andretti, driver of the #27 Andretti Autosport Honda, leads Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the #28 DHL Andretti Autosport Honda, Simon Pagenaud, driver of the #1 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, during practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX - JUNE 09: Marco Andretti, driver of the #27 Andretti Autosport Honda, leads Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the #28 DHL Andretti Autosport Honda, Simon Pagenaud, driver of the #1 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, during practice for the Verizon IndyCar Series Rainguard Water Sealers 600 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2017 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /
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FORT WORTH, TX – JUNE 09: Marco Andretti, driver of the #27 Andretti Autosport Honda, leads Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the #28 DHL Andretti Autosport Honda, Simon Pagenaud, driver of the #1 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TX – JUNE 09: Marco Andretti, driver of the #27 Andretti Autosport Honda, leads Ryan Hunter-Reay, driver of the #28 DHL Andretti Autosport Honda, Simon Pagenaud, driver of the #1 DXC Technology Team Penske Chevrolet, and Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

#4 through #1

#4. [Last Race: 4th (-)] — Since winning at Road America, Scott Dixon has not been a regular front-runner in races. He led the most laps at Pocono, but he was only able to finish in 6th place, which makes it four races in a row now that he has finished outside the top 5. He will need to step it up as he attempts to win his fifth career championship.. No. 9. Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda. SCOTT DIXON

#3. [Last Race: 2nd (-1)] — Simon Pagenaud put together yet another solid performance at Pocono, finishing in 4th place at the superspeedway for his 11th top 5 finish of the season. However, given the recent success of his Team Penske teammates, it looks as though he will have to start winning races to have a shot at winning his second consecutive championship.. No. 1. Team Penske, Chevrolet. SIMON PAGENAUD

#2. [Last Race: 5th (+3)] — Will Power notched his third win of the season at Pocono, and in doing so, he claimed his eighth top 5 finish of the season. When he hasn’t finished in the top 5 this season, he hasn’t finished in the top 12, either. Since he has been so inconsistent, he will need to stay hot in order to have a chance at winning his second career championship.. No. 12. Team Penske, Chevrolet. WILL POWER

#1. [Last Race: 1st (-)] — Josef Newgarden collected his third straight top 2 finish with a 2nd place effort at Pocono and expanded upon his lead in the championship standings in doing so. With two wins in the last three races, Newgarden holds on to the top spot in these rankings as he pursues his first career championship.. No. 2. Team Penske, Chevrolet. JOSEF NEWGARDEN

More from IndyCar

The Verizon IndyCar Series gets right back into racing action on Saturday, August 26th with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at the 1.25-mile Gateway Motorsports Park oval in Madison, Illinois. That race is the final oval track race of the 2017 season, and just two road course races remain after it.

Can Josef Newgarden hang onto his leads in both the championship standings and these rankings? Which drivers will have huge jumps in these rankings, and which drivers will plummet out of their current solid spots? Stay tuned to find out following the action from Gateway this Saturday.

Next: IndyCar team power rankings

Do you agree with this week’s edition of the IndyCar driver power rankings? Let us know in the comments below, and be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter. Also, don’t forget to follow along with Beyond the Flag for the latest news, opinions and analysis stemming from a number of different motorsports series. You don’t want to miss any of it.