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IndyCar: Driver Power Rankings After Gateway

By Asher Fair

AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 28: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet drives during practice for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway on April 28, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ - APRIL 28: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet drives during practice for the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway on April 28, 2017 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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AVONDALE, AZ – APRIL 28: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
AVONDALE, AZ – APRIL 28: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

#4 through #1

HELIO CASTRONEVES. #4. [Last Race: 5th (+1)] — Helio Castroneves saw a potential victory at Gateway go down the drain with an issue in the pits during a pit stop. However, he maintained his position within reach of winning his first career championship thanks to the fact that he was still able to bring home a solid 4th place finish, his highest result since winning at Iowa five races ago.. No. 3. Team Penske, Chevrolet

[Last Race: 3rd (-)] — Simon Pagenaud racked up his 12th top 5 finish through 15 races this season with a 3rd place finish at Gateway. While it looks good on paper, Pagenaud, who led the race late, failed to be Team Penske’s top finisher for the 11th straight race, something that will have to change soon if he wants to win his second consecutive championship.. No. 1. Team Penske, Chevrolet. SIMON PAGENAUD. #3

Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda. SCOTT DIXON. #2. [Last Race: 4th (+2)] — Scott Dixon maintained his spot in 2nd place in the championship standings within striking distance of 1st place thanks to an extremely satisfying 2nd place finish at Gateway. Honda drivers were not expected to do well at the race, yet Dixon finished just one position away from his second victory of the season.. No. 9

Team Penske, Chevrolet. JOSEF NEWGARDEN. #1. [Last Race: 1st (-)] — Josef Newgarden continued to expand his lead in the championship standings with his win at Gateway. He is now on a four-race streak of top 2 finishes, including three victories, and he has cemented himself as the driver to beat when it comes to winning this season’s championship.. No. 2

More from IndyCar

The Verizon IndyCar Series gets right back into racing action on Sunday, September 3rd with the IndyCar Grand Prix of the Glen at the 11-turn, 3.40-mile Watkins Glen International road course in Watkins Glen, New York. That race is the penultimate road course race as well as the penultimate race of the 2017 season, as there is just one race left on the schedule after it, and that is a road course race.

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 Watkins Glen this Sunday.

Next: IndyCar driver oval 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 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. Also be sure to follow Beyond the Flag on both Instagram and Twitter.