IndyCar: Driver Power Rankings After Gateway

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)

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MAY 28: Max Chilton of England, driver of the #8 Gallagher Honda (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

After the 15th of 17 races this season, how do the IndyCar driver power rankings look? Who is trending upwards after the Gateway race, and who is falling?

The 2017 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 featured non-stop action with plenty of close racing. The race featured five caution flag periods and included 11 official lead changes among six different leaders.

Which drivers saw additions to their cases for high positions in these power rankings at Gateway, and which drivers had rough days that prevented them from adding to their cases at making jumps to higher spots?

NOTE: This list only includes full-time drivers. The “Last Race” category includes each driver’s rankings in the previous edition of the IndyCar driver power rankings.

#19 through #17

FORT WORTH, TX – JUNE 09: Carlos Munoz, driver of the #14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

#16 through #13

FORT WORTH, TX – JUNE 09: Takuma Sato, driver of the #26 Andretti Autosport Honda (Photo by Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images)

#12 through #9

FORT WORTH, TX – JUNE 09: Graham Rahal, driver of the #15 Mi-Jack / Bobby Rahal Automotive Honda (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

#8 through #5

AVONDALE, AZ – APRIL 28: Josef Newgarden, driver of the #2 Team Penske Chevrolet (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

#4 through #1

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.

Asher Fair

Asher has been with FanSided since Feb. 2017, primarily covering motorsport – NASCAR, IndyCar, and F1 – for Beyond the Flag. He became an officially accredited media member in Sep. 2019 and was hired as Junior Editor in Oct. 2020. Following a promotion to Associate Editor in Jul. 2021, he continues to manage the site and also occasionally contributes on FanSided's NFL and NCAA sites.