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IndyCar: Final 2017 Driver Power Rankings: Josef Newgarden on top

By Asher Fair

SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Josef Newgarden of the United States driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet racing in the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway on September 17, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Josef Newgarden of the United States driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet racing in the GoPro Grand Prix of Sonoma at Sonoma Raceway on September 17, 2017 in Sonoma, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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SONOMA, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Carlos Munoz, driver of the #14 ABC Supply Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Carlos Munoz, driver of the #14 ABC Supply Chevrolet (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images) /

Following the 17th IndyCar race of the season, the season finale at Sonoma, here are the final driver power rankings of the 2017 season.

The 2017 GoPro Grand Prix at Sonoma was the IndyCar season championship finale, and it featured non-stop action throughout the entire race thanks to the fact that there were no caution flag periods.

Which drivers saw additions to their cases for high positions in these power rankings at Sonoma, 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

Dale Coyne Racing, Honda. ED JONES. #19. [Last Race: 18th (-1)] — Ed Jones ended up as the Rookie of the Year as the only full-time rookie in the series, and he did have an impressive rookie season. However, he sits in last place in these rankings thanks to the fact that he was the only full-time driver who failed to finish any of the last seven races of the season in the top 12. In fact, all of the other full-time drivers had at least one top 9 finish in the last seven races of the season.. No. 19

No. 21. Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet. JR HILDEBRAND. #18. [Last Race: 19th (+1)] — From an overall standpoint, JR Hildebrand had a terrible season. But even a broken clock is right twice per day, and that was the case with him. He had just two top 10 finishes in 2017, but both of those finishes were podium finishes, including a 2nd place finish at Iowa that tied his career-high result in the series. And he didn’t hit the turn 4 wall to obtain it, either.

No. 14. AJ Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet. CARLOS MUNOZ. #17. [Last Race: 15th (-2)] — Of all of the full-time drivers, Carlos Munoz had the worst season-high finish, as he was only able to finish as high as 7th place in 2017. However, what keeps him from being lower in these rankings is the fact that he was still able to finish in the top 10 six times despite the fact that he was driving for AJ Foyt Enterprises, the team that had the slowest pace all season long.