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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 15: Helio Castroneves of Brazil driver of the #3 Hitachi Chevrolet (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA – SEPTEMBER 15: Helio Castroneves of Brazil driver of the #3 Hitachi Chevrolet (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

#8 through #5

#8. [Last Race: 8th (-)] — Ryan Hunter-Reay ends the 2017 season still searching for his first win in more than two years. However, he also ends the season on a pretty high note. He finished six of the last seven races, and of the six races he finished, he finished no lower than 8th place. He finished on the podium twice in that span as well, giving him three podium finishes this season.. No. 28. Andretti Autosport, Honda. RYAN HUNTER-REAY

[Last Race: 3rd (-4)] — Alexander Rossi had an up-and-down season, but there were definitely more ups than downs for him. He developed into a very good all-around driver on all types of tracks and won his first career road course race at Watkins Glen. He ended the season as one of the sport’s hottest drivers, and had it not been for mechanical issues he had early on at Sonoma, he may have been able to extend his five-race streak of top 6 finishes to a six-race streak to close out the year.. No. 98. Andretti Herta Autosport, Honda. ALEXANDER ROSSI. #7

[Last Race: 5th (-1)] — Had it not been for the first four races of the season during which Graham Rahal finished higher than 13th place just once, he may have been a serious threat to win the championship. In the last 11 races of the season, he won twice and finished outside of the top 9 just once. Keep in mind the fact that he did all of that driving for just a one-car team.. No. 15. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda. GRAHAM RAHAL. #6

No. 3. Team Penske, Chevrolet. HELIO CASTRONEVES. #5. [Last Race: 4th (-1)] — Once again, Helio Castroneves entered the season finale at Sonoma with hopes of winning his first career championship, but he failed to do so. However, he did have a remarkable season. While he only won one race, he failed to finish just one race as well. In the 16 races that he did finish, he did so in the top 9 each time.