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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 17: Josef Newgarden of the United States driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SONOMA, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Josef Newgarden of the United States driver of the #2 hum by Verizon Chevrolet (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

#4 through #1

#4. [Last Race: 6th (+2)] — The 2017 season was like a tale of two seasons for Will Power. In 10 of the 17 races this year, he finished in the top 6, while in the other seven, he finished outside of the top 12. He ended the season with two straight top 6 finishes, including a 3rd place finish at Sonoma, so he ends up in a healthy 4th spot in these rankings.. No. 12. Team Penske, Chevrolet. WILL POWER

[Last Race: 1st (-2)] — At Sonoma, Scott Dixon was simply outpaced by most of the Team Penske drivers, and he was never really a factor to win the race or championship. However, the fact that he still ended up finishing that race in 4th place keeps him from dropping further in these rankings. He finished all but one race in the top 10 this season.. No. 9. Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda. SCOTT DIXON. #3

#2. [Last Race: 7th (+5)] — Ordinarily, winning a race and being pulled a lot closer to the championship lead because of it like Simon Pagenaud did would make a driver #1 in these rankings. However, that is not the case for Pagenaud, who closed out the 2017 season with a win at Sonoma. With no more races left this year to actually take the lead of the standings, he has to settle for 2nd in the championship and in these rankings despite the fact that he became the first driver since Tony Kanaan in 2004 to compete every single lap of every single race in a season.. No. 1. Team Penske, Chevrolet. SIMON PAGENAUD

No. 2. Team Penske, Chevrolet. JOSEF NEWGARDEN. #1. [Last Race: 2nd (+1)] — Josef Newgarden didn’t close out the season with a win at Sonoma, but he very well might have had he actually needed to, as he clearly back up toward the end of the race. He did manage a 2nd place finish for his fifth top 2 finish in the last six races, which was good enough to propel him to his first career IndyCar championship in just his first season as a Team Penske driver.

More from IndyCar

The Verizon IndyCar Series gets back into racing action in the 2018 season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida on Sunday, March 11th, 2018.

Can Josef Newgarden open up the 2018 season strong to continue to hang on to his lead in these rankings, or will another driver start out the 2018 season on top?

Which drivers will do better next season than they did this season, and which drivers will do worse? Stay tuned to find out following the action from the IndyCar circuit in 2018.

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 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 Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.