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

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 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

SONOMA, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Tony Kanaan of Brazil driver of the #10 NTT Data Honda (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

#16 through #13

SONOMA, CA – SEPTEMBER 16: Sebastian Bourdais, driver of the #18 UNIFIN Honda (Photo by Robert Reiners/Getty Images)

#12 through #9

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

#8 through #5

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

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.

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.