IndyCar: Driver Power Rankings after Phoenix – Alexander Rossi takes over
By Asher Fair
Non-formulated IndyCar Driver Power Rankings
| Rank | Driver | Car, Team, Engine | Last Rank | Trend |
| 1 | Josef Newgarden | #1, Team Penske, Chevrolet | 8 | +7 |
| 2 | Alexander Rossi | #27, Andretti Autosport, Honda | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | Robert Wickens | #6, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda | 4 | +1 |
| 4 | Scott Dixon | #9, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda | 5 | +1 |
| 5 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | #28, Andretti Autosport, Honda | 7 | 2 |
| 6 | James Hinchcliffe | #5, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Honda | 6 | 0 |
| 7 | Graham Rahal | #15, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda | 1 | -6 |
| 8 | Sebastien Bourdais | #18, Dale Coyne Racing, Honda | 3 | -5 |
| 9 | Tony Kanaan | #14, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet | 13 | +4 |
| 10 | Simon Pagenaud | #22, Team Penske, Chevrolet | 11 | +1 |
| 11 | Marco Andretti | #98, Andretti Herta Autosport, Honda | 12 | +1 |
| 12 | Takuma Sato | #30, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Honda | 14 | +2 |
| 13 | Will Power | #12, Team Penske, Chevrolet | 10 | -3 |
| 14 | Ed Jones | #10, Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda | 9 | -5 |
| 15 | Spencer Pigot | #21, Ed Carpenter Racing, Chevrolet | 17 | +2 |
| 16 | Gabby Chaves | #88, Harding Racing, Chevrolet | 16 | 0 |
| 17 | Zach Veach | #26, Andretti Autosport, Honda | 18 | +1 |
| 18 | Charlie Kimball | #23, Carlin Motorsport, Chevrolet | 20 | +2 |
| 19 | Max Chilton | #59, Carlin Motorsport, Chevrolet | 19 | 0 |
| 20 | Matheus Leist | #4, A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Chevrolet | 15 | -5 |
Biggest Movers
Up: Josef Newgarden (+7)
Down: Graham Rahal (-6)
Conclusion
With just two races of the 17 on the 2018 IndyCar season complete, the average race finish and average finish in the last five races is identical for each and every driver in the field. However, that has not prevented a lot of movement from taking place in the formulated IndyCar Driver Power Rankings.
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With average finish and average finish in the last five races being such key factors in these rankings, there are some notable drivers who aren’t ranked as high as many people might expect as a result of the fact that they have had poor finishes in one or both races. These drivers include Robert Wickens, Ed Jones and Will Power, who have shown a lot of speed to open up the season but don’t have the greatest results to show for it as a whole.
It will be interesting to see if and how these rankings continue to change as the 2018 season progresses and there are more results for the formula that determines these rankings to take into account.
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The next race of the 2018 IndyCar season is scheduled to be the the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and it is set to take place on Sunday, April 15th. The live broadcast of the race from the streets of Long Beach, California is set to start on that date at 4:00 pm ET on NBC Sports Network.