It was an easy choice for No. 1 in this edition of the IndyCar power rankings, but the selection is also a nice surprise for a few reasons.
The odds seemed stacked against Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s single car effort at the start of the season but they’ve improved all year and have been besting the bigger multi-car teams down the stretch. And they’re doing it with Honda power, which was clearly the lesser choice in the early going.
Graham Rahal has pulled within nine points of the overall leader in the standings with all the momentum on his side. If Rahal and company can complete the comeback and capture the overall title it’ll be a huge win for the team.
In addition it will be a much bigger promotional benefit to the IndyCar series if Rahal wins against Montoya. Having an American champion that is much more personable and far better with the media than the Colombian Montoya would help the series during the off-season.
Power Rankings
1. Graham Rahal: Four consecutive top-five finishes including wins at Fontana and Mid-Ohio. No other competitor has come close to that level.
2. Scott Dixon: It’s a big drop to second but I’ll give it to Dixon because he’s made headway in the standings.
3. Juan Pablo Montoya: Only Iowa was a disaster when he crashed due to a part failure, but he needs a big race performance at Pocono if he’s serious about winning the title.
4. Marco Andretti: Following a podium result at Fontana, Andretti is the only driver to complete every lap of competition this year and has three top-10 finishes.
5. Simon Pagenaud: It took the likable Frenchman a while to get settled into his new home at Penske, but he’s there now. A win before season’s end is possible.
6. Tony Kanaan: Also capable of grabbing a win in the final two events, has been pretty consistent outside of Iowa.
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay: A terrific performance at Iowa to capture his only win in an otherwise trying season.
8. Sebastien Bourdais: Like Hunter-Reay, he’s in this position because of his victory at Milwaukee.
9. Josef Newgarden: He should have more wins this season and a higher rating. The level of expectation has risen for Newgarden, but will he be able to achieve it at Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing? I’m not sure.
10. Helio Castroneves & Will Power: Slight edge to Castroneves for a second place run at Milwaukee. But both of these guys have disappointed of late.