After every race I will post our Power Grid, which is the top 11 drivers in my view. Why 11? Because everyone else does a top 10, and #11 TK is my favorite driver, so seems good enough reason for me!
1st – Ryan Hunter-Reay – No Change
After he got chopped by Will Power, it seems that Ryan lost his cool and lost all momentum in the race. He did run a solid race, and would have finished much better if there wasn’t that 10 grid penalty to start the race.
2nd – Will Power – No Change
After a few races driving very un-Power like, this was much more like it for Will Power. Many times during the race he had the fastest car. Had there been a yellow in the last 20-30 laps, it might have given Power the chance to win. If he wants to win this Championship, he needs to dominate the road course in Mid-Ohio.
3rd – Helio Castroneves – Up 2 Spots
After St. Pete, Helio had a very quiet few races. But he has been able to do what he hasn’t done in any other season, get consistant finishes and be in position to win the championship. With this win, he is in that spot and is really looking at the best chance for a championship. If he can stay ahead of Power in the standings, he will get the full resources of Penske to win this championship.
4th– Scott Dixon – Down 1 Spot
Take away the Indy 500, and this has been a horrible season for Ganassi. For the second race in a row, Scott had an engine problem. After years of being the #2 in the Ganassi stable, he is watching his best shot at a championship slip away. Sadly, it’s not his fault, but rather due to bad engines.
5th – James Hinchcliffe – Up 1 Spot
Going into the races in Canada, Hinch was one of the hottest drivers in the series. Seemed logical that he might get his first INDYCAR win in his home country. Instead he leaves with his two worst performances of the season and is watching a top 3 finish in the championship standings slip away. Still not a bad showing for a driver in his second season.
6th – Tony Kanaan – Down 2 Spots
He had another horrible qualifying, which is nothing new. He was unable to gain any spots during the race, and that was new. If he continues to qualify like this, and history says that it will continue, he will have more days like this and less like he did in Toronto.
7th – Ryan Briscoe – Up 1 Spot
Not a bad race, but not a good one. Another season of mid-pack finishes, which is not what the Captain is expecting out of his cars.
8th – Dario Franchitti – Up 1 Spot
Started on the pole, got passed early, and then settled into a top 10 finish. With the number of drivers ahead of him and only 4 races left, I think it’s fair to say that Dario is not going to repeat as series Champion. If you take away Indy, we would be talking about how it is time for Dario to hang it up. Amazing how that one race changes everything.
9th – Simon Pagenaud – Down 2 Spots
Bad race and a worse ending thanks to Charlie Kimball.
10th – Graham Rahal– Unranked
Graham and Charlie seem to take turns being the 3rd best Ganassi driver each week. Graham is getting close to Ryan Briscoe territory, where we know he has the talent and the equipment (for the most part in Graham’s case) but need to see the consistent results.
11th – Takuma Sato – Unranked
Funny, when they said this second place finish was his best in the series, my first thought was that he finished second in Indy. Then I remembered that he wrecked and didn’t finish there. I will alway think of him as second in Indy this year. As usual, it is all or nothing with Sato. He is either up going for a podium, or in the wall.
Dropped from the Power Grid – Oriol Servia & Charlie Kimball
