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With the IndyCar season in full swing, I thought it would be helpful to put together a summary of some of the important drivers to watch leading up to Honda Indy Toronto.

I started by looking at the podium finishers from the races so far this year, and wanted to also include the current Top 10 in points in the series, as well as some other trending drivers in the second half. I've included a bit of background information on each driver, and some of the results from this year to show why you should keep an eye on them in the weeks and months to come.

Championship Points Standings:

1.) Scott Dixon

2.) Ryan Hunter-Reay

3.) Alexander Rossi

4.) Josef Newgarden

5.) Will Power

6.) Graham Rahal

7.) Robert Wickens

8.) Simon Pagenaud

9.) Sebastien Bourdais

10.) Marco Andretti

 

Other Notables:

11.) James Hinchcliffe

12.) Ed Jones

22.) Zachary Claman De Melo

 

Drivers to Watch:

Scott Dixon

Born: July 22, 1980

Hometown: Auckland, New Zealand 

Starts: 296 (First - March 11, 2001)

Wins: 43 (First - May 6, 2001; Most Recent - June 10, 2018)

Best Points Finish: 1st

2017 Points Finish: 3rd

2018 Points Standings: 1st 

Scott has driven for the Chip Ganassi Racing Team for most of his career (since 2003, and some of the 2002 season). He drives the number 9 PNC Bank car, and switched over to a Honda engine in 2017. So far this season he won the first race in Detroit, as well as the DXC 600 in Texas, finished 2nd at the IndyCar Grand Prix, 3rd at the Indy 500 and Kohler GP, and 4th in Phoenix as well as in race 2 in Detroit, with 2 additional top-10 finishes. A 4-time IndyCar Series Champion, Dixon has had a number of excellent races and finishes at Honda Indy Toronto, including back-to-back wins in 2013 (in addition to a podium in 2012, and 8 additional top-10 finishes). He will look to replicate these performances this year with the strong start that he has had already.

 

Ryan Hunter-Reay

Born: December 17, 1980

Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Starts: 225 (First - February 24, 2003)

Wins: 17 (First - October 26, 2003; Most Recent - June 3, 2018)

Best Points Finish: 1st

2017 Points Finish: 9th

2018 Points Standings: 2nd

Ryan is a driver for Andretti Autosport, who he has been with since 2010. He drives the number 28 DHL car, which uses a Honda engine. So far this season, he won the second race in Detroit,  has 2nd place finishes in Alabama and Detroit race 1 and Wisconsin, in addition to 4 more top-5 finishes. He has won the Honda Indy Toronto once, in addition to 2 third-place finishes. He also has an additional 4 top-10 finishes on the race. He has been racing extremely well in the last 4 races, showing that he will certainly be a driver to keep an eye on come Toronto.

 

Alexander Rossi

Born: September 25, 1991

Hometown: Nevada City, California

Starts: 42 (First - March 13, 2016)

Wins: 3 (First - May 29, 2016; Most Recent - April 15, 2018)

Best Points Finish: 7th

2017 Points Finish: 7th

2018 Points Standings: 3rd

 

Alex is a driver for Andretti Herta Autosport, who he has raced with over the course of his impressive 2-year IndyCar career. He drives the number 27 Napa Auto Parts car, which has a Honda engine. He began his impressive career with a win at the Indy 500 in his rookie season, and has been impressive every since. So far this year he won at Long Beach, finished 3rd at Phoenix, Detroit Race 1, Texas, Wisconsin and at St. Petersburg, finished 4th in the Indy 500, and finished 5th at the Indy Grand Prix. He also had a strong showing at the second race in Detroit, and looked poised to win until his brakes seized up within the last few laps of the race. Rossi finished in 2nd place in last year's Honda Indy Toronto.

 

Josef Newgarden

Born: December 22, 1990

Hometown: Hendersonville, Tennessee 

Starts: 109 (First - March 15, 2012)

Wins: 9 (First - April 26, 2015; Most Recent - April 23, 2018)

Best Points Finish: 1st

2017 Points Finish: 1st

2018 Points Standings: 4th

Josef is a driver for Team Penske, who he has been with since 2017. He drives the number 1 Verizon Wireless car, which has a Chevrolet engine (he has been racing Chevrolet engines since 2015). So far this season he finished first in Phoenix, Wisconsin and Alabama, with 4 additional top-10 finishes. Newgarden has performed extremely well at Honda Indy Toronto in his career, having won the race twice. Coming off of his excellent 2017 season, Newgarden was leading the points standings until the Indy 500 this year. After a couple of performances that did not live up to his usually high standards, he bounced back in a big way in Wisconsin by taking the top spot on the podium.

 

Will Power

Born: March 1, 1981

Hometown: Toowoomba, Australia

Starts: 196 (First - October 23, 2005)

Wins: 33 (First - April 8, 2007; Most recent - May 27, 2018)

Best points finish: 1st (2014)

2017 Points Finish: 5th

2018 Points Standings: 5th

Will is a driver for Team Penske, who he has been with since 2009. He drives the number 12 Verizon Wireless Dallara car which has a Chevrolet engine. With 2 wins already this season, along with a second place finish in Long Beach and Detroit race 2, and top 10 finishes in St. Petersburg and Detroit race 1, Power has demonstrated why he is a driver to keep a very close eye on as the season progresses. Power has been exceptional in most of his Honda Indy Toronto experiences, with 2 wins, 2 third place finishes, 1 fourth place finish and an additional top 10 finish.

 

Graham Rahal

Born: January 4, 1989

Hometown: New Albany, Ohio

Starts: 186 (First - April 8, 2007)

Wins: 6 (First - April 6, 2008; Most Recent - June 3, 2017)

Best Points Finish: 4th

2017 Points Finish: 6th

2018 Points Standings: 6th

Graham drives for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which is owned by his father, the 1986 Indy 500 winner, David Letterman, and businessman Mike Lanigan. He drives the number 15 United Rentals car, which is equipped with a Honda engine. He has finished in the top-10 in each race this season, except for Detroit race 1 (was retired early due to contact), with his best finish coming in St. Petersburg (2nd place). Rahal has finished in the top-10 at the Honda Indy Toronto 5 times, with his best finish being 5th place.

 

Robert Wickens

Born: March 13, 1989

Hometown: Guelph, Ontario

Starts: 9 (First - March 11, 2018)

Wins: 0

Best Points Finish: N/A

2017 Points Finish: N/A

2018 Points Standings: 7th

In just his first season competing with on the IndyCar Series, Robert is already making quite a name for himself, already having won one pole in his 6 career starts. Wickens is a member of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, and he drives the number 6 Lucas Oil car, with a Honda engine. He finished 2nd in Phoenix, 3rd at the Indy Grand Prix, 4th in Alabama, and 5th in Wisconsin, with another 3 top 10 finishes as well. His success so far in his rookie season has made him one to keep a very close eye on, especially come time for Honda Indy Toronto.

 

Simon Pagenaud

Born: May 18, 1984

Hometown: Montmorillion, France

Starts: 127 (First - April 8, 2007)

Wins: 11 (First - June 1, 2013; Most Recent - September 17, 2017)

Best Points Finish: 1st

2017 Points Finish: 2nd

2018 Points Standings: 8th

Simon is in his fourth year racing with Power and Newgarden for Team Penske. He drives the number 22 Menards car, which is equipped with a Chevrolet engine. So far this year, Pagenaud has a 2nd place finish in Texas, and 6 top 10 finishes, including the Indy 500. Pagenaud has performed fairly well at Honda Indy Toronto over the course of his career, with 4 top-10 finishes and 1 win. The 2016 Series Champion will look to make a run over the rest of the season to try and win back the title from teammate Newgarden.

 

Sebastien Bourdais

Born: February 28, 1979

Hometown: Le Mans, France

Starts: 180 (First - March 11, 2018)

Wins: 37 (First - May 5, 2003; Most Recent - March 11, 2018)

Best Points Finish: 1st

2017 Points Finish: 21st

2018 Points Standings: 9th

4-time IndyCar champion Sebastien only competed in 8 races last year due to an unfortunate accident, but he started the season strong with a victory in St. Petersburg, which he repeated this year. He is currently in his 2nd consecutive, and 3rd overall season with Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser Sullivan. He drives the number 18 SealMaster car with a Honda engine. In addition to his season opening win in St. Petersburg this year, he finished 4th at the Indy Grand Prix and 5th in Alabama, and 8th in Texas. Bourdais has won Honda Indy Toronto twice, finished on the podium 3 additional times, and finished in the top-10 6 additional times.

 

 

Marco Andretti

Born: March 13, 1987

Hometown: Nazareth, Pennsylvania 

Starts: 209 (First - March 26, 2006)

Wins: 2 (First - August 27, 2006; Most Recent - June 25, 2011)

Best Points Finish: 5th

2017 Points Finish: 12th

2018 Points Standings: 10th

 

A third-generation driver, Marco has spent his career racing for his father's team, Andretti Autosport. He drives the number 98 US Concrete car, which is equipped with a Honda engine. So far this season he has 5 top 10 finishes, with his best finish being a 4th place finish at Detroit race 1. In his career, he has finished in the top 10 at Honda Indy Toronto 8 times, with 3 of these finishes being just off of the podium in 4th place (including last year's race).

 

 

James Hinchcliffe

Born: December 5, 1986

Hometown: Toronto, Ontario

Starts: 114 (First - April 10, 2011)

Wins: 5 (First - March 24, 2013; Most Recent - April 9, 2017)

Best Points Finish: 8th

2017 Points Finish: 13th

2018 Points Standings: 11th 

James, like Wickens, races for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, and these competitive Canadians both have set their sights on the IndyCar Championship. Hinch, as he is known around the office and in many other circles, drives the number 5 Arrow car, with a Honda engine. Despite missing out on the Indy 500, Hinch has raced well this season, with 6 top-10 finishes, including a 3rd place finish in Alabama, and 4th in St. Petersburg, as well as Texas. He has raced particularly well at Honda Indy Toronto in recent years, having finished 3rd in the last 2 races. He has finished in the top-10 two additional times.

 

Ed Jones

Born: February 12, 1995

Hometown: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Starts: 26 (First - March 12, 2017)

Wins: 0

Best Points Finish: 14th

2017 Points Finish: 14th

2018 Points Standings: 12th

In just his second season in the IndyCar series, Ed is quickly making a name for himself as a quality driver. He was the Sunoco Rookie of the Year last year, and he is a teammate of Dixon's with Chip Ganassi Racing. He drives the number 10 NTT Data car, which runs with a Honda engine. Despite having been to retire early from a number of races this season due to contact and mechanical issues, he managed to finish 3rd in Long Beach and Detroit race 2, with top-10 finishes in St. Petersburg, Texas, Wisconsin and Detroit race 1. The 2016 Indy Lights champion will look to build on his successful rookie campaign and continue to bring attention to himself in his quest to move up the Championship points standings this season.

 

 

Zachary Claman De Melo

Born: April 20, 1998

Hometown: Montreal, Quebec

Starts: 6 (First - September 17, 2017)

Wins: 0

Best Points Finish: N/A

2017 Points Finish: 14th

2018 Points Standings: 22nd

 

Zachary is a driver for Dale Coyne Racing, where he drives the number 19 Paysafe car, which is equipped with a Honda engine. He has finished in the top-20 5 times this year, with his best finish being a 12th place at the IndyCar Grand Prix. Thanks to Claman De Melo, this year will be the first time since 2011 that there are 3 Canadian drivers competing in the Honda Indy Toronto.