The 2023 IndyCar season was, in some respects, an unusual one.
A series which often boasts great competitive parity and close championship battles that go down to the final race of the season was thoroughly dominated by one driver making a historic run to the championship. Alex Palou put a lock on the 2023 IndyCar title before the last race, something that hadn’t been done since American open-wheel racing was reunified in 2008.
So the identity of the driver at the top spot in our annual top 10 will surprise few people. The real challenge is determining who numbers two through ten were this season, in what was – despite Alex Palou’s individual dominance – another year with no shortage of quality drivers who were impressive in their own right.
10. Alexander Rossi
There were a handful of drivers that could have landed in tenth place in this year’s rankings. Alexander Rossi got the nod after a solid first season in McLaren’s third full-time entry. While he may have only scored one podium and never started on the front row, his six top-five finishes and 11 top-10s demonstrated excellent consistency, and a contract to how Felix Rosenqvist struggled in his first season at McLaren, two years ago.
Rossi is not yet back to the championship-contending form he showcased at Andretti Autosport from 2018-19, but he’s laid a firm foundation in year one with the goal of returning to that level of performance in 2024.
9. Will Power
The two-time and defending series champion was not at his best in his title defence. He managed just four podiums and two pole positions on the year, and for the first time since 2006, his first full season in the Champ Car World Series, Power did not win a race. It seemed like the first signs of a driver that’s begun a permanent decline at age 43.
But it must be said that Power was racing through very difficult circumstances throughout the year. In January, his wife Liz suddenly fell ill with an aggressive infection which settled into her spinal column and nearly claimed her life. As her recovery began and progressed, it coincided with Will’s form improving in the second half of the year.
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8. Kyle Kirkwood
There have been a significant chunk of graduates from the Road to Indy ladder that have come up to IndyCar only to have lacklustre careers, leading many to question the viability of feeder series like Indy Nxt when…
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