Chaves targets podium in chase for IndyCar Rookie of the Year award

By Jul 11, 2015, 9:00 AM EDT
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Gabby Chaves is hoping to strengthen his grip on the provisional Rookie of the Year honors in the Verizon IndyCar Series by scoring his first podium in the final five races of the year.

Chaves stepped up to IndyCar in 2015 with Bryan Herta Autosport after winning Indy Lights in 2014, and has recorded two top ten finishes in the opening 11 races of the season.

The Colombian driver currently ranks 16th in the drivers’ championship, 38 points clear of next rookie Stefano Coletti.

Chaves is keen to improve on his season-best result of ninth in Detroit by breaking into the top five and challenging for a podium finish in the final five races of the year, starting this weekend at the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 at the Milwaukee Mile.

“Coming off of a tough weekend at Fontana, I’m pretty excited to get things going once again after a short break here and can focus on Milwaukee and getting back on track to the results we want to see,” Chaves said.

“Coming on to the final stretch of the championship, we’re definitely wanting to break into the top five, challenging for a podium position before the year is over.

“So we will be working very hard this weekend to take the steps into that direction.”

Chaves has raced at the Milwaukee Mile twice before, both times in Indy Lights, finishing fourth in 2013 and third in 2014.

For full broadcast details ahead of the ABC Supply Wisconsin 250, click here.

IndyCar Power Rankings: Pato O’Ward moves to the top entering Texas Motor Speedway

By Mar 29, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT
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The NBC Sports IndyCar power rankings naturally were as jumbled as the action on the streets of St. Petersburg after a chaotic opener to the 2023 season.

Pato O’Ward, who finished second because of an engine blip that cost him the lead with a few laps remaining, moves into the top spot ahead of St. Pete winner Marcus Ericsson and Alexander Rossi, who finished fourth in his Arrow McLaren debut. Scott Dixon and St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who led 31 laps) rounded out the top five.

St. Pete pole-sitter Romain Grosjean (who started first at St. Pete after capturing his second career pole position) Callum Ilott (a career-best fifth) and Graham Rahal entered the power rankings entering the season’s second race.

Three drivers fell out of the preseason top 10 after the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – including previously top-ranked Josef Newgarden, who finished 17th after qualifying 14th.

Heading into Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway, here’s NBC Sports’ assessment of the current top 10 drivers through the first of 17 races this year (with previous preseason rankings in parenthesis):

NBC Sports’ IndyCar Power Rankings

1. Pato O’Ward (5) – If not for the dreaded “plenum event” in the No. 5 Chevrolet, the Arrow McLaren driver is opening the season with a victory capping a strong race weekend.

2. Marcus Ericsson (7) – He might be the most opportunistic driver in IndyCar, but that’s because the 2022 Indy 500 winner has become one of the series’ fastest and most consistent stars.

3. Alexander Rossi (10) – He overcame a frustrating Friday and mediocre qualifying to open his Arrow McLaren career with the sort of hard-earned top five missing in his last years at Andretti.

4. Scott Dixon (3) – Put aside his opening-lap skirmish with former teammate Felix Rosenqvist, and it was a typically stealthily good result for the six-time champion.

5. Romain Grosjean (NR) – The St. Petersburg pole-sitter consistently was fastest on the streets of St. Petersburg over the course of the race weekend, which he couldn’t say once last year.

6. Scott McLaughlin (6) – Easily the best of the Team Penske drivers before his crash with Grosjean, McLaughlin drove like a legitimate 2023 championship contender.

7. Callum Ilott (NR) – A quietly impressive top five for the confident Brit in Juncos Hollinger Racing’s first race as a two-car team. Texas will be a big oval litmus test.

8. Graham Rahal (NR) – Sixth at St. Pete, Rahal still has the goods on street courses, and Rahal Letterman Lanigan remains headed in the right direction.

9. Alex Palou (4) – He seemed a step behind Ericsson and Dixon in the race after just missing the Fast Six in qualifying, but this was a solid start for Palou.

10. Will Power (2) – An uncharacteristic mistake that crashed Colton Herta put a blemish on the type of steady weekend that helped him win the 2022 title.

Falling out (last week): Josef Newgarden (1), Colton Herta (8), Christian Lundgaard (9)