E.J. Viso
| Driver | STP | BAR | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET1 | DET2 | TXS | MIL | IOWA | POC | TOR1 | TOR2 | MOH | Total |
| Viso | 15 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 41 |
RSWC Standings: 15 IndyCar Standings: 12
Best Qualifying: 2 (Sao Paulo / Belle Isle 1) Best
Finish: 4 (Milwaukee)
Best RSWC Points: 15 (St. Pete)
- I must say that I haven't given that much thought to the #5 (nominally) Andretti Autosport car of Viso this season. I think the most that I've mentioned his name while watching a race was during the Mid-Ohio race, when I feared that he would hold up Charlie Kimball enough to secure a win for Simon Pagenaud. This is, it seems, not totally fair of me. E.J. has had an entirely respectable year. Here are the things that stand out to me about this season for Viso:
- Through just 15 rounds, Viso has more Top 10 finishes than he has in any complete IndyCar season, with 6.
- Through just 15 rounds, Viso has more Top 5 finishes than he has in any complete IndyCar season, with 2.
- Viso has qualified second twice.
- So, I'll be keeping my eyes on E.J. Viso the rest of the year. If the AA crew has the setup for Houston figured out, he might just surprise me again. And, on top of all that, Viso has two career Top 10s at Sonoma. I don't think we've seen that last of him.
James Jakes
| Driver | STP | BAR | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET1 | DET2 | TXS | MIL | IOWA | POC | TOR1 | TOR2 | MOH | Total |
| Jakes | 8 | 8 |
RSWC Standings: 22 IndyCar Standings: 18
Best Qualifying: 2 (Belle Isle 2) Best Finish: 2 (Belle Isle 2)
Best RSWC Points: 8 (Belle Isle 2)
- I feel like James Jakes has had a better year than the numbers say. No, I take that back. I feel like I feel like James Jakes should be having a better year than these numbers say (I hope that made sense...) But, here's the thing, even though Jakes' numbers are atrocious, this is arguably his best season. Let's examine:
- Jakes has fewer finishes of P20+ so far this season than in any other IndyCar season, with 3 (one of which is at Indianapolis, where over a third of the field is worse than P20).
- Jakes has a podium this season.
- Jakes is by far the better qualifier at RLL, starting, on average, almost 5 whole positions ahead of Graham Rahal.
- So, Jakesy has only tallied RSWC points at one race this year. I'm not going to let that deter me. I think he's a driver on the up up-swing. I fully expect him to take a step forward again next year, and if RLL get Graham Rahal figured out, I expect that the two of them might just form a contender.
Justin Wilson
| Driver | STP | BAR | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET1 | DET2 | TXS | MIL | IOWA | POC | TOR1 | TOR2 | MOH | Total |
| Wison | 2 | 18 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 6 | 6 | 65 |
RSWC Standings: 12 IndyCar Standings: 9
Best Qualifying: 7 (Mid-Ohio) Best Finish: 3 (Long Beach / Belle
Isle 1)
Best RSWC Points: 18 (Long Beach)
- I think I've talked about Justin Wilson only slightly more than I've talked about E.J. Viso this year (and I've talked about them both WAY less than James Jakes). My reactions to Wilson have mostly been: "Well, he was right there at the end at Indy" and "Is he really getting torched this bad by Mike Conway?" I think the reason for my lack of attention to Wilson can be attributed to his poor qualifying efforts this season. To put this in perspective, Wilson has the same average starting position as James Jakes. The problem is that Wilson has won three IndyCar races (plus four more in Champ Car) in his career and Jakes just has the one podium.
- I'm not going to throw down a lot of numbers for Wilson, but I will note this before moving on: this is easily one of Wilson's most consistent IndyCar series seasons (his last three Champ Car seasons might be better). If he can snag RSWC points (and the Top 10 finishes that usually accompany my made-up scoring system) in the remaining races, he might eclipse anything he's done since reunification. This Coyne team is in a good position.
Marco Andretti
| Driver | STP | BAR | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET1 | DET2 | TXS | MIL | IOWA | POC | TOR1 | TOR2 | MOH | Total |
| Andretti | 8 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 4 | 96 |
RSWC Standings: 4 IndyCar Standings: 4
Best Qualifying: 1 (Milwaukee / Pocono) Best
Finish: 3 (St. Pete / Sao Paulo)
Best RSWC Points: 15 (Long Beach / Sao Paulo /
Indianapolis)
- What can I say about Marco Andretti? This has been a very Andretti season for the third-generation driver. I mean, it just feels cursed, Chicago Cubs-like, even. He has a ton of potential; a ton of pace; and yet a dearth of performance. Now, I want to be clear, when I say "dearth of performance" I mean that I always seem to be expecting more from the #25. I've watched Marco qualify, I've watched Marco race, and I'm astonished that he only has a pair of P3 finishes to show for the season (in terms of best finishes).
- Now, having said what I've said about wanting more from Marco, I will say this. This season is the first time in his career that I can say that I feel like Marco Andretti is a threat on any sort of track. In years previous, I felt like I had to wait for Texas, Iowa, or Indy to see fireworks from my fellow Italian-American. Now, I feel like Marco can win on any given weekend, and his low number of truly bad finishes (he's only been outside the Top 10 twice) bears me out. And, if Marco keeps this year's pace and maintains his ability to strike on any type of circuit, the future really ought to hold an Astor Cup for the young driver with the enviable pedigree.
Stay Tuned
So, there's a look at four seasons-at-a-glance. Did we cover your favorite driver? Did you agree or disagree with what I saw? How will these four drivers' fortunes change after the last 5 rounds? One thing's for sure, you'll hear about it all here at Scoring Indy.
Next week we'll get ready for Sonoma. See you then!
-- Guido
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