Power Rankings For Chevrolet Oval Track and Road Racing Series 7/26

This week is the first week for Chevy Hardcore’s weekly Chevy motorsports power rankings.  These power ranking are our opinion on which drivers are currently hot in the world of Chevrolet car racing across several venues.  We will do are best to include drivers from all circle track and road racing series including IndyCar, NASCAR, GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype and GRAND-AM Grand Touring series.

The goal of our power rankings is to get a debate started, who is better than the rest, in the Chevrolet motorsports world. Leave us a comment below with who you think is the hottest Chevy driver in the world right now.

Top Chevy Drivers

1. Helio Castroneves. It’s hard to find another driver that is this consistent, year after year with fewer wins than others in the series but outpointing the field with consistent top five/top ten finishes. Castroneves has only one win in the series this year but he is still our choice for best Chevy driver right now. He’s currently leading the IndyCar series. Even with a series that only has three or four strong teams, there is plenty of talent to go around.
2. Jimmie Johnson. Another racer that lives on consistency against the top racers in the world, week after week. At this point Johnson has little left to prove in his career, yet he continues to show why he is considered one of the greatest every week. Unlike Helio, Johnson has won four races this year which has given him the points lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup series. 
3. Kevin Harvick. Harvick is in the last year of his contract with Richard Childress Racing but not showing signs of throwing in the towel. With 2 wins this year, Happy Harvick is always running near the front at the end of the race. Another consistent driver that takes care of his equipment early and shows up as a real threat with a handful of laps left. There is a reason that he is called “the Finisher.”
4. #10 team of Wayne Taylor Racing in the GRAND-AM DP series. Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli have racked up 194 points for the lead in this series. Driving the Chevrolet Corvette DP on road racing courses is no easy task but this pair have driven away from the pack.
5. Ryan Hunter-Reay. Hunter Reay is currently in 3rd place on the season in the IndyCar series. A very talented driver that isn’t a secret anymore…ESPYS ‘Best Driver’ Award went to Hunter-Reay this year. Look for a strong finish to the season for the young driver.
6. Kasey Kahne. Kahne has been a threat to win every race this year but just hasn’t had the luck. There’s been plenty of times where he was collected by somebody else’s wreck. Kahne has one win on the season but should have been more. With 523 points and a race win, he’ll probably make the chase and turn up the fire for the last part of the season.
7. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Yes, we know that Junior is ahead of Kahne in the standings but Kahne had a bad run of luck. Junior, while he has been more consistent this year than season’s past, is likely to fold again with the last handful of races. 
8. #57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R team of Robin Liddell and John Edwards in the GRAND-AM Touring Class. 193 points in 2nd place in the series currently. This pair has the endurance and focus to finish in the top or second spot in a tough class.
9. Marco Andretti. Young Marco gets more intense every year. He is either going to will himself to win or burn out with the intensity. Given his family’s background, we think Marco will finish the season in good shape and have a Championship type year next year.
10. Tony Kanaan. He knows that his career is on the downhill side and not the uphill side of the mountain. Looking to secure his legacy beyond the Indy 500 win and Championship seasons, Kanaan will look to be consistent and end up in the front at the end of the race. If you are looking for excitement, Kanaan is not your driver, but if you want a “steady Eddie” driver that will finish in the top ten all year long, this is your guy.

IndyCar Chevrolet Drivers

A total of seven organizations fielding 13 full-time cars will carry the Gold Bowtie as they take on the competition in 2013. Powered by the purpose-built Chevrolet IndyCar twin-turbocharged, direct-injected 2.2 liter V-6 racing engine powered by E85 ethanol fuel.

• #1 Ryan Hunter-Reay, Andretti Autosport, 356 points, currently 3rd in points
• #2 A.J. Almendinger, Team Penske, 65 points in only 5 starts of 13 races. Currently 29th in points.
• #3 Helio Castroneves, Team Penske, 425 points with only 1 win, Currently leading in points.
• #4 J.R. Hildebrand, Panther Racing, 79 points in only 5 starts. Currently 26th in points.
• #5 E.J. Viso, Andretti Autosport, 258 points, currently 12th in points.
• #6 Sebastian Saavedra, Dragon Racing, 152 points in 22nd place.
• #7 Sebastian Bourdais, Dragon Racing, 223 points in 16th place.
• #11 Tony Kanaan, KV Racing Technology, 1 win, 307 points in 6th place.
• #12 Will Power, Team Penske, 273 points in 10th place.
• #20 Ed Carpenter, Ed Carpenter Racing, 240 points and currently in 14th place.
• #22 Oriol Servia, Panther Dreyer and Reinbold Racing, 151 points in 7 starts, 23rd in points.
• #25 Marco Andretti, Andretti Autosport, 355 points in 4th place.
• #27 James Hinchcliffe, Andretti Autosport, 305 points in 8th place.
• #78 Simona De Silvestro, KV Racing Technology, 207 points in 19th place with a full 13 starts this season.

NASCAR Chevrolet Drivers

Chevrolet has won the Manufacturer’s Championship in Nascar for the last ten years in a row. Their current crop of teams and racers make it hard to believe that they won’t win an 11th straight. 

The all-new NASCAR Chevrolet SS was revealed last November, which will be available to race fans later this year in the form of the 2014 SS Performance Sedan. Chevrolet is all about bringing the stock back to stock car racing.

• #1 Jamie McMurray, Earnhardt Gannasi, 507 points in 15th place.
• #5 Kasey Kahne, Hendrick Motorsports, 1 win, 523 points in 10th place.
• #10 Danica Patrick, Stewart-Haas Racing, 350 points in 27th place.
• #14 Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Racing, 1 win, 518 points in 13th place.
• #24 Jeff Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports, 521 points in 12th place.
• #27 Paul Menard, Richard Childress Racing, 487 points in 20th place.
• #31 Jeff Burton, Richard Childress Racing, 498 points in 17th place.
• #39 Ryan Newman, Stewart-Haas Racing, 487 points in 19th place.
• #42 Juan Pablo Montoya, Earnhardt Gannasi, 424 points in 23rd place.
• #78 Kurt Busch, Furniture Row Racing, 516 points in 14th place.
• #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr, Hendrick Motorsports, 578 points in 5th place.

GRAND-AM Daytona Prototype Class

The Daytona Prototype category attracts the most competitive racing teams and drivers, and brings out the latest and most advanced racing technology from the world’s premiere car companies. Last year, all eyes were on Chevrolet, as they introduced an all-new Corvette Daytona Prototype for the prestigious Rolex 24 race. This year, Team Chevy looks to reproduce the season that claimed the overall DP engine manufacturer’s championship.

• #3 8-Star Motorsports Chevrolet Corvette DP, Enzo Potolicchio, 49 points in 22nd place.
• #5 Action Express Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP, Christian Fittipaldi, 190 points in 3rd place.
• #9 Action Express Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP, Joao Barbosa, 188 points in 5th place.
• #10 Wayne Taylor Racing, Jordan Taylor and Max Angelelli with 194 points in 1st place.
• #90 Spirit of Daytona Chevrolet Corvette DP, Ricky Taylor and Richard Westbrook with 172 points in 7th place.
• #99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet Corvette DP, Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty with 189 points in 4th place.

GRAND-AM Grand Touring Class

The Grand Touring (GT) class is purpose-built race cars. The Chevrolet Camaro competes against top models of sports cars including Porsche GT3, BMW M3, Ford Mustang, Mercedes SLS and Audi R8. The rules for Grand Touring work toward equalization, limiting tire size, race car weight and engine rpm to fuel close competition and the excitement for every millisecond of lap time.

• #31 Marsh Racing Camaro GT.R with Borris Said and Eric Curran, 158 points in 9th place.
• #57 Stevenson Motorsports Camaro GT.R with Robin Liddell and John Edwards, 193 points in 2nd place.