Three Ganassi drivers ranked
Having signed on with the Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) NASCAR program this off season, Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series Champion Dario Franchitti was ranked seventh after a thrilling, year long battle for the title with Target driver Scott Dixon.
Dixon, entering his seventh year with the team, is ranked eight overall on the merit of his runner-up finish to Franchitti at the Indianapolis 500, his domination of road courses, and his second place finish in the Championship standings.
Another newcomer to the Chip Ganassi Racing Teams Inc. arsenal of talented drivers, 2007 Indy Pro Series Champion Alex Lloyd, a new addition to the list, was included on the basis of his incredible season. Lloyd’s record eight wins, including five in a row, along with five pole positions and 399 laps led, not only caught the attention of team but placed him in the 50th spot on AutoSport Magazine’s prestigious list.
While there was no specific formula by which drivers from across different series could be judged, the list was subjective and determined by the staff at AutoSport. Among the elements the British racing magazine took into consideration were: the consistent level of performance attained, the competitiveness of the equipment at the drivers' disposal, and the overall competitiveness of the championship.
All three drivers will be part of an All-Star line-up for CGRFS at the Rolex 24 At Daytona, including Juan Pablo Montoya, Dan Wheldon, Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, and Salvador Duran, to launch the start of the 2008 racing season.
AutoSport Magazine’s “Top 50 Drivers of 2007"
50 – Alex Lloyd – 1st in Indy Pro
49 – Fabrizio Giovanardi – 1st in BTCC
48 – Jari-Matti Latvala – 8th in WRC
47 – Anthony Davidson – 23rd in F1
46 – Marko Asmer – 1st in British F3
45 – Yvan Muller – 2nd in WTCC
44 – Oliver Jarvis – 3rd in Japanese F3, Macau GP Winner
43 – Justin Wilson – 2nd in CCWS
42 – Sam Hornish Jr – 5th in IRL
41 – Nico Hulkenberg – 3rd in Euro F3, Masters of F3 Winner
40 – Mattias Ekstrom – 1st in DTM
39 – Adrian Sutil – 19th in F1
38 – Romain Grosjean – 1st in Euro F3
37 – Giorgio Pantano – 3rd in GP2
36 – Matt Kenseth – 4th in NASCAR
35 – James Thompson – 3rd in WTCC
34 – Paul Di Resta – 5th in DTM
33 – Nicolas Minassian – 3rd in LMS
32 – Vitantonio Liuzzi – 18th in F1
31 – Bruno Spengler – 2nd in DTM
30 – Helio Castroneves – 6th in IRL
29 – David Coulthard – 10th in F1
28 – Timo Glock – 1st in GP2
27 – Rubens Barrichello – 20th in F1
26 – Allan McNish – 1st in ALMS
25 – Jeff Gordon – 2nd in NASCAR
24 – Romain Dumas – 1st in ALMS
23 – Sebastien Bourdais – 1st in CCWS
22 – Sebastian Vettel – 14th in F1
21 – Alain Menu – 6th in WTCC
20 – Jimmie Johnson – 1st in NASCAR
19 – Mikko Hirvonen – 3rd in WRC
18 – Giancarlo Fisichella – 8th in F1
17 – Jarno Trulli – 13th in F1
16 – Tony Kanaan – 3rd in IRL
15 – Andy Priaulx – 1st in WTCC
14 – Nico Rosberg – 9th in F1
13 – Heikki Kovalainen – 7th in F1
12 – Robert Kubica – 6th in F1
11 – Felipe Massa – 4th in F1
10 – Nick Heidfeld – 5th in F1
9 – Mark Webber – 12th in F1
8 – Scott Dixon – 2nd in IRL
7 – Dario Franchitti – 1st in IRL, Indy 500 Winner
6 – Jenson Button – 15th in F1
5 – Sebastien Loeb – 1st in WRC
4 – Marcus Gronholm – 2nd in WRC
3 – Fernando Alonso – 3rd in F1
2 – Lewis Hamilton – 2nd in F1
1 – Kimi Raikkonen – 1st in F1