After each race of the IndyCar Series season, ESPN.com open-wheel correspondent John Oreovicz ranked the top 10 drivers in the series. Don't agree with Oreo's list? Let him -- and the whole world -- know in the Conversation section at the bottom of the page.

New this week
None.

Dropped out
None.

Biggest mover
Tony Kanaan moved up three spots from ninth to sixth.

Biggest losers
Danica Patrick, Marco Andretti and Mario Moraes fell one spot apiece.

2009 IndyCar Series Power Rankings - Week 18
	RK(LW)	DRIVER	TOP 10s	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Scott Dixon	14	Had there been a full-course caution in the latter stages of the Firestone Indy 300, Dixon would have been the 2009 IndyCar Series champion. Might not have walked away with a third title this year, but firmly established himself as the series' best driver.
	2 (2)	Dario Franchitti	15	I'll probably hear from Dario after ranking him No. 2, yet he probably won't argue that Dixon deserves to be No. 1. Returned to Indy cars motivated and refreshed after his NASCAR sabbatical, matched Ganassi teammate Dixon with five wins and thoroughly deserved to emerge as series champion.
	3 (3)	Ryan Briscoe	13	Briscoe drove extremely well all season and elevated himself into that top tier of drivers who can contend for victories every weekend. He's on a classic championship progression: won races in '08, then contended for wins more consistently and vied for the title in '09.
	4 (4)	Helio Castroneves	10	Helio ended a disappointing second half of the season on a positive note despite suffering a practice crash that wasn't his fault. Fifth in the season finale represented second in class, Castroneves now has a long offseason to catch his breath after a tumultuous 2009.
	5 (5)	Graham Rahal	9	Disappointing 11th-place finish at Homestead to end the season, but Rahal is still improving all the time, and, at age 20, has limitless potential. Could be following Briscoe as the IndyCar Series' next regular contender for race wins, but can he put together a championship run?
	6 (9)	Tony Kanaan	10	Kanaan finished first in class and fourth overall at Homestead, but he must be ready to put the 2009 season behind him. TK's leadership skills will be put to the test as Michael Andretti assumes full control and refocuses Andretti Green Racing.
	7 (6)	Danica Patrick	10	After finishing sixth or better in five of the first six races, capped by third at Indianapolis, Danica fizzled in the second half of the season. Was she distracted by business matters, or just a victim of AGR's overall decline in competitiveness? We'll find out in 2010.
	8 (7)	Marco Andretti	11	There weren't a lot of high points to Marco's 2009 campaign, and he was usually a fixture in the bottom half of the top 10. Needs to silence the doubters by becoming a front-runner -- or at least outpacing his teammates.
	9 (8)	Mario Moraes	6	Showed dramatic improvement in the second half of the season and learned how to finish races. Ended the year with steady seventh-place run at Homestead and could benefit from KV Racing's hopes to expand to three cars in 2010.
	10 (10)	Justin Wilson	7	Wilson and Dale Coyne Racing were the only intruders into the Penske/Ganassi winner's club, and it was the best story of the season. They ran at the front on most road-racing weekends and were starting to figure out ovals by season's end.