Source: Dana Garrett/Penske Entertainment / other
SPEEDWAY, Ind. — In a race reminiscent of Danny Sullivan’s spin and win in the Indianapolis 500 in 1985, Scott Dixon overcame being involved in an opening lap wreck to win the Gallagher Grand Prix on the IMS road course.
Dixon and his team executed a miraculous two-stop strategy race which involved saving a lot of fuel, while also holding off a fierce charge by Graham Rahal in the race’s final 15 laps.
“It was crazy,” Dixon said. “I had a fantastic start, but got T-Boned in Turn 9, but we got the fuel mileage. It was pretty sketchy in the end, but it worked out!”
Rahal was the pole sitter in a poetic return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where he failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 with his RLL team. He returned to take the pole in for this weekend’s race and led 36 of the race’s 85 laps.
On the race’s opening lap a wreck collected four cars, including Dixon. He was able to keep going unscathed from the melee. It did however collect Josef Newgarden as well.
Newgarden had a poor qualifying performance and was slated to start 19th, but he was penalized for an unauthorized engine change overnight and would then have to start 25th. The wreck on Lap 1 forced Newgarden two-laps down effectively ending his day before it began.
The result also was a gut check to his championship chase with Alex Palou.
The opening caution lasted several laps, which allowed Dixon to save some fuel and go for a two-stop strategy. Dixon’s opening stint lasted an astounding 32 laps.
Working a game of cat and mouse on the pit strategy, Dixon and Rahal kept going back and forth as the laps wound down. After Dixon’s last stop with close to 30 laps to go, Dixon was in a precarious spot on fuel.
Rahal, on the other hand, had no concerns with fuel as he attempted to overcut Dixon with 20 laps left. This put Rahal 7 seconds behind Dixon with limited time to make up the gap.
Rahal set a blistering pace making up that whole gap with enough time to get an honest crack at Dixon with 5 laps left. Unfortunately for Rahal, he never got in the right spot to overtake Dixon who was able to hold Rahal off and take his first win of the season.
It’s also Dixon’s 54th career win in IndyCar.
Rahal’s runner-up result is his best finish in over two years. It’s also his 33rd career podium. Pato O’Ward was third in his second podium finish on the IMS road course this season.
“I thought we did it right today, but that’s how racing goes,” Rahal said. “We didn’t have three sets of reds (tires) to use. Dixey through that middle stint, trying to chase him down, it was tough. We laid it all on the line and to get a podium in a year like this is great.”
Championship leader Alex Palou, who once again finds himself embroiled in contract drama, finished 7th on the day and with Newgarden’s misfortune, Palou was able to extend his points lead once again. In fact, Dixon’s win puts him into 2nd place in the championship standings 101-points back of Palou. Newgarden drops to 3rd 105-points back.
Three races remain on the calendar for IndyCar drivers as they head to the season’s final oval race at World Wide Technology Raceway in two weeks.
