Dixon Ends Drought, Ties Mario with Commanding Toronto Win
The drought lastly is over for Scott Dixon.
Six-time NTT INDYCAR Series winner Dixon gained his initial victory since May possibly 2021 at Texas Motor Speedway – a span of 23 races, the next-longest winless streak of his illustrious occupation – by capturing the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday. Dixon drove his No. 9 PNC Lender Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to a victory by .8106 of a 2nd around Colton Herta in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
The victory also was the 52nd of Dixon’s occupation, tying him with fellow legend Mario Andretti for No. 2 on the all-time INDYCAR Collection acquire listing. A.J. Foyt qualified prospects with 67 wins. Dixon’s fourth occupation Toronto victory prolonged his history to 18 consecutive INDYCAR Collection seasons with at the very least just one gain, and he also has received a race in a history 20 seasons total.
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“Ended a streak there, which is superb,” Dixon said. “Just so delighted for the team. A insane yr for the 9. The PNC Financial institution No. 9 back again in winner’s circle. It just feels so excellent.
“To be close to Mario, each individual time I’m requested these questions, I’m just so thankful that we even now have A.J. and him in the pits. We get to see them we get to communicate to them. It is just great. It is enormous, man. I just sense so blessed to be a element of this group.”
Felix Rosenqvist completed 3rd in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet to gain his initially podium final result since his sole career INDYCAR Sequence victory in July 2020 at Street America.
Graham Rahal completed a period-best fourth in the No. 15 United Rentals Honda, when NTT INDYCAR Collection championship chief Marcus Ericsson concluded fifth in the No. 8 Huski Chocolate Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Ericsson expanded his lead from 20 to 35 points over next-area Will Electric power in the series standings. Electric power completed 15th following starting 16th in the No. 12 Verizon Crew Penske Chevrolet.
Dixon is fifth in the standings, 44 factors behind his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Ericsson. Dixon would tie Foyt as the all-time championship winner in INDYCAR Series background with a seventh title.
“Hopefully we’re kind of in the title hunt now,” Dixon explained. “I’m hoping this is the start off of the roll. I know the crew definitely justifies it.”
Dixon, who begun second, employed canny strategy from his pit box earlier in the race to consider the lead for the initial time on Lap 32 of the 85-lap race.
Dixon chased NTT P1 Award winner Colton Herta for the first 17 laps about the 11-flip, 1.786-mile momentary avenue circuit all-around Exhibition Location. The Ganassi team called Dixon for gasoline and to modify from Firestone alternate “red” tires to the key “black” tires on Lap 17.
That move prompted Andretti Autosport to connect with Herta to the pits for an identical tire alter on Lap 18, and Dixon – on very hot main tires – handed Herta and his cold main tires on track throughout Herta’s out lap just after his pit end. That overtaking maneuver proved decisive, and Dixon circulated to the front on Lap 32 when Pato O’Ward surrendered the lead after ultimately producing his initially pit cease in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet.
“We struggled a little little bit on reds,” Dixon reported of the Firestone alternate tires. “We made some changes right after this early morning (primarily based) on some of the diverse tracks that we have been in the course of the 12 months. We experienced fought with understeer, and that absolutely was not the case currently. It was a difficult push, man.”
The race was remarkably thoroughly clean for the very first 44 laps, with just a single caution for two laps in the opening laps following contact destroyed the No. 51 Deloitte Honda of Takuma Sato. But the treacherous, bumpy circuit with its unforgiving partitions spawned a few caution periods in between Laps 45 and 60, providing Herta and some others a prospect to jump Dixon on a restart.
But Dixon held agency and assumed the direct for excellent below warning on Lap 61 when an off-sequence Rinus VeeKay pitted from the front in the No. 21 Bitcoin Racing Team with BitNile Chevrolet. Dixon led a race-high 40 of the 85 laps, with VeeKay next with 18 laps in entrance.
Herta couldn’t get earlier Dixon on the final restart of the race on Lap 66. Then Herta concentrated on his mirrors and resisted intense pressure from driving from Rosenqvist, prevailing for second about the Swede by .5384 of a second at the finish.
“Felix was seriously speedy, and I’m happy we ended up in a position to keep him at the rear of us,” Herta stated. “He seemed like a number of much more laps, and he was heading to get us. We struggled a small bit with tire use at the close, but other than that, our car was astounding.”
Dixon will break up $10,000 with his staff and a charity of his choice for the victory as element of the PeopleReady Force for Good Problem.
The very important operate of five NTT INDYCAR Sequence races in four weeks continues with the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend this Friday by Sunday at Iowa Speedway, featuring a doubleheader on the .875-mile oval. The Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 introduced by DoorDash is scheduled for 4 p.m. (ET) Saturday (NBC/INDYCAR Radio Community), with the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google at 3 p.m. (ET) Sunday (NBC/INDYCAR Radio Network).