2016 Honda Indy Toronto Race Results: Power Wins Again

Will Power rolled to his third victory of the season in the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday, closing up the fight for the championship with Simon Pagenaud.

The streets of Toronto brought a new challenge to the drivers of the Verizon IndyCar Series on Sunday afternoon, with a new layout around Exhibition Place for the 30th running of the Honda Indy Toronto.

While defending champion Scott Dixon would pounce on the field and dominate the opening half of the race, it was Team Penske’s Will Power who ultimately cruised to Victory Lane on the streets of Canada.

The 2016 Honda Indy Toronto was marked by two big storylines – close racing with walls on both sides, and fuel mileage and pit strategy. Both would have a key impact on who would end up in the winners circle.

Dixon, who started on pole for Chip Ganassi Racing, would hold the lead through the first half of the race despite multiple restarts due to contact.

An early tangle between Graham Rahal, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Charlie Kimball would slow the field, followed by a scrap between Juan Pablo Montoya and Josef Newgarden that left debris on course.

Were it not for a caution near Lap 50 of the Honda Indy Toronto, perhaps the event would have been Dixon’s for the taking.

The full course yellow came out as one of the temporary asphalt curbs in Turn 5 began to fall apart, and repairs were needed. This would catch leaders including Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais out on strategy, forcing them to pit under yellow and restart deep in the pack.

Passing proved to be difficult on the streets, with walls coming out to bite at every turn. Jack Hawksworth and Helio Castroneves would face trouble with the wall at different points of the event.

Josef Newgarden had the hardest fight with it, crashing hard after contact with the previously mentioned damaged curb. It was something that the injured driver did not need for his recovering wrist.

In the closing laps, Tony Kanaan would try and stretch the fuel to the finish from the lead, but would be forced to pit with under ten laps to go. He surrendered the lead to Power, who would control the field through one final restart, and the checkered flag.

His teammate Helio Castroneves would rebound from an earlier tire puncture to finish second at the Honda Indy Toronto, and hometown favorite James Hinchcliffe rounded out the podium in third.

With his win at the 2016 Honda Indy Toronto, Power pulls into second place in the IndyCar championship standings, just 47 points behind teammate Simon Pagenaud. Fellow Penske driver Castroneves is now third in points, while Newgarden falls from second to fifth.

Here are the full results for the 2016 Honda Indy Toronto from Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON, Canada:

1. Will Power, Chevrolet, Team Penske
2. Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, Team Penske
3. James Hinchcliffe, Honda, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
4. Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
5. Takuma Sato, Honda, A.J. Foyt Racing
6. Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
7. Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, KVSH Racing
8.  Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
9. Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, Team Penske
10. Marco Andretti, Honda, Andretti Autosport
11. Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
12. Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, Andretti Autosport
13. Graham Rahal, Honda, Andretti Autosport
14. Luca Filippi, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing
15. Conor Daly, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing
16. Alexander Rossi, Honda, BHA-Andretti Autosport
17. Carlos Munoz, Honda, Andretti Autosport
18. Max Chilton, Chevrolet, Chip Ganassi Racing
19. Spencer Pigot, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing
20. Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, Team Penske
21. Jack Hawksworth, Honda, A.J. Foyt Racing
22. Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing

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The next race for the Verizon IndyCar Series comes in two weeks, with the Honda Indy 200 from the winding Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH.

Coverage of the Honda Indy 200 can be seen on Sunday, July 31 at 2:00 pm eastern live on CNBC, NBC Sports Live Extra, and the NBC Sports app.