IndyCar: Takuma Sato wins 2018 Grand Prix of Portland

Takuma Sato earned his third career IndyCar victory in the penultimate race of the 2018 season, the Grand Prix of Portland.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Takuma Sato has been a full-time IndyCar driver since the 2010 season. Entering today’s race, the 16th race of the 17-race 2018 season, he had earned two career IndyCar victories.

Sato earned his third career IndyCar victory by winning the Grand Prix of Portland after starting all the way back in 20th place in the 25-car field in his #30 Honda. His other two career wins came in the race on the streets of Long Beach, California back in 2013 and in last year’s Indianapolis 500.

Sato won the 105-lap race around the 12-turn, 1.967-mile (3.166-kilometer) Portland International Raceway road course in Portland, Oregon by 0.6084 seconds over second place finisher Ryan Hunter-Reay, who drives the #28 Andretti Autosport Honda.

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Dale Coyne Racing’s Sebastien Bourdais rounded out a Honda sweep of the podium by finishing in third place in his #18 Honda. Ed Carpenter Racing’s Spencer Pigot was the highest finishing Chevrolet driver of the race. He finished in fourth in his #20 Chevrolet.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, who started in 11th place, was involved in the massive first-lap crash and was later penalized for speeding in the pits, somehow, some way managed to round out the top five in fifth place in his #9 Honda to extend his lead in the championship standings to 29 points over Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi heading into the double points-paying season finale at Sonoma Raceway.

Rossi finished the race in eighth place in his #27 Honda. Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud and Carlin Motorsport’s Charlie Kimball separated him from Dixon in sixth and seventh in their #22 Chevrolet and #59 Chevrolet, respectively.

Dale Coyne Racing rookie Pietro Fittipaldi and Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden rounded out the top 10 in ninth and 10th place in their #19 Honda and #1 Chevrolet, respectively.

The race featured a total of nine lead changes among six drivers. Aside of Sato, who led 25 laps, five other drivers led at least one lap of the race. Those drivers were Rossi, Hunter-Reay, Newgarden, race polesitter Will Power and Max Chilton. Rossi led more laps than anybody else in the field with 32 laps led.

The race also featured a total of four caution flag periods for 18 laps. The first caution flag period began on lap one for an accident involving Dixon, Bourdais, Zach Veach, James Hinchcliffe, Ed Jones, Graham Rahal and Marco Andretti in turn two. Andretti’s car ended up upside down when the crash was all said and done.

The second caution flag period of the race began on lap 43 when Power hit the tire barrier in turn 11. The third caution flag period of the race began on lap 56 for a similar reason when Veach slid off the track in turn 11, and the fourth and final caution flag period of the race began on lap 76 when Santino Ferrucci went off course in turn six.

Of the 25 drivers who started the race, 22 finished it and 18 finished it on the lead lap.

Here are the full race results of the 2018 Grand Prix of Portland at Portland International Raceway.

The 2018 IndyCar season finale is scheduled to take place on Sunday, September 16. That race, the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma, is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.