IndyCar: Scott Dixon dominates for first Indy road course win

Scott Dixon is two for two to open up the 2020 IndyCar season, as he dominated the GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

After finishing runner-up to a Team Penske driver in three consecutive IndyCar seasons, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon finally secured his first victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, as he dominated Saturday afternoon’s GMR Grand Prix.

Dixon is the first driver to win this race other than Will Power or Simon Pagenaud since it was added to the schedule back in 2014, and he became the first driver to ascend the new victory lane car lift at Roger Penske’s newly renovated Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Despite being a five-time champion and despite now having 48 career victories to his name, Dixon had never started a season with back to back victories before this year.

More from IndyCar

The 39-year-old New Zealander opened up the season with a dominant victory at Texas Motor Speedway in early June four weeks ago.

Dixon started Saturday’s 80-lap race around the 13-turn, 2.439-mile (3.925-kilometer) road course in Speedway, Indiana in seventh place in his #9 Honda after just missing out on the Firestone Fast Six, and he drove to the front in part thanks to making the second of his three pit stops right before the race’s lone caution flag period was caused by a crash involving Arrow McLaren SP rookie Oliver Askew.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Graham Rahal, who finished in second place in his #15 Honda — a whopping 19.9469 seconds behind Dixon — was on a two-stop strategy and stayed out on the track during this caution flag period on old tires.

Dixon, who won on a three-stop strategy, made a few passes and got around him shortly after the restart, and he never looked back.

After starting all the way back in 20th place, Pagenaud utilized a smart pit strategy to rally for a third place finish in his #22 Chevrolet.

Andretti Harding Steinbrenner Autosport’s Colton Herta finished in fourth place in his #88 Honda ahead of Ed Carpenter Racing rookie Rinus VeeKay in fifth in his #21 Chevrolet. VeeKay was making just his second ever IndyCar start and his first ever start on a road course.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Marcus Ericsson finished in sixth place in his #8 Honda ahead of Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden in seventh in his #1 Chevrolet. Despite all of Newgarden’s previous success, which includes two championships in the last three seasons, this is surprisingly his first top 10 finish at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Arrow McLaren SP’s Patricio O’Ward tied his career-best result with his eighth place finish in his #5 Chevrolet. Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan’s Santino Ferrucci overcame an early issue in the pits to finish in ninth in his #18 Honda.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Takuma Sato rounded out the top 10 with his 10th place finish behind the wheel of the #30 Honda in what was his first start of the season, as he missed the race at Texas Motor Speedway after crashing in qualifying.

The race featured 10 lead changes among eight drivers. Aside of Dixon, who led 26 laps, the race featured six different leaders: Rahal, Ericsson, Newgarden, Andretti Autosport’s Zach Veach, Meyer Shank Racing’s Jack Harvey, Power and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing with Citrone/Buhl Autosport’s Spencer Pigot.

Power started the race from the pole position alongside Harvey in second place and led more laps than anybody else in the field with 28 laps led, but the caution flag period shuffled him several positions back, and a late issue in the pits relegated him to a disappointing 20th place finish in his #12 Chevrolet.

In three previous starts from the pole position at the track, Power had never not won, doing so in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Here are the full race results of the 2020 GMR Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course.

Race Results
1st – Scott Dixon
2nd – Graham Rahal
3rd – Simon Pagenaud
4th – Colton Herta
5th – Rinus VeeKay
6th – Marcus Ericsson
7th – Josef Newgarden
8th – Patricio O’Ward
9th – Santino Ferrucci
10th – Takuma Sato
11th – James Hinchcliffe
12th – Conor Daly
13th – Ryan Hunter-Reay
14th – Zach Veach
15th – Felix Rosenqvist
16th – Max Chilton
17th – Jack Harvey
18th – Charlie Kimball
19th – Alex Palou
20th – Will Power
21st – Dalton Kellett
22nd – Marco Andretti
23rd – Sage Karam
24th – Spencer Pigot
25th – Alexander Rossi
26th – Oliver Askew

Next. Top 10 IndyCar drivers of all-time. dark

The next race on the 2020 IndyCar schedule is the first race of the REV Group Grand Prix Presented by AMR Doubleheader. This race is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Road America beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 11.