MADISON, Sick. — IndyCar ironman Scott Dixon capitalized on needing to make solely three pit stops and stored his championship hopes alive in successful Sunday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500.
The victory was the fifty fifth of Dixon’s profession, and it got here in his record-extending 320th consecutive begin. He set the report two weeks in the past on the Gallagher Grand Prix in Indianapolis.
“They’re all particular, proper?” Dixon stated. “These previous few races I believe have been good on all fronts, proper? We have needed to cowl all bases whether or not it was pace, technique, consistency all through, nice pit stops.”
Dixon held the lead for 82 laps earlier than making his remaining pit cease on lap 196. With all of the vehicles on the lead lap having to pit after he made his remaining cease, the 43-year-old took the checkered flag, ending greater than 22 seconds forward of second-place Pato O’Ward.
“He is simply Scott Dixon,” O’Ward stated. “I really feel like that is what he is finest recognized for. He is aware of how you can do it higher than anyone with an important mixture that he has together with his group and automobile and every little thing. It is a bummer that we weren’t even near sort of even race him.”
The 22-second margin of victory broke Juan Pablo Montoya’s 23-year-old observe report when he completed nearly 12 seconds forward of Patrick Carpentier on the Motorola 300 in 2000.
“Ross (Bunnell), the engineer, did an incredible job … and had a automobile that enabled me to sort of save the gas that we would have liked,” Dixon stated. “After I had 10 to go, I requested him, ‘How a lot warmth are we getting from behind?’ They’re like, ‘It is over 20 seconds, so simply cruise it.’ I am like, ‘Oh, that is fairly candy.’ It has been a very long time since I’ve had the race like that.”
Josef Newgarden began within the high spot with pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin serving a nine-position grid penalty and led 101 of the primary 104 laps.
His quest to develop into the primary IndyCar driver to win six consecutive races on ovals since A.J. Foyt in 1964 got here to an finish when his No. 2 Honda made contact with the wall in flip two on the 211th lap.
Newgarden had received three consecutive races at World Vast Know-how Raceway and 4 total on the observe.
McLaughlin earned his fifth profession IndyCar pole forward of the race however began within the No. 10 place attributable to his penalty. He completed fifth.
McLaughlin is one among six drivers who had been penalized for unapproved use of a fifth engine