Scott Dixon grabbed the lead from teammate Dario Franchitti on pit road just before the midpoint and earned his 19th career IndyCar Series victory on Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway in Virginia, tying Sam Hornish Jr.‘s series record.
Dixon and Franchitti, teammates with Target Chip Ganassi Racing, started on the front row and stayed there all night, benefiting from a one-groove race track that made passing difficult, and from their own patience as most everyone else made green-flag pit stops. Los Angeles Times
“It was very tough to pass because of the track,” said Dixon, apologetic despite earning his second victory at Richmond International Raceway and first since 2003. “I saved a little bit more (fuel) than Dario, and he was caught with that yellow and I was able to continue on and jump on him in the pits.
IndyCar Series: SunTrust Indy Challenge - Richmond Race Results
“It was totally down to strategy. Even once you got to lapped traffic it was very tough to pass.”
Dixon’s 19th series victory tied Sam Hornish Jr. for the career lead and capped a memorable night for CGR, which swept the front row in qualifying and leads the standings in the same order, with Franchitti first and Dixon second.
“My mistake was trying to use too much fuel to pass (Hideki) Mutoh,” Franchitti said. “Ultimately that hurt us because we had to pit when the pits were closed on that yellow. … Once Scott got ahead, we did our best.” USA Today
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Franchitti finished second, giving Ganassi its first one-two finish since July 2008 at Nashville. Dixon won the rain-shortened event there, with his then teammate Dan Wheldon coming in second.
“We had to come in for fuel, and it was such a track position race that no one could pass you,” Franchitti said. “I really apologize to the fans, because that was a dreadful race.”
Rahal ended up with a third-place finish, while Hideki Mutoh came in fourth. Danica Patrick’s fifth place run marked her fifth top-five finish in the last eight races.
Franchitti captured the lead in the championship standings with only a one- point advantage over Dixon.
“We were one-two here, and it was huge points day for us since both Penske cars didn’t finish,” Dixon said.
IndyCar Series: SunTrust Indy Challenge - Richmond Race Results
Ryan Briscoe entered the race as the points leader, but Briscoe spun coming out of turn two and backed it into the wall in the early stages. He ended up with a 19th-place finish.
“It was totally unexpected,” Briscoe said. “The car just snapped on me and caught me by surprise.” Miamiherald.com
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