Scott Dixon put on a dominating performance to win Sunday’s Indy Japan, while Will Power reclaimed the championship lead in the IZOD IndyCar Series with a second-place finish at Twin Ring Motegi.
Dixon started on the pole and led all but one of the 63 laps around the 2.983- mile, 14-turn road course. The Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver finished 3.4 seconds ahead of Power for his second win of the season and the 27th of his IndyCar career.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Team Target; they gave me a fantastic car,” Dixon said. “In some sections of the race, I was just cruising trying to save fuel. We had great pit stops and fuel strategy, and everything was flawless.” MiamiHerald.com
With two wins and a second from his past three races, Power is in pole position for a maiden IndyCar championship.
But after surrendering the championship to Franchetti in the final event of last year’s series, Power knows not to get too far ahead of himself.
“It was a good day for us points-wise in the championship, but I’m really not worried about points right now,” the Queenslander said.
Power moved to 542 points, 11 ahead of Franchitti (531), with Dixon (483) keeping his faint championship hopes alive with a second victory of the season.
Franchitti wasn’t looking to shift the blame after surrendering his series lead.
“It was a stupid move on my part,” said Franchitti, who started from ninth on the grid. TVNZ
Dixon, who won by 3.4 seconds, picked up his 27th Indy car victory, breaking a tie with Rodger Ward and tying Johnny Rutherford for 11th on the all-time list. He has the distinction of winning on the 1.5-mile oval and now the 2.983-mile road course. A day earlier, he tied Emerson Fittipaldi for 18th with his 17th earned pole.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Team Target; they gave me a fantastic car. In some sections of the race I was just cruising trying to save fuel,” he said. “Great pit stops and fuel strategy, and everything was flawless.”
Marco Andretti finished third in the No. 26 Team Venom Energy car—his best road/street course placing of the season—and Alex Tagliani advanced 11 spots relative to his starting position to finish fourth in the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. Oriol Servia also made a major move—from 16th to fifth in the No. 2 Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing car. IndyCar.com
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IZOD IndyCar Series: Indy Japan at Twin Ring Motegi - Race Results
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