Scott Dixon picked up his fourth IndyCar victory at Watkins Glen International on Sunday with a masterclass in both outright pace and fuel saving to leave the field trailing in his wake.
Dixon dominated practice at Watkins Glen before taking pole position on Saturday after edging out Will Power in the Fast Six shootout, and managed to hold his lead on the run down to Turn 1.
Dixon opened up a healthy buffer to Power behind before perfectly timing his first pit stop, coming in just before a full course yellow was called following a tyre blow-out for Mikhail Aleshin.
Dixon was able to pull away from the pack thanks to Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Max Chilton running second and holding the field back, ensuring his teammate could make up the time lost under the caution.
The title race took a twist on lap 40 when Power crashed out of the race following a clash with Charlie Kimball. Power entered the Watkins Glen weekend trailing Penske teammate and title rival Simon Pagenaud by 28 points in the standings, with both dropping outside of the top 10 under the first caution period.
Coming up the hill from Turn 4 and towards the Bus Stop chicane, Power tried to defend his position from Kimball, only to push the Ganassi driver onto the grass. Kimball bounced across the grass and into Power, sending him into the wall and out of the race. Although Power was checked and released from the medical centre, INDYCAR medical officials have not yet cleared him to race after showing concussion-like symptoms.
The majority of the field dived into the pits under the caution to make a final pit stop, although with 18 laps to run until the chequered flag, the fuel numbers were tight. Most started to lift and coast early in the final stint, but Dixon simply pushed on at the front.
After completing the final few laps almost two seconds quicker each time than his rivals, Dixon crossed the line to score his second win of the season and fourth at Watkins Glen, finishing 16 seconds clear.
The final lap saw a litany of drivers run short on fuel, allowing Josef Newgarden to pounce and finish second for Ed Carpenter Racing. Helio Castroneves completed the podium for Penske ahead of Conor Daly, who claimed an impressive fourth-place finish for Dale Coyne Racing.
Sebastien Bourdais crossed the line fifth for KVSH Racing and even gave James Hinchcliffe a lift to the pit lane after the Canadian's car conked out before the final corner, having run second just moments earlier. Kimball survived a frenetic race to finish sixth.
Pagenaud ended up seventh, meaning he heads into the final double points round at Sonoma with a 43-point advantage over Power. As a result, a fourth-place finish at the California venue will be enough to clinch him a maiden IndyCar title.
Alexander Rossi was unable to repeat his Indy 500 fuel save escapades, finishing eighth, while RC Enerson made a huge impression in just his second IndyCar race to finish ninth ahead of Max Chilton.
Discussion about this post