IndyCar champion Simon Pagenaud has hailed Phoenix "his best win" after he clinched his very first victory on an oval at the weekend.
The Frenchman started from fifth but made gains by staying out a lap longer when Takuma Sato crashed out, putting him in the lead shortly after the race resumed where he remained until the chequered flag fell.
Pagenaud said the final 50 laps of the race were "stressful" but described the day as "perfect".
"Those were the longest 50 laps of my life," he said. "I have a button on my wheel that tells me how many laps were left. I kept pressing it. It was stressful.
"The car was phenomenal. It was an incredible day for the Menards Chevrolet. It’s been a fun day. This is incredible.
"The car was so strong at the beginning of the race we were able to save fuel in traffic and it paid off with that lucky yellow but we've had our fair share of bad luck too this year so it doesn't hurt sometimes to have a little break.
"This is my best win. You need to be so strategic to win on an oval and today was the perfect day. I couldn’t be any happier."
All of Pagenaud's previous wins have come on road a street courses, so he was pleased to finally break his oval duck at the weekend.
"I can't explain how excited I am," he added. "Ovals are not my specialty. I grew up in Europe racing go-karts.
"I learned about ovals when I was 26-years-old, so I had to learn the skill and the technique that I didn't know."
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