Seven different drivers had taken victory in 2017, but no-one could deny that the eighth different driver to enter Victory Lane was unworthy of their place on that hallowed strip of Tarmac. Scott Dixon took to the Turn 5 run-off after 55 frenetic laps at Road America to complete donuts in the #9 CGR machine, displaying his delight at bringing his and Chip Ganassi Racing’s lengthy win drought to an end, brilliantly defeating the Penske steamroller, who had previously dominated at the verdant venue.
And it was no less than he deserved, after a run of misfortune, near-misses, and of course, that horrifying aerial accident at the Indianapolis 500. Plus for Dixon, a flawless drive at Road America enabled him to extend his lead in the championship, as the title race enters the business phase of the season.
From the start this had been Penske’s race to lose, and lose it they did. Hélio Castroneves brought the field up the hill to the green flag, with stable mates Will Power, Josef Newgarden, and Simon Pagenaud following him in the variously liveried Dallara DW12s.
Dixon immediately leapt ahead of Pagenaud and tried his hand at demoting Power, who had by now lost out on second position to Newgarden, as pole man Castroneves streaked clear up front. The Kiwi remained glued to the rear of the Aussie and then attempted to get by a few laps later, but found his path was blocked. So his team extended his first stint which enabled him to jump clear.
Third place was now his, while Castroneves and Newgarden continued to circulate at the head of the field, the young American having briefly taken the lead through dint of stopping a lap later. Castroneves, though, on warmed-up tyres, duly swept back to the front.
But Newgarden was not to be denied and a few laps later he was almost attached to the rear of his team-mate’s car as they glided around the picturesque venue, cheered on by a near full house of screaming fans. The on lap 20, Newgarden had a run along the main straight and boldly chose the outside line, around the corner to snatch the lead, as he quickly put air between himself and his opponent.
Castroneves, as with the first round of stops, came in before his rivals during the second phase, while leader Newgarden and third-placed Dixon, who had closed in on Castroneves, came in one lap later. Shortly after they made their respective stops, the first caution period was activated after Takuma Sato drifted wide through Turn 11 and hit the wall. Fortunately for the Indianapolis 500 winner, the contact was minor, and he bounced across the grass before coming to a halt. The Holmatro Safety Crew were quickly with the stricken Sato and fired him up, ready to go again.
But crucially, the caution period had eradicated Newgarden’s advantage, his predicament now exacerbated by running the slower Black tyres as opposed to Dixon’s Reds, as is mandatory for one phase of the race. And at the restart, Dixon got a cool and calculated run on Newgarden and drew level along the main straight, before boldly sticking to the outside of the turn to sweep around the Penske racer and into the lead. Newgarden saved an oversteer moment through Turn 1 but on slower tyres he was compromised, and Castroneves eventually demoted him into Turn 5.
Dixon moved clear of the chasing pack before coming in for his final stop on lap 42, with Castroneves following suit, albeit by mistake. Penske had intended for him to run a lap longer. Newgarden duly inherited the lead for a lap before slotting back into second when he was serviced next time around, fending off Castroneves into Turn 5. Just as Castroneves himself turned on the defensive against Pagenaud, Tony Kanaan speared hard into the Turn 11 wall after battling with the similarly four-stopping Alexander Rossi.
Kanaan carried more speed through Turn 10 and dived to the inside on the short straight, though Rossi moved across and the pair made minor contact, with the Ganassi driver losing small parts from his front wing. Kanaan held the inside for Turn 11 but in running a tighter approach he compromised his entry and slammed into the wall, his trajectory accentuated by the loss of front downforce and the array of marbles off-line.
Naturally a caution period was called for Kanaan’s car to be cleared, while the TK gathered his thoughts after a sizeable crash.
The caution period bunched the field but Dixon shot off like a man possessed when the Safety Car disappeared, as Newgarden tried to get up to speed. Newgarden had more push-to-pass time available and utilised it effectively, closing the deficit to under a second, but Dixon didn’t put a foot wrong up front, as Newgarden became increasingly ragged in pursuit. No matter how hard Newgarden tried, he was unable to displace Dixon, and the four-time champion crossed the line 0.57s clear for his 41st career victory, extending his series lead to 34 points.
“A lot of it was strategy, being on the right tyres at the right time, so happy, this is not a track that should be suited to us but everything went well,” he said. “It’s not what I expected! But I’m so pumped for the whole team.”
Newgarden admitted disappointment at the defeat, with his mandatory spell on the slower, black tyres coming at the wrong time.
“You can’t predict that stuff,” Newgarden said of the timing of the Sato-induced yellow. “The strategy was spot on, doing what we needed to do, sometimes they fall your way, sometimes they don’t. Dixon did a great job and they deserved their win, [but] it stings a bit.”
Castroneves held off Pagenaud for the final podium spot while Power completed a 2-3-4-5 for Penske. A good result, but frustrating after the 1-2-3-4 qualifying effort.
Charlie Kimball went off-strategy to record sixth position for Ganassi, while Ed Jones and Graham Rahal both snuck past Ryan Hunter-Reay along the back stretch late on to take seventh and eighth. Rahal almost struck the rear of Hunter-Reay’s car as he made his move but quick reactions enabled him to dive to the inside into Canada Corner, with the Andretti Autosport racer compromised by lost front wing elements.
Rahal was the lead driver on a four-stop strategy, with the bulk of the pack having favoured a three-stopper, while Max Chilton’s encouraging form continued as he took ninth position, leaving Mikhail Aleshin, who had run through the gravel at Turn 5 prior to the last caution period, completing the top 10. It was a strong recovery for Aleshin, who had missed Friday’s practice sessions after immigration issues delayed his entry into the country.
