Scott Dixon finished second in Sunday’s inaugural Music City Grand Prix, crossing the finish line with tires that had been fitted for over half the total race distance.
His podium drive was not quite as improbable as Marcus Ericsson’s comeback win after crashing in the early laps, but merely staying on the track demanded high levels of skill from the multi-time champion.
Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing pit crew only topped up his fuel tank on the final pit stop, saving time, but also necessitating a tire-saving strategy in order to make his Firestone rubber last for 47 laps.
The steady veteran mastered the strategy, moving from ninth up to third as others pit around him, and sliding into second when Colton Herta overdrove turn nine in the closing laps.
“I was just hanging on, man,” related Dixon after the race. “The rear tires were definitely pretty shot.
“We didn’t take tires on the last stop. They were black [walled, hard compound tires]. That was real interesting.
“I think everybody around us was on reds, I think Colton [Herta] did a tremendous job to fight his way back through. He had some serious speed.
“I know he had a big lockup previous to that. I’m not sure if that caused the second situation he had when he found the wall.
“For me, when the tires are bad, it’s really hard to get fuel mileage as well. You can’t really roll the speed you need to in the apex. It’s a bad combo.”
Despite having to save tires and fuel, Dixon only finished 1.5 seconds behind Ericsson, who had tires that were 13 laps fresher.
The podium result means that moved up to second in the points standings and gained 14 crucial points on his team-mate Alex Palou, who finished in seventh.
The IndyCar series returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for another round on the facility’s road course, a track that has seen Dixon finish within the top 10 each of the last nine races.
