Leader Palou grabs sixth Indycar win, Dixon gamble backfires
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
Series leader Alex Palou clings on to notch a sixth Indycars season win in Wisconsin while New Zealand's Scott Dixon just falls short after employing a bold fuel strategy.
After starting 25th on the grid at the Grand Prix of Road America, veteran Chip Ganassi Racind driver Dixon led for a race-high 27 laps out of 55 laps, courtesy of an early pit stop and some good luck with a safety car stoppage.
Having looked like he could hold on to land his first win of the season, Dixon's fuel bottomed out and he was forced to pit again with two laps to go, to ultimately finish ninth.
Photo:
PHOTOSPORT
Palou led for only six laps but squeezed out the win on low fuel, having drafted behind team-mate Dixon over the closing stages to ensure he'd reach the chequered flag.
The Spaniard notched his sixth win in nine rounds but his first since the Indianapolis 500 to extend his dominant lead in the championship standings to 93 points over American Kyle Kirkwood.
Sweden's Felix Rosenqvist took second, and Santino Ferrucci continued a hot stretch of his own by placing third, while Kirkwood was fourth and New Zealand's Marcus Armstrong fifth.
The third Kiwi in the field, Scott McLaughlin, was 12th after leading on the opening lap of a topsy-turvy street race.
"It was a crazy race," Palou said.
"I had moments I thought we were losing a ton [more] position than we were making.
"It was a tough race for everybody, but kudos to the team for the amazing strategy, and Honda, man. HRC being able to give us the fuel mileage we needed at the end to make it."
Palou became the first IndyCar driver since A.J. Foyt in 1975 to win six of the first nine races in a campaign.
He will be hard to catch over the final eight rounds.
Dixon is fifth overall, with McLaughlin eighth and Armstrong 10th.
- Reuters/RNZ
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