Dixon secures his first IndyCar victory of season

Scott Dixon raced to his first IndyCar victory of the year, outlasting Ryan Hunter-Reay by 1.8 seconds at Belle Isle in Detroit.

Dixon hadn’t led a lap all season until Saturday, but this was his fourth topfive finish in seven races in 2018. It was his 42nd career victory in the series, moving him into a tie for third on the career list with Michael Andretti.

Alexander Rossi finished third, followed by pole-winner Marco Andretti.

Rossi took over the season points lead. Indianapolis 500 winner Will Power dropped from first to third in the standings with a seventh-place showing at Belle Isle.

It was a dominant performance in Detroit for Honda, which had the top six finishers.

This was the first of two IndyCar races this weekend at Belle Isle. Dixon led for 39 of the 70 laps on the 2.35-mile street course. After starting on the pole, Andretti was in front for the first 22 laps before giving up the lead during a cycle of pit stops. The only other drivers to lead were Hunter-Reay and Graham Rahal.

After winning both Belle Isle races last year, Rahal crashed out of this one after 45 laps, hitting the wall coming out of a turn. Santino Ferrucci, making his first IndyCar start two days after his 20th birthday, also crashed when he spun 360 degrees before ending up in a tire barrier.

Xfinity Series: Kyle Busch had a flicker of concern when a speeding penalty dumped him to the rear of the field in Long Pond, Pa.

“You’re always worried about something crazy or unpredictable situations taking place,” he said.

There’s very little unpredictable about an Xfinity Series race with Busch in the field.

He romped again, overcoming an early penalty that dropped him to the back to win at Pocono Raceway for his 189th career NASCAR victory.

He led 24 of the first 26 laps and the final 40 to win for the 92nd time in Xfinity.