Dixon keeps title hopes alive

Scott Dixon salvaged his championship run with an improbable comeback Sunday in the IndyCar Grand Prix of Portland (Ore.).

Dixon finished fifth, far behind race winner Takuma Sato, but put together the kind of drive that may define his season. He started 11th, was collected in an opening-lap crash, penalized for speeding on pit road and twice drove through the field from 20th.

His Chip Ganassi Racing team was forced to change its strategy several times, and caution flags helped Dixon cycle ahead of the other championship contenders. The New Zealander goes to the Sept. 16 season finale with a 29point over Alexander Rossi.

Rossi had a decent race Sunday but finished eighth and lost three points to Dixon.

“Feels like a win for us,” Dixon said.

Team Penske drivers Will Power and Josef Newgarden started on the front row and are the only other drivers mathematically eligible to win the championship. But it was a terrible day for Power, the Indianapolis 500 winner, as a mechanical problem eight laps into the race seemed to make his car stall as he pulled out of the way and conceded the lead to Rossi.

Power later went off course into a tire barrier.

Formula One: Lewis Hamilton denied Ferrari a dream home win at the Italian Grand Prix as he overtook Kimi Raikkonen eight laps from the end to claim a fifth victory in seven years at Monza.

The Mercedes driver beat Raikkonen, who had started in pole, to tie Michael Schumacher’s record of five Italian GP victories and extend his championship lead to 30 points over Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.