Dixon boosts IndyCar lead with victory
TORONTO – Amid chaos, he was the constant. Despite multiple cautions, crazy restarts and some allout bedlam Sunday on the streets of Toronto, the “Ice Man” Scott Dixon emerged unscathed and the winner of his third race of the season.
Dixon, who started second, seized the lead after pole-sitter Josef Newgarden brushed the wall on a mid-race restart and never relented. The battles for positions waged behind him, but no one challenged the four-time series champion who’s now well on his way to a fifth, leading Newgarden by 62 points in the driver standings.
“I’m a little worn out. That was definitely a physical race,” Dixon said in victory lane. “The car was superb. We just needed some clear air and we were able to check out. It was definitely a tough race, definitely tough on the restarts.
“Huge congrats to the team. I’m stoked man. This is awesome.
He did brush the wall with under 20 laps to go, but it didn’t do enough damage to his car to make a difference as he cruised to victory.
See you in the winner’s circle: Dixon’s win gives him a series-best sixth podium and third victory of the season, which ties him with Newgarden for the series lead. The victory also was third of his career on the streets of Toronto and his 44th overall. He now trails Mario Andretti by eight wins for second alltime and A.J. Foyt by 23 for the top spot.
For Pagenaud, the podium was another big hit in his bounce-back second half of the season. After failing to score a podium in the first eight races, his runner-up finish was his second in the past four races. Better yet for the Frenchman, he picked up his first street/road course podium of the season after struggling mightily on those tracks this year.
“It was really, really tough out there. The track was changing all the time,” Pagenuad said. “It was a blast to drive. Really difficult, but when you have a result like this it feels really rewarding and a lot of fun.”