IndyCar Laguna Seca: Dixon wins chaotic season finale

The six-time champion kept his head when many around him lost theirs, beating Scott McLaughlin (Team Penske) and his champion team-mate Alex Palou after a race punctuated by a high number caution periods caused by a series of wildly over-optimistic lunges and collisions that had a definite end-of-term feel.

Poleman Felix Rosenqvist (Arrow McLaren) led the 27-car field to green on his final start with the team, before Christian Lundgaard (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) clipped McLaughlin in the battle for second at the Andretti Hairpin, triggering a multi-car collision further back between Marcus Armstrong (Chip Ganassi Racing) and RLL duo Juri Vips and Graham Rahal that took out Penske’s Josef Newgarden – who was pinballed multiple times into the gravel.

“Wrong place, wrong time there,” said Rahal. “We hit Juri, we hit Josef – I told the medical team I’ve seen more of them than I’ve seen my wife this year.”

Dixon made a late engine change, which dropped him to 11^th, but he smacked Rinus VeeKay (Ed Carpenter Racing) on the exit of Turn 2. Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti) also suffered damage.

At the restart on lap seven, Rosenqvist led Palou, Will Power (Penske), Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) and Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport, who appeared to jump the initial start but wasn’t called for it).

Palou grabbed the lead at the end of that lap, barging Rosenqvist down to third behind Power – who was the only car on alternate tyres in the top 10.

The race soon went yellow again, however, when Newgarden spun on his own into the wall on the exit of Turn 4.

At the restart on lap 12, Rosenqvist shoved his way past Power at Turn 2 and took O’Ward with him. Power clung to fourth, as Dixon and Lundgaard were pinged for contact on the opening lap and served drive-through penalties.

Herta held fifth from Romain Grosjean (Andretti), with Agustin Canapino (Juncos Hollinger Racing) up to seventh from 19^th on the grid. McLaughlin recovered in 12^th after his trip to the gravel and got rid of his alternate rubber.

Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, crash

Photo by: Michael L. Levitt / Motorsport Images

Palou led Rosenqvist by 9s by one quarter distance, with O’Ward in third well clear of a battling Power and Herta.

Palou then endured a big scare when Helio Castroneves – in his final full-time IndyCar race for Meyer Shank Racing – spun at Turn 2, then continued and half spun at Turn 3, where he rejoined across the bows of the race leader.

Rosenqvist pitted from second for alternates on lap 28, with O’Ward in a lap later and sticking with primary tyres.

Rosenqvist was then punted into a spin at Turn 2 by Marcus Ericsson (Ganassi), cutting his tyre, which caused a second spin into the gravel at Turn 3, and brought out another caution.

Palou dived into the pits, rejoining on another set of primaries, ahead of Power. Herta had to take emergency service and tumbled down to 18^th.

An attempt at a restart on lap 27 failed when Benjamin Pedersen (AJ Foyt Racing) was punted by Power and clipped Callum Ilott (JHR) into a spin too. Moments later, Santino Ferrucci’s Foyt car got sent into a wild moment at Turn 1 by a punt from McLaughlin, who needed a new front wing.

The race restarted on lap 42 with Palou leading O’Ward, Grosjean and Canapino, after Lundgaard (11^th) and Dixon (13^th) pitted. Grosjean ran wide on the exit of Turn 2, coughing up third to Canapino and fourth to David Malukas (Dale Coyne Racing), before Grosjean regained fourth by divebombing Malukas at the The Corkscrew.

O’Ward pitted on lap 58, seconds before Malukas clashed with Andretti’s Devlin DeFrancesco at Turn 3, causing another caution. That proved disastrous for Palou, who pitted under yellow and fell from the lead back to 15^th.

Another calamitous restart attempt led to Ferrucci flying through the air over the back of Palou and into the gravel at the final corner and a sixth caution. Tom Blomqvist (MSR) was also forced to a halt when he connected with DeFrancesco.

That led to more pitstops and a race off pitlane between Dixon and team-mate Armstrong that Dixon won.

The next abysmal restart attempt was the same story with different players: Ericsson connected with team-mate Armstrong, after the Kiwi had been clipped into a spin by Pedersen.

O’Ward led at the restart with 23 laps to go, ahead of Grosjean, DeFrancesco, Canapino, Ilott (who’d spun in the pit entry not too many tours ago), Palou and Dixon.

Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

Photo by: Jake Galstad / Motorsport Images

Grosjean passed O’Ward into Turn 2 to hit the front, while Palou had a terrible exit from the final turn, allowing Dixon to rocket up to third, followed through by McLaughlin.

A couple of laps later, the yellow flew again as Castroneves took out a gearbox-troubled Herta at Turn 3. Grosjean and O’Ward pitted under yellow, dropping to the mid-teens, promoting Dixon to the lead from McLaughlin, Ilott and Palou.

It restarted with 17 laps to go, with Dixon going early and spreading the field out, ultimately claiming the win.

Power and Rossi passed Canapino, who was carrying front wing damage, to run fifth and sixth respectively.

Palou passed Ilott for third with 12 laps remaining, and Power demoted him further with four laps to go after he went off at Turn 9 - Ilott eventually finishing fifth.

Lundgaard, Armstrong, O’Ward and Ryan Hunter-Reay also overtook the hamstrung Canapino, who tumbled down the order, to fill the top 10 places. Lundgaard then grabbed sixth from Rossi at the penultimate corner.

Race result:

Main Information Additional Data Additional Data Driver Info

       

Driver Info			Main Information Additional Data
Cla	Driver	#		Laps	Time	Interval	Mph	Pits	Points	Retirement
1	S. Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing	9		95	2:17'41.6400		115.848	4
2	S. McLaughlin Team Penske	3		95	+7.3180	7.3180	113.438	5
3	A. Palou Chip Ganassi Racing	10		95	+10.6111	3.2931	113.685	2
4	W. Power Team Penske	12		95	+14.6669	4.0558	113.156	5
5	C. Ilott Juncos Hollinger Racing	77		95	+21.1289	6.4620	111.969	6
6	C. Lundgaard Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	45		95	+21.3750	0.2461	112.795	6
7	A. Rossi Arrow McLaren	7		95	+22.2153	0.8403	110.950	4
8	M. Armstrong Chip Ganassi Racing	11		95	+27.1310	4.9157	112.627	4
9	P. O'Ward Arrow McLaren	5		95	+28.3907	1.2597	114.213	3
10	R. Hunter-Reay Ed Carpenter Racing	20		95	+32.3407	3.9500	113.752	3
11	R. Grosjean Andretti Autosport	28		95	+39.0207	6.6800	114.223	3
12	R. Robb Dale Coyne Racing	51		95	+43.9875	4.9668	112.952	3
13	H. Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing	06		95	+58.3175	14.3300	111.534	5
14	A. Canapino Juncos Hollinger Racing	78		95	+1'01.1843	2.8668	107.015	2
15	M. Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing	8		94	+1 Lap	1 Lap	111.972	5
16	B. Pedersen A.J. Foyt Enterprises	55		94	+1 Lap	16.1042	114.117	6
17	S. Ferrucci A.J. Foyt Enterprises	14		94	+1 Lap	7.1672	113.962	6
18	R. van Kalmthout Ed Carpenter Racing	21		93	+2 Laps	1 Lap	111.259	5
19	F. Rosenqvist Arrow McLaren	6		93	+2 Laps	3.8346	113.996	5
20	D. Malukas Dale Coyne Racing	18		93	+2 Laps	7.4387	113.424	5
21	D. DeFrancesco Andretti Autosport	29		91	+4 Laps	2 Laps	47.494	7
22	J. Newgarden Team Penske	2		91	+4 Laps	12.3068	113.147	10
23	C. Herta Andretti Autosport	26		80	+15 Laps	11 Laps	42.615	7		Accident
24	J. Vips Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	30		71	+24 Laps	9 Laps	111.306	3
25	K. Kirkwood Andretti Autosport	27		65	+30 Laps	6 Laps	117.185	3
26	T. Blomqvist Meyer Shank Racing	60		61	+34 Laps	4 Laps	71.025	2		Accident
27	G. Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing	15		0	+95 Laps	61 Laps	70.671			Accident
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