DETROIT - In a mayhem-filled NTT IndyCar Series race on the streets of Detroit, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon displayed his masterful fuel-saving skills and used on-track chaos to his advantage to win the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.
Dixon’s No. 9 PNC Bank Honda fought to the front and led 35 of 100 laps en route to his second win of the year. The six-time series champion also won for the 58th time in his IndyCar career and is now nine wins away from tying the legendary AJ Foyt.
“I think I said on the radio about Lap 50 ‘I think we can make it if we stop now,' Dixon said. “Obviously, we didn't get THAT risky, but the team called it perfectly. We were on the right strategy. Everyone on the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda did a superb job, and it's always fun to drive my Honda out there.
“I mean, how cool is that? All the variables made today special: trying to keep out of trouble, keep the car on track, we had rain, and all the cautions. You were just never sure how the race was going to fall. It's just a great day.”
Dixon leaves Detroit as the new championship points leader, 18 points ahead of CGR teammate Alex Palou.
Andretti Global’s Marcus Ericsson finished the 100-lap Detroit street race in second place, just behind Dixon. Ericsson is coming off a “terrible” month of May, which saw him crash his primary car in Indianapolis 500 practice.
Then, Ericsson had to participate in the Last Row Shootout and crashed out on Lap 1, Turn 1 of the Indy 500 when he smashed into the spinning Tom Blomqvist. Aside from a top-five finish in Long Beach, the Swede has struggled to find success with his new team.
However, the podium in Detroit gave the No. 28 team a much-needed result and the opportunity to start building some momentum.
"Great result for us!" Ericsson said. "We had a really tough month of May, and this weekend started out tough for us as well with me hitting the wall in practice. We've had to dig deep, but I'm really proud of this whole No. 28 group, they've really come together and really the whole Andretti organization.
"They gave us great cars this weekend. It feels good to be on the podium, it feels great to have a Honda 1-2-3-4. After the month of May, we've bounced back and shown great strength here."
It was not a victory, but nobody quite embraced the chaotic race with eight full-course cautions like Marcus Armstrong. Rolling off from 19th on the grid, Armstrong managed to keep his No. 11 Root Insurance Honda out of trouble.
Dodging accidents and working his strategy down to the wire, the Kiwi surrendered second place to Ericsson before crossing the finish line without any fuel left in the tank… just enough to earn the first podium of his IndyCar career.
“In my opinion, it’s been a long time coming, even though this is my second season,” Armstrong said.
Outside The Podium
It was highs and lows all day in Detroit for Andretti Global. Colton Herta had a strong start to the race, leading the opening 33 laps.
While he attempted to pass Palou on a drying track, Herta locked up into the runoff in Turn 5, bringing out the fifth full-course caution of the day and putting him a lap down for the remainder of the race.
Herta ultimately settled for a 19th-place finish in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda.
His teammate Kyle Kirkwood also showed a strong pace, leading 24 laps. Kirkwood lost the lead to Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong in the pitlane. After finishing fourth, he is still looking for his first win of the season.
After dominating the month of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it was a Detroit weekend to forget for Team Penske. Coming off a second consecutive Indianapolis 500 win, Josef Newgarden ran over his team’s wheel gun and nearly collided with Christian Lundgaard’s pit crew coming out of his box.
This resulted in a drive-through penalty for Newgarden, combined with breaking the rear toe link led to Newgarden finishing six laps down in 26th place. It was not much better for his teammate Scott McLaughlin.
After colliding with Sting Ray Robb late in the race, the No. 3 Gallagher Chevrolet got sent to the back of the field for avoidable contact, with 32 laps remaining. McLaughlin finished the day in 20th.
With McLaughlin and Newgarden out of contention, Will Power was the best of Team Penske in the Motor City.
Despite inheriting four penalties (emergency service in a closed pit, failure to pack up under yellow, avoidable contact and full service in a closed pit) throughout the day, the Australian brought the No. 12 Verizon Chevrolet home in sixth place.
GRID Ranking
The 2024 GRID Ranking is the eighth year of the world's premier motorsport ranking and was initially released on Sunday, April 7.
The official ranking includes drivers that participate in seven racing series (NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1, Formula E, World Rally Championship, Repco Supercars, MotoGP), and each driver earns GRID Ratings, which help determine their seeding in the GRID Ranking.
GRID Ranking Week 9 INDYCAR Drivers:
DRIVER | OLD RATING | PREVIOUS RANKING | MOST RECENT FINISH | NEW RATING | NEW RANKING |
Scott Dixon | 15.12 | 9th | 1st | 15.12 | 7th |
Alex Palou | 19.22 | 2nd | 16th | 13.73 | 9th |
Will Power | 14.47 | 10th | 6th | 11.73 | 22nd |
Pato O'Ward | N/A | N/A | 7th | 8.95 | 31st |
Colton Herta | 11.66 | 23rd | 19th | 8.33 | 33rd |
The NTT IndyCar Series returns to action for the third consecutive week at Road America for the XPEL Grand Prix on Sunday, June 9. Coverage begins on NBC at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Results: 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix
Comments