Dixon Continues Win Streak as Honda Runs 1

Recovering from a first-lap incident that left him last in the field, Scott Dixon and his Chip Ganassi Racing team made a quick stop for repairs, then used a two-stop strategy to get to the front of the field. In the final laps, he held off a charging Graham Rahal to win today's Gallagher Grand Prix on the road course of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The victory was Dixon's first this season, but the 54th NTT INDYCAR SERIES win for the six-time series champion – second only to A.J. Foyt – and stretched his record of consecutive seasons with at least one victory to 19. Dixon also stretched his "Iron Man" streak of 319 consecutive INDYCAR starts today.

After starting from the pole, Graham Rahal was the leading contender on a three-stop strategy, which saw him closing on Dixon throughout the final 10 laps of today's 85-lap contest. But the veteran Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver came up less than a half second short at the checkers, still completing a 1-2 finish for Honda.

Already a four-time winner this year, including the May race on the IMS road course, Alex Palou increased his championship lead to 101 points with a seventh-place finish today in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda with three races remaining.

Gallagher Grand Prix Honda Race Results

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers' Championship (unofficial, after 14 of 17 rounds)Honda 1,204 pointsChevrolet 1,166 points

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers' Championship Standings (unofficial, after 14 of 17 rounds)1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 639 points2. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda -1013. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske -1054. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske -144

QuotesScott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) race winner, first win of 2023 and 54th career victory; 19th consecutive IndyCar season with at least one victory: "Huge credit to the team for this one. I had a fantastic start, but then got T-boned there in Turn 7 [on the opening lap, dropping him to last in the field]. But this team never gives up. Honda was amazing today. It was so much fun driving my Honda out there today, getting the fuel mileage, cruising along; and fantastic pace when we needed it. The only problem I had all day was I think I pushed too hard on my out lap [after his final pit stop] to build a gap to Graham [Rahal] and unfortunately used the tires up, so it was pretty sketchy at the end. But we put on a show for everyone, and we're going to keep on trying. It's cool to be here."

Graham Rahal (#15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) finished second: "We have nothing to be ashamed of, our Code Three #15 car was excellent today, Honda was excellent today, as always. I mean, I'm not bummed [to finish second], but I'm bummed. Even on a day where we did everything right, lady luck wasn't quite on our side. I think that first yellow hurt us. It went on for a long time and made a two-stop race possible. I knew during that first yellow that Dixon was going to come into play, and he did. On the last two laps, I was on 'overtake', but he was too, and I just wasn't gaining ground. So I couldn't get close enough to make a lunge at him. But that's nothing to be ashamed of. We're going against the best of all time, by far, and we just have keep our heads down, and keep getting better."

Wayne Gross (Manager, Trackside Services, Honda Performance Development) on today's Honda win on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course: "Hats off to everyone at Honda Performance Development and our teams for an awesome weekend. The pole by Graham Rahal on Friday, followed by another win for Honda, and a 1-2 finish for Scott Dixon and Graham today. We maximized our points for the Manufacturers' Championship, and Scott showed he's still very good at this! Huge thanks to him and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing on a well-earned victory today; and to Rahal Letterman Lanigan for another strong performance from them in the second half of this season."

Fast Facts

NextThe 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES next heads west to World Wide Technology Raceway outside St. Louis, Missouri, for the Bommarito Auto Group 500, the final oval race of 2023,

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