Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon was victorious in IndyCar’s return to Phoenix International Raceway this weekend, winning the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix under caution Saturday night.
Dixon, who started from sixth position in his No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet Saturday, tied Al Unser Jr. for all-time wins at 39 with the result. The win was Dixon’s first at Phoenix and was also the first victory for CGR at the 1.022-mile oval.
The race was won under caution after IndyCar rookie Alexander Rossi put his Honda in the wall with the 2 laps to go in the 250-lap affair. His shunt sparked one of five cautions throughout the race, which covered a total of 56 laps.
Second behind Dixon was Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud, who moved into the IndyCar championship lead with his second consecutive runner-up finish. The Frenchman’s Chevrolet was loose at the beginning of the race, he said, but tightened up following an adjustment by his engineer.
Behind Pagenaud in third was 2014 IndyCar champ Will Power followed by Tony Kanaan in fourth and Graham Rahal in fifth. Max Chilton was the highest finishing rookie, IndyCar.com notes, finishing seventh in his first-ever IndyCar series race on an oval.
The Verizon IndyCar Series heads to Southern California next for the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 17th. Click here for full results from Phoenix and here for a full schedule for Long Beach.
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