Team Penske’s Will Power drove to the win at the 2016 Honda Indy Toronto to take his third Verizon IndyCar Series victory in four races.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon led 58 of 85 laps from pole position, but was bumped to the middle of the pack after pitting during a caution flag brought out by Josef Newgarden. Tony Kanaan then led the field to green on Lap 63, electing to stay out under yellow and make a Lap 75 pit stop.
Dixon, who had made a lucky decision to pit just before the Lap 58 caution, moved into first following Kanaan’s stop for fuel. A one-lap dash to the finish was then forced after Jack Hawksworth hit the tire barrier and Juan Pablo Montoya clipped his rear on Lap 82.
On the restart, Power led Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves to green followed by hometown hero James Hinchcliffe in third. He crossed the finish line 1.5275 seconds ahead of his teammate while Hinchcliffe followed to complete the podium. The win moved Power into second in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series championship – 47 points behind teammate Simon Pagenaud.
With a series of strong mid-season performances, Power believes a second Verizon IndyCar Series championship is within reach.
“We’ve been playing catch-up all year but every race we’re executing, getting great strategies, great cars,” Dixon, who missed the series opener in St. Petersburg due to a concussion, told IndyCar.com post-race. “We’ve just got to keep chipping away, man, keep chipping away and see if we can have a shot at (the championship,”
IndyCar heads to Mid Ohio next for the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on July 31st. Click here for full results from the Honda Indy Toronto.
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