Palou, third in Long Beach: “It’s hard, we’re so close”

The New Zealander Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi) applied a different approach to most drivers in the pit stops and managed to win -defending first place tooth and nail against pressure from his rivals on the last lap- this Sunday to win at Long Beach; where Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi), last year’s IndyCar champion, closed out the podium with third position.

“It’s hard, I don’t know if we can handle it.“said Dixon, who earned his 57th career victory and now has 20 consecutive seasons with at least one win, the longest existing streak.

Colton Herta (Andretti), racing at home, finished second and was one of the highlights of the day. Josef Newgarden finished fourth despite numerous chances to win, managing to remain the championship leader with 87 points, 12 more than Dixon, 15 more than Herta and 24 more than the defending champion, Palou.

“It’s hard, we’re so close. Very happy for the podium, would have been better if not for the late traffic. Regarding Dixon, we have the option of using the same strategy, but Scott made it work, it is good to see him winning,” said Palou when he got out of his car.

Purebred with pits for reference

Australian Will Power (Penske) took the best advantage at the start, quickly putting himself in first position, overtaking Swede Felix Rosenqvist (Meyer Shank), setting a high race pace, that put his pursuers over three seconds.

Newgarden is second and after an accident by the Dane Christian Rasmussen (Ed Carpenter) he took advantage of the yellow flag and the passage of his rival in the pits to lead the race.

Palou followed the usual strategy: be conservative in the first lapsstaying in the leading positions but not taking any risks, so he rose two positions in the first third of the race, after 30 laps he was fourth, five seconds behind the leader.

On lap 33 there was a spectacular one-on-one between Palou and Marcus Ericsson (Andretti) after going through the pits. The Spanish driver defended his position very well against the constant attacks of the Swede.

Scott Dixon and Will Power are the protagonists of a different approach, with fewer stops, and allowed Palou’s teammate to lead the race for several laps. On the 52nd, they both visited the mechanic and regained their natural position.

Except for Kyle Kirkwood (Andretti) who pushed too hard and managed to lead a few laps, the classification returned to normal with 30 laps to go. Newgarden regained first place, with Herta and Palou following at four and five seconds respectively. It’s time to start taking risks for the reigning IndyCar champion.

Bending influences resolution

Newgarden stopped on lap 59, Palou and Herta stopped on lap 62. So, with only twenty laps to go, two exciting battles unfolded, the most important for the final victory where Dixon defended the lead against Newgarden but the fuel was tighter, and behind them, about five seconds behind , Herta and Palou are playing for the last drawer square.

The traffic of lapped cars influenced everyone to come together in the last ten laps in the fight for the final victory. Herta hit Newgarden from behind and Palou took advantage to place third, a strategically important step for the battle for the general classification.

In the final lap, Herta tried to take the win and chase Dixon, but the podium remained unchanged, with the New Zealander winning and Palou taking third position. The Chip-Ganassi team won with two cars in three pole positions.

Argentine Agustín Canapino (Juncos Hollinger) completed a great race in Long Beach, starting in twentieth position and finishing fifteenth, while Mexican Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) closed his participation in a cautious 16th place, which lost two positions about the start and was always very far from the most outstanding.