The New Zealander Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi) was able to overcome all difficulties Detroit and won this Sunday in a chaotic race that also elevated him as the new leader of the championship at the expense of a Álex Palou (Chip Ganassi) who finished sixteenth when he was involved in an accident with Josef Newgarden (Penske).
It was a race with a lot of contact between the cars and that was held for the most part under the yellow flag. In addition, rain made a brief appearance on lap 36, creating chaos at many corners with cars skidding and constant trips to the pits to change tires.
The key moment of the competition came with thirty laps to go, when two of the big favorites for the title collided, and although it was really strange to see Palou involved in a crash that was not his responsibility, the Spaniard had no margin maneuver when Newgarden’s car was found to have crossed the curb.
The winner is the one who knows best how to adapt to all these difficulties, in addition to knowing how to avoid the danger of being caught by a rival at every corner. Dixon took the lead in the final third of the race and without making any mistakes he let the problems come to his pursuers, riding very fast and making a change, even with the risk of his approach finishing very low on fuel.
Dixon added his 58th IndyCar victory and is just nine behind the driver with the most victories in history, Anthony Joseph Foyt, who has climbed to the top of the box 67 times.
“In Detroit it’s about avoiding all the unexpected, the bumps, the rain…” Dixon commented as he got out of his car, also declaring his intention to continue chasing Foyt’s record to become the driver with the most wins in history.
The fight for the championship will be tight
When IndyCar comes to Wisconsin next Sunday, June 9, it will do so with Dixon in the lead with 216 points and Palou in second, 18 units behind. Will Power (Penske) was third in 31 and Mexican Pato O’Ward (Arrow McLaren) was fourth in 56.
Losing the lead was not in the plans of a Palou who has proven to be the most consistent driver. In fact, in Detroit it was the first time the Spaniard did not finish in the top five.
There are ten races left on the calendar, with five circuits and five ovals, so the fight for the championship is more open than ever.
As soon as we started, we saw what this urban circuit of Detroit is all about, with concrete walls and very narrow streets. In the first lap seven cars were involved in an accident and the first yellow was shown.
On lap 36, the rain made an unexpected appearance, forcing most drivers to stop in the pits to change tires. At that time, Colton Herta (Andretti) was comfortably in the lead, taking advantage of his pole position.
There were moments of tension, and some pit areas were wet and some cars, like Newgarden, almost injured some mechanics when they slipped.
The race ended for Herta on lap 46. He hit the wall while trying to pass Palou and couldn’t hold his tires.
It was the best moment for the Spaniard, who entered the final 40 laps in the top four behind Andretti’s Kyle Kirkwood and Marcus Ericsson, along with Alexander Rossi’s McLaren.
But with only thirty laps to go, the Newgarden crash came. The winner of the 500 was abandoned and thus fulfilled the tradition that the champion at Indianapolis does not usually have a good result in the next race.
The ‘Arrow McLaren’ team started an offensive in the final laps with two drivers like Rossi and O’Ward advancing in positions trying to reach the podium. They finished fifth and seventh, respectively.
Argentine Agustín Canapino completed a great career in Detroit. He finished twelfth, his best result so far in the championship in races with official points.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
