Dixon delivers win, Armstrong 3rd; Palou finishes 16th and Lundqvist ends up 22nd.
Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) put drivers on an NTT INDYCAR SERIES podium for the fifth straight points race this season while picking up the team’s third victory overall in the season’s six races on Sunday.
Scott Dixon drove the No. 9 PNC Honda to first place in Sunday’s Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, leading the final 35 laps after moving into first place on the 66th lap. It was Dixon’s second win of the season and 58th of his career, leaving him just nine victories behind A.J. Foyt for the all-time record.
Ganassi teammate Marcus Armstrong delivered his highest-ever INDYCAR finish, driving the No. 11 Root Insurance Honda to third to join Dixon on the podium.
Alex Palou, driving the No. 10 DHL Honda featuring American Legion branding, got caught in an incident in the final stages of the race after having run in the top 10 consistently to that point and wound up finishing 16th. It ended an amazing string of consistency for Palou – the defending INDYCAR SERIES champ – who had finished eighth or higher in 23 straight points races.
”Sad day for the 10 car.” Palou said. “We started up front, started losing some positions. It was a crazy race of pit stops here and there. We were in a good position once we made the last stop. I think we were running sixth or seventh and got into an accident. It was tough to avoid. I couldn’t really go anywhere. We probably damaged something when we made the contact.
“Bad day for the 10 car but at least we got a win with the No. 9 and a podium with the No. 11. So a good solid weekend for the team. We had pace all weekend. It’s just a shame we couldn’t execute.”
Linus Lundqvist, behind the wheel of the No. 8 American Legion Honda promoting the Be the One mission, finished 22nd. He had qualified 21st and had moved up to 13th, but he was forced to stop on the track to avoid an incident, causing his engine to stall. The safety crew was able to restart it, but he lost a lap in the process.
”Ironically, it was a fitting end to our weekend here in Detroit,” Lundqvist said. “It was a shame getting tangled up in somebody else’s mess. But it is what it is. It’s racing, especially in Detroit. I think everybody got caught up at some point. Just a shame because I think we were having a pretty decent day up until then. We were looking to be pretty good.
“It is what it is. We’ll rebound for Road America.”
With the win, Dixon takes over first in the INDYCAR SERIES championship points race, moving 18 points ahead of Palou. Lundqvist remains in first place in the rookie standings, five points in front of CGR teammate Kyffin Simpson.
It’s another quick turnaround at a Midwest venue for the INDYCAR SERIES, which will race again June 9 in the XPEL Grand Prix at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis. It’s the fifth consecutive weekend of either racing or qualifications for the series.
To learn more about The American Legion’s Be the One veteran suicide prevention program, click here.
- Be the One