Sonoma – Race: Dixon and Chevrolet Champions!

Scott Dixon can’t believe it at the finish of the Sonoma Grand Prix. After a catastrophic start to the season and Montoya’s stronghold on the championship, the Ganassi driver wins the IndyCar title along with his team’s 100th victory. He is the only driver to have won three times this year.

A scenario worthy… of IndyCar

While the big favorite was Juan Pablo Montoya in a Penske, while the Colombian’s teammate, Will Power, bared his teeth after securing pole position, while the surprise of Graham Rahal showed strength and determination in the last races, it is finally one of the quieter contenders who takes the champion’s crown.

After a tense start, the race quickly takes on a monotonous aspect until the neutralization on the 33rd lap, following an issue with Luca Fillipi’s car.

At the restart, it is the turning point of the championship: a collision involves the two Penske teammates, Will Power and Juan Pablo Montoya. Their cars are damaged and they lose many positions. The safety car re-enters the track.

At the green flag, the race picks up. The Penske and Ganassi teammates play their roles to help their title-contending colleagues. We witness battles between Pagenaud (Penske) and Dixon (Ganassi) or Rahal (RLL) and Kimball (Ganassi). Later in the race, Josef Newgarden experiences an issue when restarting from his pit. The slim title hope is definitively dismissed.

The racing beast

Juan Pablo Montoya is a fighter, everyone knows it and he proves it once again. Relegated to the back of the pack following his accident with Will Power, the Colombian climbs back into the top 10 while his teammate remains stuck in traffic. Montoya also receives unexpected help from Sébastien Bourdais, who collides with Graham Rahal, a major rival for the title.

Despite his 6th place under the checkered flag and being tied in points with Scott Dixon, the bad boy from Bogota loses the championship based on the number of victories, with Montoya having two this year compared to three for Dixon, thanks to his success at Sonoma. The disappointment is as great in the Penske camp as the surprise and joy are in the Ganassi team.

This success is also possible thanks to the double points of this last race of the season, i.e., 100 points for a victory while Dixon was 47 points behind Montoya and a victory normally counts for 50 points.

With his 4th title and 38 victories, Scott Dixon, at 35 years old, is clearly the master of IndyCar.

On the engine manufacturer side, Chevrolet wins the constructor’s title ahead of Honda.

In partnership with www.indycar.fr