Dixon Goes Back-to-Back, Wins at Gateway in Record-Breaking Fashion

Scott Dixon again showcased his fuel management proficiency and navigated the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda to victory lane at World Wide Technology Raceway today.

Dixon won in decisive fashion, nearly doubling the track record for margin of victory (22.2256 seconds; previously 11.804 by Juan Pablo Montoya in 2000). Dixon accomplished the feat despite starting the race in P16, which is the furthest back any race winner has started in track history.

The Iceman captured his 55th career INDYCAR SERIES victory (2nd all-time), his 25th on an oval and his second at Gateway (2020 Race 1). With the win, Chip Ganassi Racing took home their 253rd overall victory. Alex Palou finished behind his teammate in P7 and now holds a 74-point advantage in the championship standings. Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 9 and No. 10 teams are now the only teams that remain in title contention with two races remaining.

Palou also successfully navigated his way through traffic, advancing seven positions over the course of the race in his No. 10 American Legion Honda. 

After several hours were spent the previous evening preparing the No. 8 Honda for the 260-lap race, Marcus Ericsson and the Huski Ice Spritz crew pushed forward five positions to record a P10 result. The team has now finished among the top-10 finishers in 13 of the 15 races this season.

Takuma Sato was unfortunately forced to retire after the No. 11 Deloitte Honda made contact with the turn two wall on lap 119. 

Up Next: INDYCAR will kick off the closing West Coast swing with the Grand Prix of Portland on Sunday, September 3.

Scott Dixon - No. 9 PNC Bank Honda 
"I am so happy for everybody. We took a good penalty today with one of those changes. We had to go the alternate route and it worked perfectly. The Honda mileage was great once again. I know everybody at Chip Ganassi Racing does a tremendous job going after the championship and it's a huge accomplishment for everybody."

Alex Palou - No. 10 American Legion Honda

“It was a busy day with qualifying and the race, which isn’t very common. Qualifying was a little bit better than we expected with P5, but we had to drop back nine positions with the engine change. It was an okay race but it was very tough to pass. I thought it was a good race to finish P7 from P14. We're very happy with our pace but we'll keep working on the short ovals. It was a very positive day for the team and the No. 9 car. They did something that no one thought we could do on fuel and tire mileage. Now we know that the championship is going to stay with the team and I can’t wait for Portland.” 

Marcus Ericsson - No. 8 Huski Ice Spritz Honda

"I think we had a decent day after starting from the back. It’s always hard to overtake here. We had good strategy and some good restarts to move us up through the field. Huge thank you to the entire Huski Ice Spritz crew and Chip Ganassi Racing to get me out there today. Congrats to Scott for winning the race and congrats to Chip Ganassi Racing for winning the Championship with either Scott or Alex. It’s a huge accomplishment.” 

Takuma Sato - No. 11 Deloitte Honda

"Just got up in the marbles high on the wall. Obviously, it's not the way we wanted things to end. I struggled and caught the marbles a couple of times and they were killing me. I had the moment in turn one and heading into turn two, it was just too late. I'd like to say a big thank you to Chip and Chip Ganassi Racing. I'm very sorry because the team worked very hard."