A poor first pit stop for Scott Dixon kept him away from a podium finish at the latest round of the IZOD IndyCar Series at the Mid Ohio road course today. A wheel gun jammed meaning that Dixon spent longer in the pits than his competitors and thus slipped down the field.
His Target Chip Ganassi Racing team mate Dario Franchitti went on to win the Honda Indy 200 and closes in on series leader Will Power with five rounds left in the series and 41 points between them.
Power finished second after hounding Franchitti for the lead over the last 15 laps.
Dixon was fifth and is now 82 points behind Power.
Most of the field took their first pit stop when the pace car came out after an incident. When the pits were open there was a huge rush for tyres and fuel, the narrow pit lane making the job more difficult and leading to several cars banging wheels.
Power’s Team Penske teammate, Helio Castroneves, finished third and Alex Tagliani finished a season-high fourth.
Ryan Briscoe, the third Team Penske driver, finished sixth and Raphael Matos gained 12 positions to finish seventh. Simona de Silvestro posted a season-best with Marco Andretti ninth.
Points table (Top 5)
Will Power 461
Dario Franchitti 420 (-41)
Scott Dixon 379 (-82)
Ryan Briscoe 352 (-109)
Helio Castroneves 340 (-121)
