06/29/15

MAVTV 500 - Race Report

Target Chip Ganassi Racing (TCGR) driver Scott Dixon finished sixth at the MAVTV 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Round 11 of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season.

After starting seventh Dixon remained inside the top 10 until he made the first green flag pit stop of the race on Lap 39 of 250, restarting in the 10th position. Dixon broke into the top five on Lap 45, advancing to second on Lap 51 before taking over the lead a lap later. Dixon pitted from the lead on Lap 76, but had trouble with the clutch coming off pit road and fell back in the field. Dixon battled back and pitted from the lead in the next round of green flag pit stops on Lap 113.

The first caution of the race came on Lap 136 and Dixon pitted one lap later for four tires and fuel, restarting in the sixth position on Lap 152. Dixon fell to 13th when the second caution came off seven laps later. The third caution of the night fell on Lap 192 for debris and Dixon pitted for four tires and fuel on Lap 194. Dixon climbed to fourth on Lap 200 but had fallen to the 10th position when the caution fell on Lap 220 for debris. Dixon brought the No. 9 down pit road for four tires and fuel on Lap 222, restarting in the 10th position. He battled his way to the fourth position by time the caution fell on Lap 241. The race was red flagged on Lap 245 to help ensure the race would finish under green flag conditions. The field took the green with three laps to go but Dixon finished sixth after the caution came out one lap after the restart and the race finished under checkered and yellow flags.

With the results, Dixon holds the third position in the Verizon IndyCar Series point standings with 358 markers, 49 points behind the points leader Juan Pablo Montoya.

Notes of Interest

· There were 80 lead changes during the MAVTV 500, which set an INDYCAR lead change record.

· The red flag was displayed on Lap 245 of 250 on the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval after contact on Lap 242 between the No. 1 and the No. 14 on the front stretch.

· The race ended under caution for a last-lap accident on the front stretch.

TCGR Quoteboard

Scott Dixon, No. 9 Degree/ Chevrolet:

“That was kind of a mess of a race. Everything depended on what kind of run you got. We had some front-end damage so we had to keep putting wing into it. We kept losing time on every stop having to put wing into it. At the end we just had too much front understeer and couldn’t get the car drivable. I think the levels of downforce were too high and it needed to be spread out more. Could have been a different result for us in the Degree car if circumstances were different.”

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