Scott Dixon pushes past rivals to IndyCar Championship lead with special dedication
Apr 26, 2024
Scott Dixon drove an incredible race to win the renown IndyCar Grand Prix of Long Beach, dedicating the victory to Sir Colin Giltrap who passed away last week.
Giltrap was a huge supporter and backer of Dixon early in his career, enabling him to take those first steps towards what is now one of the greatest IndyCar careers of all time.
Dixon started the race in P9, but some brave strategy calls including an early pitstop saw him climb to the front with a tyre advantage.
After both rounds of pit-stops were complete, Dixon came under pressure from Josef Newgarden as he was forced to fuel-save on older tyres.
Contact behind Dixon between Newgarden and Colton Herta would offer the Kiwi a brief reprieve, but Herta would quickly take Newgarden’s place, putting pressure on Dixon right to the line, with Dixon finishing just a second clear of the American.
In a shock announcement days after the race, the Penske cars of Herta and McLaughlin were disqualified from the race due to Push-to-Pass infringements, jumping Dixon in to the lead of the championship.