Scott Dixon took his first win of 2022 in Sunday’s (July 17) Honda Indy Toronto, holding off near constant pressure from Colton Herta throughout the day.
Dixon jumped polesitter Herta on an undercut strategy during the first pit cycle of the day, and the Ganassi and Andretti drivers subsequently waltzed away from the field for most of the race. Herta made several attempts on Dixon’s lead throughout a caution-riddled latter half of the day, but to no avail.
With this win, Dixon matches Mario Andretti for second place on IndyCar’s all-time win list, with 52 victories apiece.
“We struggled a little bit actually on rears … it was a tough drive, man,” Dixon told NBC’s Dave Burns.
“Ended a streak there, which is fantastic. Just so happy for the team, it’s been a crazy year for the No. 9.”
‘It’s amazing, you know honestly, to be close to Mario,” Dixon said when reminded that he is now level with Andretti on the all-time wins list.
“Every time I’m asked these questions, I’m just so thankful that we still have A.J. (Foyt) and him in the pits.”
Herta’s final shot to pounce on Dixon came at the race’s final restart on lap 67, though the more experienced head prevailed and Dixon waltzed away from Herta, firmly controlling the race’s final 19 laps. Dixon’s ability to save fuel and maintain a solid race pace is well known, and much of the field was left needing to save fuel over the course of the final stint. Dixon’s pace amid this predicament proved key in taking his first win since Texas last year.
Despite making a vicious charge at Herta over the final three laps, Felix Rosenqvist followed the front row starters home for a third-place finish, his first podium result since winning at Road America in 2020.
Graham Rahal likewise took a season best finish around the streets of Exhibition Place, following Rosenqvist home for a fourth-place result. Rahal’s previous best finish in 2022 was seventh place at both St. Petersburg and Long Beach.
Alex Palou quietly carved his way through the field on off-kilter pit strategy, making his way from a 24th-place grid position, to an impressive sixth-place finish. Palau pitted on lap 10, eager to get off of the softer Firestone red tires, using clean air and the more durable Firestone black tires to set a blistering pace and jump up several positions as pit stops cycled through.
A strong day for Alexander Rossi was cut short on lap 45, ending in the turn 3 wall after contact with
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Frontstretch…