Dixon started on pole for Chip Ganassi Racing and led the majority of the race, enjoying an advantage of nearly eight seconds over the pack at points.
Advertisement
On lap 58 everything will changed for Power and the rest of the field. “That was a great call there”, Power said.
Defending race victor Josef Newgarden crashed and finished last in the 22-car field.
Kanaan pitted with nine laps remaining, his lead sufficient enough to come back out in fourth place.
When he emerged, the four-time series victor was stuck behind a safety vehicle at an inopportune time, forcing him behind drivers who had completed their final stop earlier.
He delivered his first ever podium finish at the event which he dreamed of racing in as he grew up in nearby Oakville, Ont., about 40 kilometres west of the city.
Australia’s Will Power climbed up to second in the IndyCar championship standings with victory in Toronto on Sunday, his third success in four races.
Power is third in the standings, 75 points behind Pagenaud. He’s got to keep at it and not get desperate. “It’s cool just to be up in that group and I’m really proud of the team”.
“We’re going to have to try and find a little bit more in ourselves over the course of the evening and warm up tomorrow”, Hinchcliffe said. The team called me in just at the last minute.
“It’s not just that I haven’t had great luck here, it’s that I’ve had insanely bad luck here”, Hinchcliffe said. But I was so stoked to see yellow lights as I was going into pit lane. Hinchcliffe has the only Honda-powered auto starting in the first three rows.
If Dixon is to repeat as champion – and he still has some climbing to do to catch Simon Pagenaud – he has to gain points where he can.
“People don’t realize when you change teams, it is very hard to adapt, obviously what he is doing, again with a different team, he’s showing talent there”, said the 41-year-old veteran of 15 seasons. “Second (in the race) is better than third”.
James Hinchcliffe, a native of the Toronto area, finished third while Kanaan settled for fourth ahead of Japan’s Takuma Sato.
“We did need a break. It’s part of Indy auto racing”. It was the 86th pole for Chip Ganassi Racing. She won the season-opening event in the Bahamas for her third career title. “It was just about as frustrating of a race as you can have”.
Points leader Pagenaud ninth in the No.22 PPG Automotive Refinish Team Penske Chevrolet. “It’s better for the fans because it looks more sketchy and will bring a better show”. I was really happy that I was able to run second for most of the race. “Obviously we have been playing catch-up all year, but every race they are executing”, he reflected. “Finishing in the top-three on a very bumpy track, hard conditions, definitely it was a great result”. “I think even going off two-wide at the start is going to be hard”.
“I’m very hopeful and he’s very hopeful”. The 11 turn 1.75 mile course throughout the streets of Toronto will test the drivers abilities to operate their racing machines in this popular Canadian city. Newgarden was coming off a dominating victory last week on the oval at Iowa despite a broken right wrist suffered in a crash at Texas in June.
“It is an error on my part”. I told the guys it was going to take a magic lap to advance, I knew it. I feel awful for our guys. “This is our best session, qualifying is the highest we’ve been this weekend”. We’re fighting the auto. “We were able to make it stick on that last restart and finally get a strong result here”. “It’s nice to be back where we belong”. We could have had a good finish there.
“We’re going to have to figure it out, man, we’re the defending champs”. “Tried to stay patient before I did pull the trigger to get one”.
Notes: Two CF-18 Hornets from the Canadian Armed Forces flew over the track following the performance of the national anthem.The drivers have a week off before the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on July 31. Dixon, the reigning series champion, is a five-time victor at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
Advertisement
The green flag drops at 3:37 p.m., with coverage on CNBC beginning at 2:30 p.m. (10) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, 85, Running 7. The Brazilian will start on the front row for the fifth time this season. Hunter-Reay was briefly delayed before getting back into the action.
