With a 44-point cushion over Power to start the race, it was going to take something going drastically wrong for Pagenaud to miss out on his first IndyCar title.
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Pagenaud started from the pole in the 85-lap, double-points season finale around the 11-turn, 2.385-mile road course and was not challenged on a 96-degree day. “It was a bit of a relief, I have to say”.
“Obviously we always see the good days, but Gil de Ferran told me if you can have a bad day and nobody notices, that’s how you do a really good job – and that’s how you win a championship”.
Despite finishing a disappointing 20th Power managed to just edge out Castroneves for second in the championship.
Juan Pablo Montoya had led the standings since the season opening race, but contact Power during the event put Montoya deep in the field and he couldnt recover against Dixon.
Power, a three-time Sonoma race victor and five-time pole sitter at the track, was fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet (1:16.6659, 111.992 mph). I went into 14, Im not going to win a championship, so who cares?
“It has been a wild season”, Power said. Unless Pagenaud also runs into trouble or Power finds some kind of miracle, that’s probably the championship right there.
Simon Pagenaud, has raced his way to an impressive four wins this season.
Across all motorsports, Penske this year also achieved its 500th pole, its 100th victory in NASCAR’s top Sprint Cup Series, and now an additional championship. He then gave me a go-kart, and from then on it was really cool. The partnership between Ganassi and Target was one of the longest in professional sports at 27 years.
But he had radio issues, had to change his helmet during a caution, and finished 17th.
He made his final stop on lap 61 and once again his pit crew was flawless getting him back on the track in second place behind Castroneves who was a on a four stop strategy. It’s the lowest Dixon has finished since 2005.
Montoya finished third at Sonoma to bookend the year with podium finishes. It provided a bookend to the season since the Penske foursome accomplished the same feat in qualifying at the season opener, the Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg.
“Pagenaud went out and took it this weekend”, Team Penske president Tim Cindric said. Penske hopes to make a decision within 60 days on if he’ll field a fourth vehicle, and who will drive it, and Montoya doesn’t believe the door is closed yet on a return.
Graham Rahal was the top non-Penske qualifier, fifth in the #15 Steak ‘n Shake Honda for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, with Ryan Hunter-Reay sixth in the #28 DHL Honda for Andretti Autosport.
Rossi won the Indianapolis 500 for a huge bright spot on a season he otherwise believes failed to live up to expectations.
Fittingly, it was de Ferran, a two-time CART champion and 2003 Indianapolis 500 victor for Roger Penske’s organization, who encouraged the hiring of the Frenchman.
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“Today was good until the last corner.” said Rossi “It’s heartbreaking to [run out of fuel] at the end”.
