Indycar at Watkins Glen 2016

Scott Dixon has many attributes that make him one of the greatest Indycar drivers of all-time.  One of those attributes is the ability to take a great car and make it even better and dominating the race.  That is exactly what Scott Dixon did at Watkins Glen.
     The Indycar Grand Prix at the Glen was one of the most anticipated races in the Indycar season after being announced as a replacement for the canceled Boston Street race. After a 6 year absence from the Glen, Indycars were back for a 60-lap thriller in New York.
    Scott Dixon came in with the dominant car, leading all but one of the practice sessions, earning the pole, and winning his 4th race at the Glen by a margin of 16 seconds over second place Josef Newgarden. 
     As the green flag dropped, more than half the field got their first taste of racing at Watkins Glen.  Heading into turn one, Mikhail Aleshin, Sebastien Bourdais, and Juan Montoya spun themselves around, but were back on track within 30 seconds.  Through the scuffle, Simon Pagenaud and others moved up 6+ spots.  Through the race, the first couple turns proved to be the place for fans to watch, as Will Power, Mikhail Aleshin and Graham Rahal all had their days ended in the first 4 turns.  The race continued as Scott Dixon pulled ahead yet again.  Through the race, fuel strategy played a key role in the race.  James Hinchcliffe was among those who ran out of fuel coming to the line.  In the end, Scott Dixon and Josef Newgarden managed to stretch their fuel for a solid end to their weekend.  Scott Dixon continued his dominating weekend, Josef Newgarden battled back from adversity, and Helio Castroneves made a stop-and-go at the end, giving him a podium.

TOP TEN
1.  Scott Dixon  Four wins in seven starts at the Glen!
2.  Josef Newgarden  His sixth Top Five this season.
3.  Helio Castroneves  Pitting for a quick splash of fuel with just three laps to go didn't hinder him from getting his fourth podium of the year.
4.  Conor Daly  Was headed towards his second podium of the season before having to coast across the finish line without fuel.
5.  Sebastien Bourdais  His eighth Top Ten in the last ten races.
6.  Charlie Kimball  A strong finish after a exciting day where two separate contact incidents left him unscathed and Graham Rahal and Will Power out of the race.
7.  Simon Pagenaud  A solid finish for the points leader eliminated all but Will Power from championship contention.
8.  Alexander Rossi  His highest finish on a street/road course this season.
9.  RC Enerson  The 19 year old impressed all weekend in only his second Indycar race qualifying 11th and running as high as sixth during the race before falling off at the end trying to conserve fuel.
10.  Max Chilton  Ran has high as second and earned his second Top Ten of the season.


7 Chevys  & 3 Hondas
4 Rookies (of 5 in the field)
Different Teams: 6   Ganassi (3), Ed Carpenter Racing, Penske (2), Dale Coyne Racing (2), KV Racing, Andretti/Herta

Different Countries: 5   New Zealand, USA (5), Brazil, France (2), Great Britain

Fun Facts

 

 Average Speed:  119.334 mph

 Time: 1 hour 41 minutes 40 seconds

 3 Cautions for 9 Laps

Fastest Lap:  144.526 (Tony Kanaan)

 

Most Positions Improved:  13 (Conor Daly)

  

Lead Changes: 8 among 6 drivers
(Scott Dixon, Carlos Munoz, James Hinchcliffe, Will Power, Helio Castroneves, Juan Pablo Montoya)

Penalties: 3
Takuma Sato (Blocking - yield postion)
Marco Andretti (Pit Speed Violation - Drive Thru)
Sebastien Bourdais (Blocking - yield position)

 

Thoughts

Although Will Power took a points hit when he crashed in the esses, he was uninjured and cleared to drive in the final race of the season.
Despite Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden and Helio's podium finishes, they were all eliminated from championship contention.

A tough day for James Hinchcliffe who had a second place finish in hand before running out of fuel on the final lap and finishing 18th.

Disappointment for Mikhail Aleshin who had a tire explode going through the esses on lap 14.