Scott Dixon.No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Chevrolet won the Verizon IndyCar Series feature race at the 41st Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. His Margin of Victory over pole sitter Helio Castroneves/No.3 Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet was 2.2221 seconds. It was his first win at Long Beach and thirty-sixth in IndyCar. This puts Dixon fifth on the all-time list. Team Owner Chip Ganassi garnered his ninty-eighth victory. Dixon jumped 11 spots in the standings, and is now fourth – unofficially.
Third and fourth were two more drivers in the Penske Posse – Juan Pablo Montoya/No.2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Simon Pagenaud/No.22 Penske Truck Rental Chevrolet. They had a fierce race, with Pagenaud trying every which way to pass the wide Montoya. Pagenaud said he didn’t expect his teammate to give him any break.
Fifth was Tony Kanaan/No.10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
Sixth and seventh were Sebastien Bourdais/No.11 Team Hydroxycut-KVSH Racing Chevrolet and Josef Newgarden/No.67 Hartman Oil CFH Racing Chevrolet – the top two drivers not with one of The Big Three Teams. Bourdais made the second biggest move of the race, coming from ninth to sixth.
The top seven drivers were Chevrolets, with eight of the top ten sporting the bow tie emblem. Marco Andretti/No.25 Snapple and teammate Carlos Munoz/No.26 AndrettiTV Cinsay were the top Hondas in eighth and ninth. Tenth was Sebastian Saavedra/No.8 AFS Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.
The lead was swapped several times, mostly among Chevrolet drivers. The lone Honda driver to lead, during pit stop cycling, was Jack Hawksworth/No.41 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing.
Gaby Chaves was the top Rookie, finishing sixteenth.
There was one full-course caution, for a wing being knocked off Chaves car by Hawksworth. Hawksworth continued, but Chaves had to pit.
There was a record crowd in brilliant Long Beach warm and sunny weather, with sea breezes.
Unofficially, Montoya continues to lead the points, with Castroneves three points behind.
The Media Center TV monitor gave out three laps from the end, depriving the assemblage the drama and glory of the finish and Victory Circle. One savvy journo had the NBCSN app through his local cable company and was able to watch what the rest could not.
Eighteen of the 23 starters finished on the lead lap.