Scott Dixon took advantage of Helio Castroneves' discouraging race weekend to slide into the driver's seat of the IZOD IndyCar Series championship chase.
Dixon won Race 1 of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 5 and was runner-up to Will Power in Race 2 to take a 25-point lead heading over Castroneves into the MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships on Oct. 19 at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway oval in Fontana, Calif.
It will mark the eighth consecutive year that the series title will be decided in the finale.
Power overtook Dixon's No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car in Turn 3 of a Lap 40 restart and held on for his second victory of the season (20th of his Indy car career) as the yellow flag flew behind them on the final lap of the 90-lap race for heavy contact involving the cars of Dario Franchitti, Takuma Sato and E.J. Viso.
Franchitti, a four-time series champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner, was admitted awake and alert to Memorial Hermann Texas Medical Center in Houston for a concussion, spinal fracture that will not require surgery and a fracture to the right ankle. He will be kept overnight. Sato and Viso were evaluated at the scene and released.
"On the last lap I caught the marbles and brushed the wall and lost momentum," said Sato, the pole sitter for Race 1 in the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing. "A couple cars passed me as I was offline and in Turn 5. I got very loose and Dario and I came together."
Dixon started next to Castroneves on Row 1 for the standing start as the starting grid was set by entrant points after a rainstorm washed out the morning 30-minute qualifying session.
"Another win would have been nice," Dixon said, "but a decent weekend and a good turnaround for us in terms of points. It's still going to be a tough weekend at Fontana. Twenty-five points, it can go anybody's way."
Castroneves entered the third doubleheader of the season with a 49-point advantage. After qualifying a season-low 21st and finishing 18th in Race 1, combined with Dixon's victory, Castroneves' lead was sliced to eight. A shifter issue early in Race 1 required repairs on pit lane that dropped Castroneves nine laps down. In Race 2, a broken gearbox housing left Castroneves' No. 3 entry stranded in Turn 6 of the 1.634-mile, 10-turn circuit.
The crew returned the car to its temporary garage area to replace the gearbox and rear suspension, and Castroneves rejoined the race on Lap 47 (36 laps down to race leader Power) and finished 23rd.
"We've had great luck for most of the season. Now, in a weekend, everybody's dream has become an interesting scenario," said Castroneves, who had a streak of 12 consecutive top-10 finishes end in Race 1. "I will tell you one thing, this team is a testament to never giving up and I have faith in these guys that they are going to do everything they can to make it happen in Fontana."
Castroneves was among 23 drivers who tested at the venue Sept. 24 in preparation for the 200-lap twilight race.
"The good news is we had a test there and it was extremely good," Castroneves continued. "It's going to be a heck of a race."
James Hinchcliffe finished third for his first podium since Iowa in June and Justin Wilson followed up on his fourth podium of the season with a fourth-place finish. Sebastien Bourdais advanced from the 13th starting position to finish fifth. Oriol Servia gained the most positions, climbing from 21st to finish seventh in the No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing car.
DAY 3 NOTEBOOK:
IZOD IndyCar Series competition update: The use of wet-weather tires has been authorized for qualifying this morning for Race 2.
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Qualifying for Race 2 this morning will be divided into two groups, with each group receiving 12 minutes of track time. The groups will be comprised of the same drivers as qualifying Saturday morning for Race 1, with the groups' running order reversed: Group 1 from Saturday will become Group 2 this morning, and Group 2 from Saturday is Group 1 this morning.
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The Shell & Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Race 2 will feature a standing start today. The starting procedure was switched to standing from the scheduled rolling start to ensure a safe, fair start for all drivers through the area with the surface issue in Turn 1.
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Light rain began falling at approximately 8:15 a.m. today the MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at Reliant Park.
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The start of qualifying for Race 2 of the Shell & Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston, scheduled for 8:45 a.m., was delayed due to rain.
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IZOD IndyCar Series competition update: Qualifying for Race 2 is canceled due to weather. The starting grid will be set by entrant points entering this event weekend, per rule 8.1.10.1(b) of the INDYCAR Rule Book. Pole sitter Helio Castroneves will not receive a bonus point because the field was set by entrant points.
Championship leader Castroneves will start on pole, with Shell & Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Race 1 winner Scott Dixon starting alongside him on the front row.
The first five rows of the starting grid for Race 2:
1. Helio Castroneves
2. Scott Dixon
3. Simon Pagenaud
4. Marco Andretti
5. Ryan Hunter-Reay
6. Justin Wilson
7. Dario Franchitti
8. James Hinchcliffe
9. Will Power
10. Charlie Kimball
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Teams will be permitted a single installation lap under yellow for each car at 9:30 a.m.
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SHELL & PENNZOIL GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON RACE 2 QUALIFYING RAINOUT QUOTE:
JUSTIN WILSON (No. 19 Dale Coyne Racing Honda, third place in Race 1 Saturday): "I would have liked to go out for qualifying, but I think ultimately it was a smart decision with such a short time between qualifying and the race. In such difficult conditions, with the pooling of the water. This track doesn't seem to drain too much - there's not a lot of camber in the road - so it's just pooling up, and you've got a couple of really big puddles. And with an open-wheel car, that's not so wise. I think it's a smart decision. I'm disappointed not to get a shot at pole, but we'll move on now and work toward the race."
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, winner of Race 1 Saturday): "It's always hard to start on points. I think if we were at a typical road course, it wouldn't have been much of an issue with this amount of rain. But street courses, as everybody knows, seem to puddle a lot. I think we would have got through Q1 (first qualifying group), probably crashed a few cars and then canceled Q2 (second qualifying group). That's kind of a frustrating way to go about it. We probably would have liked to qualify. It seems like Helio is struggling a little bit more this weekend, so if we could have had that separation on the grid, it would have been nice, similar to yesterday. It is what it is. Hopefully we can have a clean start. With the field kind of mixed up, I know it's off points, but I think people's speeds throughout this weekend are different than how the points have lined up. So it should make for a really good race, a really interesting one." (How are you feeling after a strenuous, hot race Saturday?): "Not bad at all. You get pretty much no rest here. Mike is on the radio telling me to change mixtures, it takes three or four corners to get the mixture change because your hands are full, even on the straights. It is a demanding circuit. I think a lot of people were feeling it yesterday with the heat, as well. I think today should be a little nicer, being a bit cooler."
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DETAILED RACE SCHEDULE (all times local):
11:49 a.m.
Cars to the grid
12:05 p.m.
Driver introductions
12:24 p.m.
Invocation, IndyCar Ministry Chaplain David Storvick
12:25 p.m.
National anthem, Clay Walker
12:26 p.m.
Fly-by, Gulf Coast & Houston Wings of the Commemorative Air Force
12:27 p.m.
Drivers to cars
12:33 p.m.
Command to start engines, Brandon Lime of Wounded Warriors
12:40 p.m.
Start, Shell & Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston Race 2
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The grand marshal of the Shell & Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston is four-time Indianapolis 500 winner A.J. Foyt, a native and resident of Houston.
The honorary starter of the race is Brooks Smith, president of Bay Oil Company.
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Matthew Brabham won the Pro Mazda Championship presented by Cooper Tires race today. It was the 13th victory of the season for Brabham, the son of Indianapolis 500 veteran and sports-car legend Geoff Brabham and grandson of three-time Formula One World Champion Sir Jack Brabham.
This also was the fifth Pro Mazda double-header Brabham has swept this season. He finished the season with six consecutive victories.
Brabham clinched the season championship with two victories Aug. 10-11 at Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
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Alexandre Baron won the Cooper Tires USF2000 National Championship powered by Mazda race this morning.
Neil Alberico, winner of Race 1 Saturday, finished third.
SHELL & PENNZOIL GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON RACE 2 SPECIFICS:
•The race distance is 90 laps on the 10-turn, 1.683-mile MD Anderson Cancer Center Speedway at Reliant Park.
•The race will include a standing start.
•The race will be conducted without the chicane in Turn 1.
•The total fuel allotment is 75 gallons.
•Pit road speed limit is 50 mph.
•Lapped cars will be moved to the rear of the field on any restart with 10 or less laps remaining.
•Restarts will be single-file in both IZOD IndyCar Series races this weekend at the Shell & Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston. This change was made to ensure equal competition for cars as they travel through the repaired surface issue in Turn 1.
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Every driver in the field is starting on Firestone alternate "red" tires except Graham Rahal and Sebastian Saavedra, who are starting on Firestone primary "black" tires.
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SHELL & PENNZOIL GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON RACE 2 RACE RUNNING:
At 12:45 p.m., the ambient temperature was 68 degrees with a relative humidity of 52 percent and winds from the south-southwest at 7 mph. Skies were cloudy. The track temperature was 81 degrees, according to Firestone engineers. The track is dry, with small wet spots and puddles. IndyCar Series Race Control has deemed a dry-conditions start.
Lap 1: STANDING START. First attempt aborted after #10 Franchitti, #14 Sato stalled on grid. Drivers will make second attempt, with Franchitti and Sato starting from rear.
Lap 2: STANDING START (2nd attempt): GREEN. #3 Castroneves leads into Turn 1. #25 Andretti assessed drive-through penalty for jumping start.
Lap 3: YELLOW. #15 Rahal hits wall with left front of car in Turn 8. #12 Power has climbed from ninth to fifth. #15 Rahal to pits, four alternate scuffed tires, fuel, new front nose, returns to race. Crew reports no suspension damage from crash.
Lap 5: #10 Franchitti to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 7: GREEN. Restart order: #3 Castroneves, #9 Dixon, #77 Pagenaud, #19 Wilson, #12 Power. #25 Andretti serves drive-through penalty for jumping standing start. #78 de Silvestro assessed drive-through penalty for avoidable contact. #3 Castroneves leads #9 Dixon by .5053 of a second after full lap. #78 de Silvestro serves drive-through penalty.
Lap 8: #3 Castroneves leads #9 Dixon by .7078 of a second. #12 Power up to fourth after starting ninth.
Lap 9: #12 Power passes #77 Pagenaud for third. #3 Castroneves leads #9 Dixon by .5419 of a second. #12 Power third, .8809 of a second behind leader.
Lap 10: #3 Castroneves leads #9 Dixon by .7454 of a second. #12 Power third, 1.3042 seconds behind leader.
Lap 11: #9 Dixon passes slowing #3 Castroneves for lead. #3 Castroneves off racing line, slows further. #9 Dixon leads #12 Power by .6556 of a second.
Lap 12: YELLOW. #3 Castroneves stopped between Turns 7 and 8. Holmatro Safety Team tows Castroneves to pits. Castroneves climbs from car in pits after crew reports broken gearbox housing. #6 Saavedra to pits, four alternate tires and fuel.
Lap 14: #16 Jakes to pits, four primary tires and fuel. #25 Andretti to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 16: GREEN. Restart order: #9 Dixon, #12 Power, #77 Pagenaud, #19 Wilson, #1 Hunter-Reay. #15 Rahal to pits, four alternate scuffed tires and fuel.
Lap 19: #9 Dixon leads #12 Power by .9450 of a second.
•Helio Castroneves has led in six IZOD IndyCar Series races this season. The last race he led before today was the second race in July at Toronto, won by Scott Dixon.
•Scott Dixon has led seven IZOD IndyCar Series races this season, including six of his last eight starts.
Lap 22: #15 Rahal brushes wall in Turn 9, continues to pits.
Lap 25: #9 Dixon leads #12 Power by 1.6115 seconds. #98 Filippi to pits, four primary tires and fuel. #10 Franchitti to pits, four scuffed primary tires and fuel.
Lap 26: #67 Newgarden to pits, four primary tires and fuel. #83 Kimball to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 27: #77 Pagenaud to pits, four primary tires and fuel. #55 Vautier to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 29: YELLOW. #98 Filippi noses into tire barrier. Pit report: #9 Dixon, #12 Power, #1 Hunter-Reay, #27 Hinchcliffe, #19 Wilson, #5 Viso, #7 Bourdais, #11 Kanaan, #4 Servia, #14 Sato, #18 Conway, #78 de Silvestro, #25 Andretti, #20 Carpenter to pits, all for four primary tires, fuel. Dixon beats Power out of pits to keep lead.
Lap 32: GREEN. Restart order: #9 Dixon, #12 Power, #6 Saavedra, #16 Jakes, #1 Hunter-Reay. #1 Hunter-Reay slows on track after start-finish line on restart, drives slowly to pits for service. Right sidepod removed from car in pits.
Lap 33: #11 Kanaan hits wall in Turn 7, coasts to stop between Turns 7 and 8. #20 Carpenter to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 34: YELLOW. #11 Kanaan stopped between Turns 7 and 8. Kanaan climbs from car without assistance from Holmatro Safety Team.
Lap 35: #25 Andretti to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 40: GREEN. Restart order: #9 Dixon, #12 Power, #6 Saavedra, #16 Jakes, #27 Hinchcliffe. #12 Power dives under #9 Dixon for lead in Turn 3 after restart. #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .5919 of a second after full lap.
•Will Power has led in 14 of the 18 IZOD IndyCar Series races this season.
Lap 41: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .4715 of a second.
Lap 42: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .4273 of a second.
Lap 43: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .4998 of a second.
Lap 44: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .6539 of a second.
Lap 45 (halfway): Top 10 - #12 Power, #9 Dixon, #6 Saavedra, #27 Hinchcliffe, #7 Bourdais, #19 Wilson, #16 Jakes, #5 Viso, #77 Pagenaud, #14 Sato.
Lap 46: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .5822 of a second.
Lap 47: #3 Castroneves returns to race after replacement of gearbox, rear suspension, rear driveline in paddock, 36 laps down. #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .4702 of a second.
Lap 49: #6 Saavedra to pits, four alternate tires and fuel. #16 Jakes to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 50: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .4787 of a second. Blue skies, sunshine over circuit after morning rain. Ambient temperature was 72 degrees with a relative humidity of 38 percent and winds from the west-southwest at 5 mph. The track temperature was 91 degrees, according to Firestone engineers.
Lap 53: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .8664 of a second. #20 Carpenter to pits, four scuffed primary tires and fuel. #98 Filippi to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 54: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .8458 of a second.
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Helio Castroneves talked about his tough weekend, with mechanical problems in both races this weekend, while Team Penske repaired his car in the paddock during the race today.
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Shell Pennzoil Team Penske Chevrolet): "We've had great luck for most of the season. Now in a weekend, everybody's dream has become an interesting scenario. I will tell you one thing: This team is a testament to never giving up, and I have faith in these guys that they are going to do everything they can to make it happen in Fontana. Unfortunately, the race is still going on. We can't really understand what happened, but we had a good test for Fontana. Things happen for a reason." (About Chevrolet's performance on ovals): "I'll take every advantage I can get. I know Ganassi will work really hard. At the end of the day, it's frustrating and disappointing. No one wanted this to happen, especially the Shell Pennzoil boys and Team Penske. It hurts. It really hurts."
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SHELL & PENNZOIL GRAND PRIX OF HOUSTON RACE 2 RACE RUNNING (cont.):
Lap 55: #10 Franchitti to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 57: #67 Newgarden to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 59: #18 Conway to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 60: #78 de Silvestro to pits, four primary tires and fuel. #55 Vautier to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 61: Pit report: #12 Power, #9 Dixon, #27 Hinchcliffe, #19 Wilson, #7 Bourdais, #77 Pagenaud, #14 Sato, #4 Servia, #83 Kimball, #5 Viso, #25 Andretti, #16 Jakes to pits, all for four primary tires and fuel. #12 Power beats #9 Dixon out of pits to keep lead.
Lap 62: YELLOW. #20 Carpenter stopped in run-off area in Turn 3. #6 Saavedra to pits, four primary tires and fuel. #1 Hunter-Reay to pits, four alternate tires and fuel.
Lap 63: #16 Jakes to pits, four alternate tires and fuel.
Lap 64: #98 Filippi to pits, four alternate tires and fuel.
Lap 67: #67 Newgarden to pits, four alternate tires and fuel.
Lap 68: GREEN. Restart order: #12 Power, #9 Dixon, #27 Hinchcliffe, #19 Wilson, #7 Bourdais.
YELLOW. Debris from car of #67 Newgarden between Turns 8 and 9. #67 Newgarden to pits, four primary tires and fuel.
Lap 71: GREEN. Restart order: #12 Power, #9 Dixon, #27 Hinchcliffe, #19 Wilson, #7 Bourdais. Push-to-pass remaining among top five: Power 4, Dixon 6, Hinchcliffe 5, Wilson 6, Bourdais 9.
Lap 72: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .7353 of a second.
Lap 74: YELLOW. #25 Andretti does three-quarter spin to left exiting Turn 6, stalls.
Lap 78: GREEN. Restart order: #12 Power, #9 Dixon, #27 Hinchcliffe, #19 Wilson, #7 Bourdais. #67 Newgarden assessed drive-through penalty for avoidable contact with #25 Andretti, inducing spin that created last caution period. #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .5290 of a second. #67 Newgarden serves drive-through penalty.
Lap 79: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .5462 of a second.
Lap 80: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .6329 of a second.
Lap 82: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .7413 of a second. #27 Hinchcliffe third, 2.6725 seconds behind leader.
Lap 83: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by 1.1998 seconds.
Lap 84: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by 1.4011 seconds.
Lap 85: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by 1.3087 seconds.
Lap 86: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by 1.4760 seconds.
Lap 87: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .6552 of a second.
Lap 88: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .7402 of a second.
Lap 89: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon by .9382 of a second.
Lap 90: YELLOW, then CHECKERED. #14 Sato collides with #10 Franchitti in Turn 5, sending Franchitti's car into catch fence. Trailing #5 Viso collides lightly with stationary car of #14 Sato. #5 Viso, #14 Sato climb from cars with assistance from Holmatro Safety Team. Medical personnel and Holmatro Safety Team remove Franchitti from car to stretcher, awaiting ambulance. #12 Will Power wins Race 1 of Shell & Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston under caution. #9 Scott Dixon finished second, #27 James Hinchcliffe third.
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UNOFFICIAL TOP 10 IN IZOD INDYCAR SERIES POINTS (after 18 of 19 races):
1.Scott Dixon 546
2.Helio Castroneves 521
3.Simon Pagenaud 491
4.Justin Wilson 460
5.Marco Andretti 457
6.Ryan Hunter-Reay 446
7.Will Power 444
8.Dario Franchitti 418
9.James Hinchcliffe 417
10.Charlie Kimball 406
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GrND pRIX OF HOUSTON RACE 2 POST RACE QUOTES
Grand Prix of Houston post race 2 quotes
•Scott Dixon must finish fifth or better at the season-ending MAVTV 500 on Oct. 19 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., to clinch his third IZOD IndyCar Series title, even if his closest pursuer in the championship, Helio Castroneves, earns maximum points.
•Will Power earned his second victory of the season. His previous win came in August at Sonoma.
•Will Power earned his 20th career Indy car victory.
•This is Will Power's career-best finish at Reliant Park. His previous best was seventh in 2006.
•Scott Dixon placed second to earn his sixth podium finish this season. He won Race 1 Saturday.
•James Hinchcliffe placed third to earn his fourth podium finish of the season. His other podium finishes were victories at St. Petersburg, Sao Paulo and Iowa. His last podium finish came in June with a victory on the oval at Iowa.
•Justin Wilson placed fourth to earn his sixth top-five finish this season. This also was his fourth consecutive top-five finish. Wilson finished third in Race 1 Saturday.
•Sebastien Bourdais placed fifth to earn his fourth top-five finish of the season. His last top-five finish came in September at Baltimore, where he placed third.
•Helio Castroneves finished 23rd, his worst result of the season. His previous low was 18th Saturday in Race 1. His previous low entering this weekend was 13th at Sao Paulo.
