Pagenaud makes it two at Barber while Dixon takes a lap record.

Three of the big names at last years Indy 500 

and set to be centre stage again soon. Pagenaud, Power and Dixon.

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Mystique of Indy The Brickyard

Simon Pagenaud's dominance in the IndyCar Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsport Park was interrupted briefly by a late charge from Graham Rahal, but it didn't last long.That's the story of this round of the 2016 championship.

Rahal stole the lead from Pagenaud with a pass on Lap 82 of the 90-lap event that involved contact between the two IndyCar Series drivers' cars, only to see Pagenaud return the favor four laps later and drive on to victory.

It gave the Team Penske driver his second straight win of 2016 and sixth of his Indy car career, continuing the impressive start to the season that has seen the Frenchman finish in the top two at all four races and extend the championship lead.

From here the teams will focus on the two big events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the Indy Grand Prix on the Speedways impressive Road Course on the 14th May and then the big one the 100th running of the Indy 500 on May 29.Looking set to be a sell out for the first time in 20 years this years 500 will raise the bar in true Indy style.

"We are just on a roll," race winner Pagenaud said. "The car is amazing and I am so comfortable driving that car.  We made it exciting at the end for the fans, which is great. I am happy there was some action." With the win, Pagenaud has accumulated 188 points in the first quarter of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season and now holds a 48-point advantage over Scott Dixon. 

Race winner and the Pole winner, Pagenaud started first and had little issue maintaining a gap until coming upon lapped traffic. Slower cars in front allowed the charging Rahal to close late, similar to what he did a year ago at Barber when he finished second to Josef Newgarden. However on Lap 82, Rahal dove inside Pagenaud in Turn 8, Rahal's left-front tire making contact with Pagenaud's right rear. Pagenaud drifted wide and Rahal took the lead. Newgarden finished third in the No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet, the same place he started the race. Will Power, a two-time Barber race winner, was fourth in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevy. Juan Pablo Montoya mounted the strongest charge of the day, starting last in the 21-car field and moving all the way to fifth in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevy, just ahead of James Hinchcliffe in the No. 5 Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda. "At the start of the race, if you would have told me I would have finished fifth, I wouldn't have believed it. I'm pretty happy where we finished and now we look ahead to Indy," said Montoya, the reigning Indianapolis 500 winner.

Dixon, the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series champion in the No. 9 Coca-Cola Chevrolet from Chip Ganassi Racing, was turned around on Lap 3 by Sebastien Bourdais in the No. 11 Team Europa - KVSH Racing Chevrolet and fell to 20th position. Dixon rebounded to finish 10th, setting a race lap record of 1 minute, 8.4533 seconds (120.958 mph) along the way.

Pagenaud on the streets of Detroit in 2015. 

The Detriot Grand Prix double header is one week after the 100th indy 500 in 2016

Bourdais commented after the race "Obviously not what we wanted today. I feel really sorry for Scott (Dixon). He was collateral damage in something that was not in any way his fault. I was fighting with Graham (Rahal), side-by-side with him, trying to hold position and Scott was probably trying to do the crossover on the inside in Turn 5 on someone. I was boxed in. Scott in front and Graham on the right, there was no escaping from there. It is my fault, so I have to apologize for that. It is a shame because the car had pace. I held the gap with Simon (Pagenaud) despite running into some traffic. I definitely had the car to contend at the front. I just couldn't show it. I am very disappointed for the Europa - KVSH Racing guys. They worked really hard all weekend. This was a wasted opportunity, but there is nothing I can do about that now, so just move on and try not to make a mistake like that again."

The heart rates will soon go up now that's for sure as the teams will draw all their attentions to Indy and  in just over a month now we will have a new Indy 500 Champion and the winner of the 1090th of the great race. The pressure will be very firmly on the teams as well as the drivers and while the field looks set at 33 never count out a few more entries and already there are planned press conferences for this week ahead on driver announcements for the 500 so be expecting the official announcements of Oriel Servia for Sam Schmidt Racing and the entry of Stefan Wilson (brother of the late Justin) to become official and then expect the unexpected as the month of May arrives.

The official results of Sundays Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama Verizon IndyCar Series event on the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, aero kit-engine, laps completed:

1. (1) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 90, Running

2. (6) Graham Rahal, Honda, 90, Running

3. (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 90, Running

4. (2) Will Power, Chevrolet, 90, Running

5. (21) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 90, Running

6. (8) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 90, Running

7. (7) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 90, Running

8. (9) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 90, Running

9. (10) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 90, Running

10. (4) Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, 90, Running

11. (18) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 90, Running

12. (19) Marco Andretti, Honda, 90, Running

13. (16) Takuma Sato, Honda, 90, Running

14. (15) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 90, Running

15. (20) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 90, Running

16. (5) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 89, Running

17. (13) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, 89, Running

18. (12) Luca Filippi, Honda, 89, Running

19. (14) Jack Hawksworth, Honda, 89, Running

20. (17) Conor Daly, Honda, 89, Running

21. (11) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 89, Running

Race Statistics

Winners average speed:  114.254

Time of Race: 01:48:42.3334

Margin of victory: 13.7476

Cautions: 1 for 1 lap

Lead changes: 4 among 2 drivers

Lap Leaders:

Pagenaud 1 - 19

Rahal 20 - 21

Pagenaud 22 - 81

Rahal 82 - 85

Pagenaud 86 - 90

Verizon IndyCar Series point standings: Pagenaud 188, Dixon 140, Montoya 136, Castroneves 118,  Kanaan 106, Rahal 100, Power 94, Newgarden 91, Sato 90, Hunter-Reay 87.

                                          Pagenaud and Power at Indy in 2015.

                               Race day quotes from the IndyCar Series Media Team

                                     Photos are from the David Turner collection.

                                   Learn about the Indy 500 in my latest book out now.

Long Beach Indy Car Round 3 2016

                   Simon Pagenaud wins closest Long Beach finish in race history.

Simon Pagenaud has knocked on the door of victory lane in each of the first two races of the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season. However at the 42nd running of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, the Frenchman broke through to earn the win.

Pagenaud, in the No. 22 Penske Chevrolet, edged reigning series champion Scott Dixon across the finish line by 0.3032 of a second, the closest finish in the 33 Indy car races held at Long Beach.

Pagenaud, who has finished second in each of the first two races this season, takes a 14-point championship lead over Dixon as the teams now race back to back weekends and move across the country to the Grand Prix of Alabama hosted at Barber Motorsports Park this weekend. Its a beautiful demanding permanent road course so yet another test of driving skill for the IndyCar Series drivers.

Starting the 80-lap race third, Pagenaud took his first lead on Lap 52 when teammate and pole sitter Helio Castroneves made his final pit stop. Pagenaud was able to push two laps farther before stopping for fuel and tires, exiting the pits just ahead of Dixon and Castroneves.

Race stewards warned Pagenaud for improper lane usage exiting the pits, but he was able to lead the final 25 laps to collect the win in the first Verizon IndyCar Series caution-free race since Mid-Ohio in August 2013 and the first completely green-flag race on the often-chaotic streets of Long Beach since 1989.

INDYCAR did then issue this following statement on the Pagenaud penalty.

During the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach were deemed an infraction per Rule 7.10.1.1. "Lane Usage" of the INDYCAR Penalty Guidelines: Failing to follow designated procedures entering or exiting the pit area, including the proper use of the acceleration and deceleration lanes. The penalty for this infraction ranges from a warning (minimum), putting the driver to the back of the field (mid) and drive-through or stop and go/hold (maximum). INDYCAR race stewards determined his actions were not severe enough to warrant a harsher penalty than the warning that was issued.

Dixon, in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet, believed Pagenaud should have been assessed a stronger penalty, but was resigned with the runner-up finish that kept him second in the standings. 

Dixon said after the race. "It was definitely a pretty fierce battle up front, a bit of lapped traffic, some pit stop sequence, people trying to pit short, go longer, etc, so it was quite exciting for in and out (laps) and when to use your overtakes and things like that. I think on the last one we got caught off guard a little bit before the pit sequence had already been finished, and then to hear when we're coming down the straight that the 22 was just coming out, we had actually backed off already and started saving fuel. With the gap that we had on Helio, I really didn't think we had to worry about too much and didn't get any warning from the pits. Obviously that scenario was a lot closer than we anticipated, and then when we got to Turn 1, it appeared that Simon turned a little early and crossed the line that you're not meant to cross. But it is what it is, so second place today, and Team Target did a hell of a job, and pit stops were clean, and I think we had really good pace, but personally I think we should have won the race.

Castroneves finished third in the No. 3 Auto Club of Southern California Chevrolet, leading a race-high 47 laps. Montoya finished fourth in the No. 2 Verizon Team Penske Chevy after a frenetic late-lap battle with Takuma Sato, who wound up fifth in the No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Honda.

                                                        The offical Race results

1. (3) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

2. (2) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

3. (1) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

4. (5) Juan Montoya, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

5. (8) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running.

6. (4) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

7. (6) Will Power, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

8. (7) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running.

9. (14) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

10. (9) Josef Newgarden, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

11. (15) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

12. (10) Carlos Munoz, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running.

13. (13) Conor Daly, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running.

14. (19) Max Chilton, Dallara-Chevrolet, 80, Running.

15. (17) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running.

16. (18) Mikhail Aleshin, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running.

17. (12) Luca Filippi, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running.

18. (11) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 80, Running.

19. (21) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running.

20. (16) Alexander Rossi, Dallara-Honda, 79, Running.

21. (20) Jack Hawksworth, Dallara-Honda, 77, Running.

———

Race Statistics

Winners average speed: 100.592.

Time of Race: 1:33:54.4835.

Margin of Victory: 0.3032 seconds.

Cautions: 6 for 4 laps.

Lead Changes: 6 among 4 drivers.

Lap Leaders: Castroneves 1-26, Dixon 27-28, Kimball 29-30, Castroneves 31-51, Pagenaud 52-54, Kimball 55, Pagenaud 56-80.

Championship Series Points: Pagenaud 134, Dixon 120, Montoya 106, Castroneves 92, Kanaan 82, Sato 73, Hunter-Reay 68, Power 62, Rahal 59, Kimball 58.

                                  Check out the personal look at Indy

Out Now

                                                         Check the book out now

After many months in the works proudly I announce the publication of my long awaited book. It hits the market today on Amazon.com and will be released soon in the Ibook store, on Kobo and other online retailers.
To my ever tireless editor thank you for the support and guidance, it would not have been possible without the drive you gave me.

This book is my story about the powerful puzzle of the great event called the Indy 500, the emotions it creates within you and me. Just what is the feeling that is Indy.
The power that is Indy, it got me and it will get you too, I confidently predict that.

I hope you find my book as enjoyable to read as much as I found it enjoyable to write.

To top it off now we are getting closer to the month to go marker; to the Indy 500 on 29th May.
Take a look at this pic today of the plan for the largest new hotel in Indy, I think everyone who sees this will certainly realise that there is a race on.

Here's the link for you all to the book

Buy the book

Simply Dixon

Dixon powering his way to the win just two weeks ago at Phoenix International Raceway.

As May 29th and the 100th running of the Indy 500 gets closer I thought it was a good time to look at the numbers and even more so those of kiwi Scott Dixon. Some may say it was just another IndyCar Series victory for Scott Dixon recently but this simple fact its another win each and every year he nails a win and the season is only just underway.

The four-time series champion quietly reigned in the return to Phoenix International Raceway, scoring a victory in a race that yes ended under caution but well in his pocket at that stage and pretty much all the race. 

The win was the 39th of Dixon’s career, tying Al Unser Sr. for fourth place on the sport’s all-time list. It’s early in the season, of course, but Dixon also moved into second place in the points standings, five ahead of Juan Montoya, the driver he edged out for last year’s title. Montoya finished ninth.

Simon Pagenaud who finished second now leads the championship in points with four more than Dixon.

Dixon gave Ganassi Racing its first win at this mile oval track and made team owner Chip Ganassi smile with the win. He  has now won for the 20th time in IndyCar  Series Racing on an oval and coming from New Zealand and the traditional road course venues this in itself say how well rounded he is when it comes to tacking pretty much any kind of race track.  Post race again he quietly summed it up “Definitely one of the toughest races,” he said.

But this is where the numbers really start to stack as we head towards May have a look at these numbers.

Scott Dixon holds the Indianapolis 500 record for consecutive miles run in race competition. After being sidelined by accidents in two of his first three 500s, he stayed on the track for the next eight years. That's 200 laps seven times, 166 laps in the rain-shortened 2007 race and most of the 2014 event for a total of 3,415 miles.

It's probably no coincidence that he finished in the top 10 seven times during that stretch, including his win in 2008. He also finished second twice in that period (2007, '12). The streak continued for 167 laps into the 2014 race until an accident left him in 29th place.

The month of May and the 100th 500 seem very exciting should all the Dixon stars align thats for sure .

                                          Quotes and Phoenix Photo ex IndyCar Media

     Out next week my second book The Mystique of Indy - The Brickyard look for it on Amazon.com

Wheels turn for the first time at IMS in 2016

The drivers view towards Indy's turn 1.

April 6th 2016 marked yet another step closer to this years running of the 100th Indy 500. The Speedway was again alive to the sound of engines at over 200mph and the feeling of the 500 getting that much closer became a real fact.

The Verizon IndyCar Series held an official test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to assess the various configurations of both the Chevrolet and Honda superspeedway aerodynamic bodywork kits. this was the first time this year that teams had returned to the famed Speedway and the first real laps of the new year. 

With more than 500 laps turned on the 2.5-mile oval by 15 drivers while dodging intermittent rain on a blustery day, reams of valuable data were gathered in preparation for the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 next month. 

The track not used since 2015 was very green and combined with the weather patterns cannot as such be used as a form guide to May but every lap at Indy is a lap that counts and how teams use these findings will be reflected come May thats for sure.

Marco Andretti, in the No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda, posted the fastest lap of the day at 223.427 mph. "We ran through quite a bit of different combinations as part of the aero kit configuration test," said Bill Pappas, INDYCAR vice president of competition, race engineering. "The conditions weren't ideal, but we did get a lot of information to go over and look through over the next couple of days to get ready for the month of May." 

All the cars testing were fitted with new domed skid plates for the undercarriage of the Dallara IR-12 chassis, a safety initiative mandated on superspeedways this year by INDYCAR. The domed skid plates add approximately six times the amount of downforce (as compared to the 2015 configuration) when a car spins, which slows the car prior to any potential contact. The domed skids also raise the speed at which a car would have to be traveling to become airborne.

"On the safety standpoint of the domed skid, it's a big improvement, especially in the 90-degree yaw," said reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon, who ran just 30 laps in the morning session in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. "We've got to look at safety before anything. Yes, it's going to make the car maybe a little more difficult (to drive), but every car has a pedal and we have more downforce to put on to compensate for the loss."

Andretti's overall fast lap was set in the morning session. His Andretti Autosport teammate, Ryan Hunter-Reay, in the No. 28 Honda, was fastest in the afternoon and second quick for the day at 222.047 mph. Simon Pagenaud, in the No. 22 Team Penske Chevrolet, was third fastest at 221.293 mph. 

Chevrolet conducted a private test at IMS for its teams on April 5, so the Ganassi and Penske teams opted not to run in today's windy afternoon session halted several times for light rain. Honda teams used as much track time as they could.

"It's going to be interesting with these skids, for sure," said Graham Rahal, who turned 48 laps in the No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda with a best lap of 218.619 mph. "It's going to take some work to get them to where we need them to be to be raceable."

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver James Hinchcliffe applauded the efforts of the two manufacturers and INDYCAR working together at the test to develop a car that checks all the boxes when Indianapolis 500 practice begins May 16.

"The good news is we all seem to be working toward the same thing," Hinchcliffe, driver of the No. 5 Honda, said. "We are all genuinely trying to make a safer car but a car that still races well. I think there is a way to appease both sides of that argument  "Hopefully by the time we show up here for practice week, we've found that compromise and everybody can be relatively happy."

The test also provided Hinchcliffe his first opportunity to run a lap at speed on the track where he was seriously injured in a crash during Indianapolis 500 practice last year. He missed the remainder of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season recovering, and couldn't wait to put the mishap completely in his rear view mirror. "Everyone was going to be thinking about it until we got out here and ran some laps," Hinchcliffe said. "It's always nice to be back at the Speedway; we all say that all the time and it's extra nice to be able to go around at pace today.

Photos are of James from 2013 and in 2014 at IMS

"Sitting out last year was tough," Hinchcliffe admitted. "Getting to watch all my friends and colleagues go do the greatest race on earth and have to be watching from the sidelines is a big blow, for sure. This is our Super Bowl, this is what we really put as much attention on as anything else. Of all the ones to miss, it's the hardest.

"To get the opportunity now to come back, it definitely feels a little more rewarding."

Turing attentions towards the magic day in May came in the form of an escort from third-generation Indy car driver Matthew Brabham, a truck delivering special 8-ounce commemorative Coca-Cola bottles, emblazoned with the Indianapolis 500 logo and they arrived at the famed yard of bricks at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

In honor of the historic 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola is selling limited-edition six-packs of the bottles expected to fly off Central Indiana store shelves as fast as Verizon IndyCar Series machines circle the 2.5-mile oval. Think I might have to get myself a few of those to collect thats for sure.

Race day crowd 2015

The break down of combined times from the two day test is as follows below but again the weather, the green track and the teams focus are only a slight form guide at this stage. The vibe and the feeling however is the 100th is not far away and the race will go down in history as perhaps the greatest race yet in the history of the speedway.

More news from IMS this week also came in the form of perhaps one of the most famous pieces of music associated with the speedway that welcomes race fans with the traditional singing of "(Back Home Again in) Indiana," a distinct Indianapolis flavor will mark the occasion.

Josh Kaufman, Indianapolis native and winner of the sixth season of television's "The Voice," in the U.S. will perform the beloved song at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during prerace ceremonies May 29, with accompaniment by the Indianapolis Children's Choir, a fixture of the Central Indiana community for 30 years.

Jim Nabors at IMS 2014

"The singing of '(Back Home Again in) Indiana' is a signature of the Indianapolis 500 and one that our fans cherish as a distinctly 'Hoosier' moment," said J. Douglas Boles, IMS president. "Since Jim Nabors' final performance in 2014, our goal is to select performers who have an understanding of the song's meaning and significant importance to the Indianapolis 500 experience and the race's fans. Josh Kaufman's impressive voice and local ties, along with support from the Indianapolis Children's Choir, will deliver just that." 

"(Back Home Again in) Indiana" - the song originally was just called "Indiana" - was written in 1917 by lyricist Ballard MacDonald and composer James Hanley, incorporating many lyrics and musical themes from the 1897-written "On the Banks of the Wabash," the state's official song.

According to IMS historian Donald Davidson, the song may have been heard at the race as early as 1919 (played by a trackside brass band) and was first sung in 1946, about an hour before the green flag by New York Metropolitan Opera performer James Melton. Around 1949 it was moved to closer to the start of the race, where it remains today.

Fan favorite Jim Nabors retired after the 2014 race, having performed the song live 35 times starting in 1972. The group Straight No Chaser performed the song prior to the 2015 Indianapolis 500.

May 29th is creeping up very fast and the IndyCar season is now well under way with round 3 at Long Beach set for April 17th.

                                                Heading to the 100th Indy 500?
                                       Check out Indy 500 Bound travel tips for fans

                                              Photos are from the David Turner collection

                                     Media data and quotes are from IMS / IndyCar Media

Rank Car Driver Name C/A/E/T Session Time Speed Total Laps

1 27 Andretti, Marco D/H/H/F Practice 1 00:40.2816 223.427 48

2 28 Hunter-Reay, Ryan D/H/H/F Practice 2 00:40.5319 222.047 30

3 22 Pagenaud, Simon D/C/C/F Practice 1 00:40.6701 221.293 45

4 21 Newgarden, Josef D/C/C/F Practice 2 00:40.7012 221.124 44

5 26 Munoz, Carlos D/H/H/F Practice 1 00:40.7558 220.827 25

6 10 Kanaan, Tony D/C/C/F Practice 1 00:40.8527 220.304 16

7 3 Castroneves, Helio D/C/C/F Practice 1 00:40.8812 220.150 20

8 20 Carpenter, Ed D/C/C/F Practice 2 00:40.8891 220.108 51

9 12 Power, Will D/C/C/F Practice 1 00:40.8896 220.105 33

10 9 Dixon, Scott D/C/C/F Practice 1 00:40.9668 219.690 30

11 2 Montoya, Juan Pablo D/C/C/F Practice 1 00:41.0768 219.102 40

12 15 Rahal, Graham D/H/H/F Practice 2 00:41.1676 218.619 48

13 83 Kimball, Charlie D/C/C/F Practice 1 00:41.3271 217.775 12

14 5 Hinchcliffe, James D/H/H/F Practice 2 00:41.7899 215.363 46

15 14 Sato, Takuma D/H/H/F Practice 2 00:42.9601 209.497 13

(R) Rookie

Total Laps for Combined Sessions: 501

(C)hassis: D=Dallara | (A)erokit: C=Chevy, H=Honda | (E)ngine: C=Chevy, H=Honda | (T)ire: F=Firestone 

The Speedway from the air 2015

Indy Car Round 2 at Phoenix is all Dixon.

No one can say that the IndyCar season will not be a ripper in 2016 that's for sure. The first oval race of the season was a great indication to many things that lie ahead this season and while only a 1.5 mile oval and not a Super Speedway of 2 or 2.5 miles it showed that once again to win this championship one must finish races.

Reigning Verizon IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon won the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix in the series' return to Phoenix International Raceway following an 11-year absence. In the heat of the desert, the "Ice Man"( Dixon)  lived up to his nickname by remaining cool all the way to Victory Lane. In the process, he attached his name to another IndyCar legend.

It is the 39th career win for the New Zealander, tying him with four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser for fourth on the all-time Indy car victories list.

It also gives Dixon, a four-time series champ, a race win in 12 consecutive seasons to set a record all his own and when you stop and think of that it is a simply an amazing stat. A win in every season for 12 years that when you pause and think on it is simply outstanding and clearly shows the talent he has and he's not done yet either. The 35-year-old kiwi was previously tied with wins in 11 straight seasons with Bobby Unser, Emerson Fittipaldi and Helio Castroneves.

"It's mind-boggling, for sure," said Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. "For me, I feel very privileged to be racing, being an Indy car driver, being part of the Verizon IndyCar Series, and then being part of Team Target. 

"All my wins except for one have been with this team. I hope we can continue to build on it and the numbers are great. It sounds a bit strange when you hear the names that we're amongst them fighting on the wins list."

Dixon was one of three race leaders in the 250-lap event, pacing the field for the final 155 laps. The race ended under caution after rookie Alexander Rossi made contact with the wall two laps from the finish. 

It was the first career win at PIR for Dixon and the first for the Ganassi team at PIR in any race series. It was also Ganassi's 101st Indy car win.

"It was tough, definitely one of the toughest races on these short ovals," Dixon said. "The car was super-fast. I think we had the best car out there on strategies and pit stops." The normally super fit Dixon looked like he had earned it today when he stepped from the car and while not unfit intact very clearly far from it he certainly looked like he had given it heaps on the high G load circuit.

Simon Pagenaud, in the No, 22 DeVilbiss Team Penske Chevrolet, finished second for the second consecutive race and took the lead in the Verizon IndyCar Series points standings for the first time in his career. Pagenaud has 83 points and leads Dixon by four.

"That's good news," Pagenaud said. "That's exactly what we want to do. This is not our strong suit, short ovals, but if we can be strong, that's a good sign."

Of note to me was the overall  performance for the Ganassi squad with the highest-finishing rookie  Max Chilton, who was seventh in his first Verizon IndyCar Series race on an oval in the No. 8 Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet. A great start to his IndyCar season and the start of racing on an oval.

"Chip Ganassi gave me a fantastic car," Chilton said. "Obviously, Scott won this event, TK (Kanaan) flew past me with about 10-15 (laps) to go, so maybe I didn't have necessarily the fastest car, but I think as a team we had a very, very strong car."

The pace setters from qualifying and early in the race Team Penske drivers Hello Castroneves and Juan Pablo Montoya both had to pit from the lead with flat right-front tires and something that made one wonder if it was a team related set up but there was nothing that clearly showed this.

Is it a form guide to the 100th indy 500 maybe but in many ways its a guide to the season and the main players have all said we are ready and fighting and the rookies are saying don't count us out either.

Next stop for the IndyCar series is the down town streets of Long Beach a track that Dixon has had highs and lows at but 2015 provided the high. The big one too is the planned open test at the Indy Motor Speedway in the coming week but remember that the track has not been used since last year so it will be very green after the snow of the winter in the Midwest so its very hard to read too much into the times that will come out of the test. i will have them all for you right here as they happen however.

The official results from the Saturday Night in the US Phoenix Grand Prix event on the 1.022-mile Phoenix International Raceway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, aero kit-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (6) Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, 250, Running
2. (10) Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, 250, Running
3. (9) Will Power, Chevrolet, 250, Running
4. (2) Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, 250, Running
5. (19) Graham Rahal, Honda, 250, Running
6. (7) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 250, Running
7. (8) Max Chilton, Chevrolet, 250, Running
8. (15) Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, 250, Running 
9. (3) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 250, Running
10. (12) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, 250, Running
11. (1) Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, 250, Running
12. (4) Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, 250, Running
13. (11) Marco Andretti, Honda, 250, Running
14. (14) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 250, Running
15. (20) Takuma Sato, Honda, 249, Running
16. (18) Conor Daly, Honda, 249, Running
17. (13) Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, 248, Running
18. (22) James Hinchcliffe, Honda, 248, Running
19. (17) Jack Hawksworth, Honda, 246, Running
20. (16) Luca Filippi, Honda, 243, Running
21. (5) Ed Carpenter, Chevrolet, 195, Contact 
22. (21) Carlos Munoz, Honda, 116, Contact                      

Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 139.822
Time of Race: 1:49:38.3855
Margin of victory: Under caution
Cautions: 6 for 55 laps
Lead changes: 2 among 3 drivers

Lap Leaders:
Castroneves 1 - 39 
Montoya 40 - 95
Dixon 96 - 250

Verizon IndyCar Series point standings: Pagenaud 83, Dixon 79, Montoya 74, Hunter-Reay 56, Kanaan 54, Castroneves 53, Rahal 44, Aleshin 43, Sato 43, Chilton 39.

                                       Quotes and stat information provided by the IndyCar Series.