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Scott Dixon Holds Off Scott McLaughlin For Fifth Texas Win

Scott Dixon dominated Saturday evening in the Lone Star State, taking home his fifth career IndyCar win at Texas Motor Speedway. (Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR)

Leading all but six laps of the 212-lap race, Scott Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing were victorious for the second consecutive year, winning the Genesys 300. Coming off a pair of top-five finishes at Barber and St. Pete, the six-time NTT IndyCar Series champion held off Scott McLaughlin, a three-time champion from the Repco Supercars Championship.

“It was a bit of a crazy night for us,” Dixon said. “Definitely very tense there at the end. It was kind of cool to be racing a countryman for the last few laps. Fifth win at Texas, baby! That was awesome.”

McLaughlin, making his first career oval start, started 15th after qualifying got canned, due to a damp track that delayed practice. With this in mind, IndyCar decided to prioritize practice time, with Saturday and Sunday’s field being set by entrant points. Originally, the race was set to begin at 7:45 p.m. ET (6:45 local). As a result of potential weather arriving later in the evening, the start time was moved up to 7:10 p.m. ET (6:10 local).

Ultimately, the New Zealander found himself in a position to put pressure on the Iceman for the victory in the final stint of the race. Unfortunately, the IndyCar rookie was not able to get there as Dixon maintained a 0.2646-second gap.

In his first career oval start, Scott McLaughlin showcased his raw talent, in such a veteran-like performance to finish in the runner-up position. (Photo Credit: Chris Owens/INDYCAR).

“I’ve never been this bloody happy to finish second in my life,” said McLaughlin. “I’m really stoked. I just couldn’t get Scotty (Dixon) there at the end. But I’ll tell you what: It was bloody cool battling with my all-time favorite hero, Scotty Dixon. Two Kiwis, one and two. My Mom and Dad are watching at home (in New Zealand), for sure.”

Bourdais Bummer

On lap 56, Josef Newgarden made contact with Sebastien Bourdais, sending the Frenchman spinning and hard into the turn 2 wall. After muscling AJ Foyt Racing’s No. 14 Chevrolet to fifth and 10th-place results in the first two races of the season, last-place in Texas Race 1 hurt Bourdais in the points standings. Now, he is 61 points behind Dixon.

Sebastien Bourdais is seeking redemption on Sunday to make up for a disappointing 24th-place finish on Saturday evening. (Photo Credit: Chris Jones/INDYCAR)

For this reason, IndyCar officials penalized Newgarden for his role in the incident and sent him to the rear for the restart. Conversely, Newgarden recovered from the penalty. Ultimately, Newgarden drove the No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet across the line in sixth.

Hinch In A Hole

James Hinchcliffe entered Texas 20th in the points after two races. All things considered, the hole just got a little deeper for the Andretti Autosport driver. Ultimately, he leaves the first race of the weekend at an 86-point disadvantage.

James Hinchcliffe’s return to full-time IndyCar competition is getting off to a rocky start. (Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR)

On lap 160, Felix Rosenqvist passed Hinchcliffe, which appeared to suck the “Mayor of Hinchtown” around for spin and a race-ending crash in the wall. Hinchcliffe described the second lane as “undrivable.” Similarly, this criticism comes after concerns about the PJ1 track compound used for NASCAR races, making it harder for side-by-side racing in IndyCar.

For much of the race, the competitors stayed in the single groove around the bottom of the 1.5-mile oval. Despite all efforts by the TMS crew to remove the PJ1 from the upper grooves, it was still too treacherous for the drivers to feel confident enough to move up high.

XPEL 375

After taking the first race in the doubleheader weekend, Scott Dixon is looking to sweep the weekend in Texas. A slightly longer 248-lap race is scheduled for Sunday evening. Searching for his third consecutive win at Texas Motor Speedway, the six-time champion could extend his 18-point championship lead over teammate Alex Palou.

Scott Dixon celebrates his Genesys 300 win in victory lane, with hopes of sweeping the weekend by repeating on Sunday. (Photo Credit: Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR)

NBCSN’s coverage of the XPEL 375 will start on Sunday, May 2, at 5 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local). The green flag is set to drop fifteen minutes later.

Texas Race 1 Top-10 Results: Dixon, McLaughlin, O’Ward, Palou, Rahal, Newgarden, Harvey, Rossi, Sato, Pagenaud

Kobe Lambeth is a 2021 graduate of UNC Charlotte, who earned his undergraduate degree in Communication Studies (mass media concentration), with a double minor in Journalism and American Studies. In February 2007, he initially developed a strong passion for motorsports. His childhood dream is to work in the motorsports industry for a long time. In June 2017, his journey began as a freelance journalist and social media specialist for RockinghamNow, covering high school sports and leading a Twitter project. He was a part of expanded coverage of high school football within his local community. Through the use of Twitter, his team had a goal of significantly increasing the number of followers on multiple accounts. At The Podium Finish, he intends to provide professional motorsports coverage, focusing on series such as the NASCAR Cup Series, NTT IndyCar Series and more. He's also a Freelance Editor at NASCAR Digital Media and Multimedia Producer at GRID Network

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