Not too far off from Josef Newgarden were championship hopefuls, Scott Dixon and Simon Pagenaud. Pagenaud came into the final race of the season, third in the standings just 42 points back looking for the second championship of his career.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Simon Pagenaud demonstrated the results of the testing in the rain from his sportscar days, as he went from fifth to first in the final 17 laps on the Grand Prix course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Scott Dixon parked his car right in front of Graham Rahal on pit road in the staging area, following the final lap of the NTT IndyCar Series' annual trip to Long Beach, Calif., because he believed Rahal would lose the final podium position for blocking him on the backstretch.
Scott Dixon scored his third win at Texas Motor Speedway when he won the DXC 600, his second win of 2018 and second win in three races. Dixon held off Simon Pagenaud in second, Alexander Rossi in third, James Hinchcliffe in fourth and Ryan Hunter-Reay rounded out the top-five.
It all began early Sunday morning along the coast of Monte Carlo and the Monaco Grand Prix. I am not a big fan of driving fast and little passing, but Monaco is a different breed. Fabulous architecture and big expensive craft that fill the marina are the background for a street race that has the competitors driving just a bit above the recommended speed limit for you and I. Simply put, they go fast on a road not built to go fast, be it alone or among 20 other speed demons.
Change. Sometimes change is good, like when you win a few million dollars. That is good. You get married to your sweetheart. Good. Your children start arriving. If you are a mature adult, and not some self-serving narcissist, that is very good. New talented drivers emerge on the scene. That is also a good thing.
Kansas is not as sexy as Talladega, I admit. It is not a Daytona, a Darlington, and it is no Indianapolis. I think having the race named after a series of sponsors instead of seeking a real identity might have something to do with that. Still, some big names have been among the 16 winners there since they first started up the engines back in 2001.
Scott Dixon, driver of the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, made history at Pocono Raceway in the IZOD IndyCar Series as the eighth different winner in eleven races, scoring his 30th career win, as well as the 200th win for Honda and the 100th team finish for team Target.
