Scott Dixon’s Desert Bomb Indy Win at the Desert Diamond West Valley Grand Prix
(April 2, 2016 – Phoenix International Raceway / PIR) Racing returned to Phoenix after an 11-year absence with double firsts – the first career wins for both driver Scott Dixon and for Team Chip Ganassi at the PIR. The short oval course seemed to impose a limit on passing and also, for reasons we are unable to explain, seemed to favor the Chevrolet builds with 4 out of 5 of the top finishers riding that brand. In contrast, the bottom eight of cars listed as “Running” at the end of the race were all Hondas.
Six cautions totaling 55 out of the 250 lap race resulted in no injuries…and the final caution coming after Alexander Rossi’s impact with the wall with two laps remaining meant Scott Dixon cruised to victory under the yellow flag.
Dixon began in 6th place and assumed the lead mid-race after formidable competitors Juan Pablo Montoya in the #2 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and polesitter Helio Castroneves in the #3 REV Group Team Penske Chevrolet were both sidelined with cut tires.
By finishing second in this and in the previous race at St. Petersburg, Simon Pagenaud in the #22 DeVibiss Team Penske Chevrolet took the series points lead by 4 over Dixon. Will Power showed third in the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet after having missed St. Petersburg due to illness.
Each of the top finishers credited their engineers and teammates for providing them finely tuned machines which enabled their strong showings.
The Top Five:
• Scott Dixon in the Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
• Simon Pagenaud in the #22 Devilbiss Team Penske Chevrolet
• Will Power in the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet
• Tony Kanaan in the #10 GE LED Chevrolet
• Graham Rahal in the #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
Scott Dixon’s Desert Bomb Indy Win
