By Paul Kelly, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
August 13, 2023 |
Ty Gibbs and Scott Dixon drove to victories in two Brickyard Weekend races Saturday on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, while Daniel Suarez won the pole position for the headlining NASCAR Cup Series race Sunday.
Gibbs dominated the Pennzoil 150 at the Brickyard presented by Advance Auto Parts NASCAR Xfinity Series race, while Dixon held off Graham Rahal to make history by winning the Gallagher Grand Prix NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile road course.
Suarez will start from the first spot on the grid for the Verizon 200 at the Brickyard, which starts at 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday. Tickets are available at IMS.com.
A recap of the day’s action:
Reigning NASCAR Xfinity Series champion Gibbs earned his first victory of the season in just his seventh Xfinity start of 2023, as he climbed to the NASCAR Cup Series full time this season.
Gibbs, grandson of Joe Gibbs Racing owner and NFL Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, drove the No. 19 He Gets Us Toyota to a 7.959-second victory over Sam Mayer in the No. 1 Huck’s Market Chevrolet. Gibbs, who started second, took the lead on Lap 46 of the 62-lap race and never trailed thereafter.
“It’s really cool to get one at the Brickyard,” Gibbs said. “I grew up racing go-karts at New Castle (Indiana) right down the street. It’s really special to me. We got the Brickyard – let’s go!”
AJ Allmendinger, who won this race last year, finished third in the No. 10 LeafHome Water Solutions Chevrolet.
The race was halted after eight laps due to a thunderstorm. Drivers returned to the track on rain tires, and the biggest balancing act after the restart was the decision when to pit for slick tires on the quickly drying track. Gibbs was one of the earliest drivers to pit for slicks, on Lap 15, and it paid off.
Gibbs led on the final restart, on Lap 47, after a caution for the stopped No. 34 Wings and Wheels Foundation Chevrolet of Andre Castro. He gradually pulled away from the field, leading by 1.948 seconds by Lap 50, and never was challenged.
Dixon continued two remarkable streaks, one at the green flag and another at the checkered.
Six-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Dixon rallied from a spin into the grass after being collected in an accident on Lap 1 to win in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Dixon, from New Zealand, extended his INDYCAR SERIES record streak to 19 consecutive seasons with at least one victory on a day when he also set a series record with his 319th consecutive start.
“What a day to win on,” said Dixon as he held his 3-year-old son, Kit. “It makes it so fun, especially for this little guy. He gets to see it. It’s been a little while since I’ve had a win, probably over a year. It makes it worthwhile, and we’re going to keep trying to win on (start) No. 320.”
NTT P1 Award winner Graham Rahal finished a season-best second in the 85-lap race, as his late charge to catch Dixon fell just .4779 of a second short in the No. 15 Code 3 Associates Honda fielded by Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. It was the closest INDYCAR SERIES finish ever on the 14-turn, 2.439-mile IMS road course.
Pato O’Ward finished third in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.
On Lap 66, Dixon led Rahal by 6.1866 seconds. Dixon’s lead dropped to 3.8448 seconds by Lap 72, with Rahal pulling to within 1.6028 seconds on Lap 80.
Both drivers then reached lapped traffic, and Rahal closed the gap to .5076 of a second on Lap 82 after he and Dixon cleared the slower cars. The margin shrank to .2689 of a second with two laps to go, and it appeared Rahal was setting up for a final-lap showdown for the win with Dixon.
But Dixon padded his lead to .8639 of a second at the white flag and hung on.
Suarez, a native of Mexico, earned his first pole of the 2023 season and third career Cup Series pole in the No. 99 Freeway.com Chevrolet with a lap of 1 minute, 27.968 seconds, 99.814 mph.
“It’s a good first day,” Suarez said. “Looking forward to carrying on tomorrow. We have to execute well. The car has the speed. Now we have to have a good, clean day and the most important thing – have fun.”
Reigning Verizon 200 at the Brickyard winner Tyler Reddick qualified second at 1:28.113 in the No. 45 SiriusXM Radio Toyota.
Chase Elliott, son of 2002 Brickyard 400 winner Bill Elliott, will start third after a lap of 1:28.335 in the No. 9 NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet. Michael McDowell will join Elliott in Row 2 after his best lap of 1:28.434 in the No. 34 Horizon Hobby Ford.
Australian Supercars champion Shane van Gisbergen qualified eighth for his second Cup Series start. Van Gisbergen, from New Zealand, stunned the motorsports world by winning his Cup Series debut last month in the inaugural street race in downtown Chicago.
Today’s NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Gibbs was the quickest rookie in NASCAR Cup Series qualifying and will start 10th after a lap of 1:28.606 in the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota.
Originally posted on indianapolismotorspeedway.com