Move Over, Mario! Scott Dixon Ties a Legend with IndyCar Win at Toronto

To sum up Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto race, you need to just say two words:

Great Scott!

Six-time champion Scott Dixon won his 52nd career IndyCar race, tying him with legendary Mario Andretti for second on the all-time IndyCar win’s list (A.J. Foyt remains first with 67 wins). It was Dixon’s fourth career win at Toronto, but also took away much of the attention from this past week’s controversy between team owner Chip Ganassi and Dixon’s teammate, Alex Palou.

Dixon is now tied with Josef Newgarden in fourth place in the IndyCar driver standings, 44 points behind series leader, Indianapolis 500 winner and Dixon’s CGR teammate, Marcus Ericsson, with seven races remaining on the schedule.

“Hopefully, we’re back in the title hunt now,” Dixon said. “I’m hoping this is the start of the roll. I think the team definitely deserves it. We’ve been working as hard as any.”

He then noted later with a tone of relief in his voice, “We really needed that!”

“It was a tough drive, man. I was like this the whole race. It ended a streak there, which is fantastic. I’m so happy for the team. It’s been a crazy year for the 9. … The PNC Bank 9 back in the winner’s circle just feels so good.”

You could almost see this win coming, as Dixon had finished third, ninth and fifth in the previous three starts.

“It’s huge,” Dixon said of his 85-lap outing. “I just feel so lucky to be part of this group.”

It was Dixon’s first win of the season and first in more than a year. His last win was on May 1 2021, the third event of that season, at Texas Motor Speedway.

Colton Herta finished second in Sunday’s race north of the border, followed by Felix Rosenqvist, Graham Rahal, Indianapolis 500 winner and Dixon’s CGR teammate Marcus Ericsson, Palou, Simon Pagenaud, rookie Christian Lundgaard, Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden.

Dixon is the seventh different winner in the season’s first 10 races. He took time to pay homage to Andretti, with whom he is tied now for second on the all-time wins list with 52 triumphs apiece.

“It’s amazing. To be close to Mario, every time I’m asked these questions, I’m just so thankful that we still have him and A.J. (Foyt) in the pits, that we get to see and talk to them. It’s just fantastic.”

Andretti paid homage right back to Dixon with the following tweet:

“Utmost respect for my friend Scott Dixon and truly happy to congratulate him on 52 wins,” Andretti said. “Also congratulate his team because nobody does it alone. I hope this is just a step on your continuing journey. Well done.”

The win extends Dixon’s current IndyCar record of at least one win to each of the last 18 seasons.

Dixon conceded it’s unlikely he can tie or overtake Foyt for most IndyCar wins –67 – before he retires.

“I think all of us in the competitive environment we’re in, we all want to be No. 1,” Dixon said. “Unfortunately, I think A.J.’s pretty safe on his stat.”

But Dixon needs just one more championship to tie Foyt’s record of seven IndyCar titles, a mark that is still definitely within reach.

The Toronto event marked the first of five races within a 22-day span, including a two-race doubleheader this coming weekend at Iowa Speedway.

Graham Rahal Endorses Felix Rosenqvist for '23

Graham Rahal finished a season-best fourth in Sunday’s race. But before talking about his strong day, Rahal showed great sportsman following Rosenqvist’s interview, saying that Arrow McLaren SP principal Zak Brown should keep Rosenqvist in IndyCar for next season.

There’s been a lot of rumors that Palou potentially may replace Rosenqvist in the IndyCar Series next season (or perhaps go to Formula 1) – provided Palou is able to get out of the option year in his current contract with CGR.

“Felix has to prove nothing to anybody,” Rahal said of his friendly rival. “The guy’s an exceptional talent. He belongs in IndyCar racing. I hope he finds a spot. I know if we had room at the inn, I’d be pushing for him.”

As for the strong showing on a track that his father, team owner Bobby Rahal, won on in 1986, the younger Rahal felt vindication after a rough start in 2022.

“P4 feels like a win, particularly today,” he said. “I don’t think it was given.

“From an engineering and team standpoint, for us to stay positive has been hard. A lot of people doubt us and think I can’t drive. We know differently, but people do think that. We’ll just put our heads down.”

Rahal is 13^th in the standings, 141 points behind series leader Ericsson.

“This is a good kickstart to the end of our year. … Today was a great step in the right direction for us.”

Strong Weekend for Colton Herta

Another driver who has had a rough go of it of late, but rebounded with a strong showing Sunday was runner-up Colton Herta.

“A pole and second place, I’m happy with that,” Herta said. “It’s good to be back on the podium. We just need to make this a little more regular, do it again next year and we’ll be looking a lot better in the championship.”

Herta feared he wouldn’t be able to hold off the hard-charging Rosenqvist, but was glad there weren’t a few more laps to go.

“Felix was really fast,” Herta said. “I’m glad we were able to keep him behind us. He looked like if he had a few more laps, he would have got us.”

Two and Done for Takuma Sato

Takuma Sato’s season of disappointment continued Sunday. After qualifying poorly (19th), he barely got going—completing just the warm-up laps before being forced into the wall by Pato O’Ward. Damage was extensive to the left side and front end and Sato’s day was quickly over.

The 45-year-old, two-time Indianapolis 500 winner has struggled in his first season with Dale Coyne Racing. In the first 10 races, his best finishes have been seventh in the Indianapolis Grand Prix and 10th in the season opener at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Now in his 13th year in IndyCar, since that first race in the Sunshine State with his new team, Sato also has five race finishes between 11th and 19th, and three races below 20th, including Sunday’s 25th-place showing, last on the grid.

Teammate Troubles for Romain Grosjean

The reportedly heated talk team owner Michael Andretti had with his four IndyCar drivers after the last race, two weeks ago at Mid-Ohio, apparently didn’t have a full effect.

Romain Grosjean, in his first season with Andretti Autosport, had several run-ins with Alexander Rossi at Mid-Ohio. Sunday at Toronto, Grosjean had an early run-in with teammate and rookie Devlin DeFrancesco.

“We went wide in Turn 1, and then got pushed away by Devlin, which I’m not very impressed with,” Grosjean said over his team radio. “But the biggest problem I have is any time he’s in the car, they’re right.”

Grosjean finished 16th, while DeFrancesco—competing on native Canadian soil for the first time in his IndyCar career—was 18th.

It could be an interesting airplane flight home after the race, as Grosjean and DeFrancesco are neighbors in the same building in Miami.

Early Exit for Rossi

Rossi was involved in an incident Sunday, but this time it wasn’t with a teammate.

On Lap 45, just past the midway point of the event, Rossi and Rosenqvist went into a turn side-by-side, made contact and Rossi was sent into the wall, sustaining heavy damage to his left front end, his day over.

Rosenqvist was able to continue and finished on the podium. Rossi, meanwhile, ended up 23rd, his second-worst finish of the season—and the third time in 2022 that he’s finished 20th or lower in a race.

“It’s one of those things,” Rossi told Peacock Premium. “I heard you guys in the booth comparing it to last week (Mid-Ohio), though, but the big difference is I wasn’t the one doing the overtaking last week, so it’s not quite the same. But neither here nor there, it’s a shame we had a car to be upfront.”

When asked why the steering wheel was knocked out of his hands upon contact for the second straight race, at Mid-Ohio and again at Toronto, Rossi was at a loss.

“I’m open to suggestions,” he quipped.

Jimmie Johnson a Non-Factor ... Again

With each passing race, it’s looking more and more like Jimmie Johnson’s IndyCar career is passing by in front of his eyes. Could 2022 be his second and, more importantly, his final season in the series?

Shortly after a restart, Johnson appeared to come down on A.J. Foyt Racing rookie driver Kyle Kirkwood (who is set to move to Andretti Autosport next season) on Lap 59. The pair made contact and Johnson spun in front of Kirkwood.

Kirkwood left his car, while Johnson’s car was pushed to get restarted on Lap 61. Kirkwood eventually got back in the car and got going again, but IndyCar penalized him for avoidable contact, disqualifying him. Kirkwood finished 22^nd.

As has been the case in almost every IndyCar race he’s competed in both last season and this season, Johnson once again was a non-factor, finishing 21st.

It was the eighth time in this season’s first 10 races that Johnson has finished 20th or worse.

No-Show, No-Go for Foyt's Calderon

Tatiana Calderon was a no-show for Sunday’s race, but it’s not her fault.

The rookie driver from Colombia is essentially out of her No. 11 ride for the time being, if not the remainder of the season.

The reason is due to a sponsorship issue, the team announced. Her primary sponsor this season has been Rokit, which reportedly has fallen behind in payments due to A.J. Foyt Racing to continue supporting Calderon’s program.

Earlier in the week, team president Larry Foyt told the Indianapolis Star that Rokit has had “a bit of a hiccup on the funding side, and we just want to get that resolved."

However, Rokit is still reeling from a sponsorship conflict it had with the Williams team in Formula 1. A court ordered Rokit to pay Williams more than $35 million due to the team for sponsorship from 2020.

The Results

Honda Indy Toronto

Results Sunday of the Honda Indy Toronto NTT IndyCar Series event on the 1.786-mile Streets of Toronto, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (2) Scott Dixon, Honda, 85, Running

2. (1) Colton Herta, Honda, 85, Running

3. (8) Felix Rosenqvist, Chevrolet, 85, Running

4. (14) Graham Rahal, Honda, 85, Running

5. (9) Marcus Ericsson, Honda, 85, Running

6. (22) Alex Palou, Honda, 85, Running

7. (18) Simon Pagenaud, Honda, 85, Running

8. (10) Christian Lundgaard, Honda, 85, Running

9. (6) Scott McLaughlin, Chevrolet, 85, Running

10. (3) Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, 85, Running

11. (15) Pato O'Ward, Chevrolet, 85, Running

12. (5) David Malukas, Honda, 85, Running

13. (20) Rinus VeeKay, Chevrolet, 85, Running

14. (7) Callum Ilott, Chevrolet, 85, Running

15. (16) Will Power, Chevrolet, 85, Running

16. (11) Romain Grosjean, Honda, 85, Running

17. (17) Helio Castroneves, Honda, 85, Running

18. (12) Devlin DeFrancesco, Honda, 85, Running

19. (13) Jack Harvey, Honda, 85, Running

20. (25) Conor Daly, Chevrolet, 85, Running

21. (21) Jimmie Johnson, Honda, 73, Contact

22. (24) Kyle Kirkwood, Chevrolet, 58, Contact

23. (4) Alexander Rossi, Honda, 44, Contact

24. (23) Dalton Kellett, Chevrolet, 30, Mechanical

25. (19) Takuma Sato, Honda, 0, Contact

26. Race Statistics

Winner's average speed: 92.234 mph

Time of Race: 1:38:45.3087

Margin of victory: 0.8106 of a second

Cautions: 4 for 15 laps

Lead changes: 7 among 6 drivers

Lap Leaders:

Herta 1 - 17

Rosenqvist, 18

Rahal 19 - 24

VeeKay 25 - 28

O'Ward 29 - 31

Dixon 32 - 46

VeeKay 47 - 60

Dixon 61 - 85

Updated Points Standings

Ericsson 351, Power 316, Palou 314, Newgarden 307, Dixon 307, O'Ward 276, McLaughlin 274, Herta 254, Rosenqvist 244, Pagenaud 243, Rossi 236, VeeKay 211, Rahal 210, Daly 198, Grosjean 197, Lundgaard 183, Castroneves 173, Malukas 163, Sato 154, Harvey 126, Ilott 113, DeFrancesco 111, Johnson 108, Kirkwood 106, Tony Kanaan 78, Kellett 76, Santino Ferrucci 71, Tatiana Calderon 58, JR Hildebrand 53, Ed Carpenter 49, Juan Pablo Montoya 44, Simona De Silvestro 21, Marco Andretti 17, Sage Karam 14, Stefan Wilson 10

Follow Autoweek contributor Jerry Bonkowski on Twitter @JerryBonkowski