Scott Dixon charges home for second place in latest IndyCar race
Kiwi driver Scott Dixons hot form shows no sign of hitting the brakes. Dixon finished second in Saturdays (NZ time) opening night race of IndyCar's doubleheader at Iowa Speedway. Starting from 17th on the grid, Dixon worked his way through traffic to finish runner-up behind Simon Pagenaud, who went from worst-to-first on a wild night. Pagenaud, the former series champion who was unable to qualify because of a fuel pressure issue, managed to stretch his tires and take advantage of a unique pit strategy - and a little bit of luck - to get to the lead. He then held off series leader Dixon through the final laps to end Chip Ganassi Racing's four-race winning streak. READ MORE: * Kiwi driver Scott Dixon claims second IndyCar Grand Prix win * Scott Dixon second, Scott McLaughlin crashes out in latest virtual IndyCar race * Kiwi motor-racing ace Scott McLaughlin second in IndyCar's first virtual race on an oval ``I can't believe it. I have to rewatch the race. How did I get there?'' asked Pagenaud, who also gave team owner Roger Penske his first IndyCar victory since purchasing the series late last year. ``I don't know. The last 50 laps, a lot of tension. When Dixon is chasing you, you'd better hit your marks.'' Pagenaud went from 23rd to first, but Dixon was just as impressive. ``That was an awesome race,'' he said. ``I'm sure Simon is happy after the mess-up they had in qualifying.'' "Super proud of that effort tonight - fuel mileage was awesome and the cautions helped us jump a few positions," Dixon said. "Car was dreadful in qualifying, but we worked on it during the race and got something to work with late. Unfortunately, we start from near the back again tomorrow, so we have to do it all over again." Pagenaud won for the 15th time in the series, and first since Toronto last season. The 36-year-old Frenchman gave Team Penske its third Iowa win in four races. Two mid-race wrecks set the stage for the conclusion - and drove home the value of IndyCar's new aeroscreen. The first occurred when Will Power's left front wheel came off his car, sending him into the wall and the tire bounding within feet of his head. The second occurred on the aborted restart, when Colton Herta's car catapulted over Rinus VeeKay, missing the rookie's head by inches but destroying the new safety device added by IndyCar this season. ``I can't thank IndyCar enough for that aeroscreen,'' Power said. ``It happened so fast. I wasn't really sure what was going on,'' said Herta, the only driver to finish in the top 10 each of the first four races. ``I wasn't told the restart was called off. I was told green, and I wasn't going to go by the light when I was told green. So there you go. I guess everyone else got the message.'' AP