Once again, Scott Dixon has had a solid chance at Indy 500 victory snatched out from under him by bad luck.
Starting the race from pole and hanging in the top three prior to the first wave of pit-stops (and the first safety car) Dixon looked to be in contention for a win. But, a lengthy pit-stop on lap 37 ruined his chances.
Dixon stayed out for longer than most of the leaders, and then couldn’t pit when he wanted to due to pit lane being closed; marshalls cleaning up a crashed car in pit-lane.
Dixon came in with no fuel left in his PNC Bank Ganassi Racing entry. The team subsequently struggled to restart the car, resulting in the Kiwi going a lap down. He eventually go back onto the lead lap, and even led the race briefly in the closing stages.
Eventually Dixon finished 17th; lucky to only drop one spot in the points standings.
“We probably called it a little too close,” Dixon told NBCSN post race. “But honestly, it was just unlucky with that yellow. Then as soon as it goes yellow the pits are closed.
“Obviously the crash was in the pits as well, so we couldn’t come in to get fuel and once we’d ran the car out of fuel then the problem was trying to re-primed, which we lost a lap doing.
“It was just an unfortunate day for us, I think it hurt maybe a few of us maybe from the team in that same sequence. It was unfortunate; the car felt great, we were just sitting there trying to go a bit longer on the fuel, which we did, and that got us in trouble.
“This place is tricky. I think the frustrating part was that it just came so early. You knew from that point once you were a lap down your day is pretty much shot. I had a long time to calm down, I had a lot of laps to just cruise around.”