New Zealander Scott Dixon won the Long Beach Grand Prix IndyCar race by .9798 of a second over Colton Herta Sunday, aided by Herta nudging fellow American Josef Newgarden’s car on the 77th lap of the 85-lap race.
Newgarden was running second behind Dixon, pulled close to Dixon’s gearbox entering the hairpin leading to the long front straightaway on Shoreline Drive on Lap 77 and appeared to be setting him up for a passing attempt on the straightaway.
But that never happened, as Herta nudged Newgarden from behind entering the hairpin. The impact lifted Newgarden’s rear wheels off the ground and engaged his anti-stall function, letting Herta and Spaniard Alex Palou pass him and dropping him to fourth.
“It seemed pretty obvious,” said Newgarden, the 2022 Long Beach and 2023 Indianapolis 500 winner who started third in the 27-car field. “He just misjudged it and ran into me.
“I’m not saying we were going to get Dixon. It was very, very difficult for me to get the run I needed to. I think traffic was going to provide me an opportunity, so that run right there, I was really excited about it. I think that was going to be my last chance. Never know if I would have pulled it off or not. Maybe not — he (Dixon) was really quick.”
Herta, who was raised in Valencia, said, “I misjudged it a little bit. But I think he set up pretty wide, and was cutting back in, so he’s a little bit slower at apex, but ultimately it’s up to me to carry the right speed into the corner and not run into the back of people. … I don’t like to race like that, especially a guy like this that I have a lot of respect for.”
Dixon regained the lead on the 62nd lap of the 85-lap race on the 1.968-mile, 11-turn street circuit surrounding the Long Beach Convention Center when Herta took a pit stop to refuel his No. 26 Gainbridge Andretti Global Honda.
The victory was Dixon’s 57th in his 387 starts in the IndyCar series and second in his last three. He won the 2023 season finale, the Monterey Grand Prix, and finished ninth in the season-opening St. Petersburg Grand Prix March 10.
The victory was another example of Dixon’s ability to save fuel. He drove the final 34 laps in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda without refueling.
“That was tough; that was really tough,” Dixon said. “Honestly, I didn’t think we were going to make it, and they kept giving me a (fuel) number, and it just wasn’t getting … I was close but not enough. Luckily, we were on the safe side there.”
Dixon did have enough fuel left to perform a celebratory burnout for his second victory in Long Beach. He also won in 2015.
Herta pulled to within .328 of a second with three laps remaining, but Dixon was given clearance on the last lap to use all the fuel-gulping push-to-pass he had left and pulled away for the win.
When asked where this win ranked among his strategic Dixon responded, “It was way up there. The stress level was high. Those guys were coming fast and strong. I think we were off by a lap or two of making it easy. Other fuel races I’ve done I’ve had it under control for the full stint.”
Dixon completed the 167.28-mile race in 1 hour, 42 minutes, 3.1416 seconds and had an average speed of 98.35 mph.
Palou was third and Newgarden fourth.
Will Power started second, took the lead from pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist on the second lap and kept it until the 17th lap when he drove into the pits during the only caution flag, issued after Danish rookie Christian Rasmussen spun his No. 20 Guy Care Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet and made contract with the wall in Turn 4 on the 15th lap.
Newgarden led from the 17th through 29th laps, Herta from the 30th though 32nd and Dixon from the 33rd through the 50th.
Defending champion Kyle Kirkwood led on the 51st lap. Newgarden regained the lead on the 52nd, keeping it until Herta regained the lead on the 58th lap.
Power finished sixth, Kirkwood seventh and Rosenqvist ninth.