IndyCar pace setter wins third race of season, in Texas

Scott Dixon, winner of this year’s Indy 500, stretched his lead in the IndyCar championship with a split-second victory over Helio Castroneves at the Texas Speedway last weekend.

The picture is deceiving, as both cars were cruising at around 90mph when they crossed the start/finish line - a late crash involving Marco Andretti and Ryan Hunter-Reay meant that the race ended under waved yellow flags; so Castroneves was not allowed to overtake Dixon.

Many disgruntled fans were seen leaving the Texas track even before Dixon took the chequered flag. This is a big problem for IndyCar; the series should not allow its races to finish under a yellow flag - it’s the second time in a week that a late crash has forced an IndyCar race to end like that. Ryan Briscoe won in Milwaukee under the same conditions; on that occasion Dixon was the frustrated driver stuck in second place.

NASCAR has changed its rules to prevent such a finish. Now IndyCar must do the same.

“I think about the fans,” said Chip Ganassi, owner of Dixon’s team. “They come to see a show, and they deserve to see an exciting finish.”

Dixon echoed his owner’s sentiment: “The fans come first,” he said. “That’s why we’re here.”

Watch a video review of the race, which includes the snail’s pace finish: