It was a day of firsts. Marco Andretti won his first pole in five years. Scott Dixon won his first race in nearly a year and he led his first laps of the season. Dixon used quick and well timed pit stops to get and build a substantial lead. The only thing that slowed Dixon were two late cautions.
Graham Rahal jumped the curb and hit the wall in turn 13 on lap 47. Four laps after the restart, Santino Ferrucci was punted into the tire barrier at turn 7 by Charlie Kimball. Kimball received a stop and go penalty for his avoidable contact.
Ferrucci, in his first Indycar race, had done a respectable job all weekend, He was on pace and pretty much staying out of the way.
The victory ties Dixon with Michael Andretti on the career win list with 42.
Quick Thoughts
The new aero package did not help the racing at Belle Isle. We had the same processional race we always get here.
Indycar needs to follow the Indianapolis 500 with a better race. The event itself is great, but the racing leaves a lot to be desired. A different weekend would be okay, but another oval to follow Indy would be ideal.
Indycar needs to address Charlie Kimball’s driving after his latest on track involvement in an incident If Ferrucci had hit a wall instead of the tire barrier, the accident would have had more serious consequences.
Mike Hull’s great calls on pitting helped Dixon get to the lead.
The timing of the rain tomorrow looks like it might affect qualifying and maybe the start of the race. The new rain tires might get used just after their introduction.
