Scott Dixon wins second consecutive; Josef Newgarden’s oval streak ends

It was another second-place finish for Pato O’Ward, but the Arrow McLaren star was more frustrated with lapped traffic.

“The lappers just don’t help any,” O’Ward told NBC Sports’ Dillon Welch. “I feel like I do when I’m not having a good day. I don’t screw the leader’s race. It’s miserable to be behind them. They block to protect.”

Lapped traffic has been a persistent conversation this season with Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin calling out unnamed drivers at Iowa Speedway.

After getting squeezed into the wall and finishing 27th at World Wide Technology Raceway, Callum Ilott shared O’Ward’s frustration with a social media post.

Though he remained winless in 2023, O’Ward has seven podium finishes, including four times as a runner-up.

“It’s another second place for 2023,” he said. “Two to go, hopefully we get that elusive No. 1 that we’re looking for this season and just keep on pushing.”

With his second consecutive victory and the 55th of his career, Scott Dixon cut into Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Alex Palou’s championship points lead.

The six-time IndyCar champion won by more than 22 seconds because he made three pit stops while the rest of the contenders each made at least five. Only three cars finished on the lead lap.

Dixon qualified seventh but started 16th because of a nine-position grid penalty for an engine change, necessitating his off-sequence strategy.

“So proud of the team, so happy for everybody,” Dixon told NBC Sports’ Dillon Welch. “We took a big grid penalty, so we had to go the opposite route, and it worked out perfectly. This team was perfect man. They gave me the number I needed.”

Click here for the unofficial box score.

Dixon shaved 34 points off the margin of Palou, who still managed a career-best seventh at World Wide Technology Raceway and could clinch his second title next weekend at Portland.

The Ganassi teammates are separated by 74 points with two races remaining and a maximum of 54 points available in each event.

“We won’t lift until we’re totally out of it,” Dixon said. “Everyone does a tremendous job. It’s a shame our wins came late in the season but we’ll keep pushing. It’d be a lot of fun. Maybe it’d be tense within the team, but we’ll keep working hard as a team and see what we got the next few races.”

Pato O’Ward finished second, and David Malukas took third for his second consecutive podium at WWTR. Alexander Rossi was fourth, followed by pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin.

In summing up the race, O’Ward had two words: “Scott Dixon!”

“Scott Dixon did a Scott Dixon today,” O’Ward told Welch. “They were telling me on the radio the 9 car is trying to make it to the end. He’s going to make it to the end.”

Josef Newgarden won’t be perfect on ovals this season.

The Team Penske driver made contact with the outside wall shortly after making a pit stop with 50 laps remaining.

For the first time in a year, another IndyCar driver will win on an oval today after Newgarden had won at Iowa (twice), Indianapolis, Texas and World Wide Technology Raceway (last Aug. 28, 2022).

“NBC Sports’ Georgia Henneberry reported that Newgarden radioed I went for it” to his crew, which was unable to repair his No. 2 Dallara-Chevrolet. Newgarden finished 25th, 50 laps down.

After the race, Newgarden told Henneberry, “I was just trying to catch up. I knew we’d lose to someone in fuel save. Even if the yellow comes out, we’re still behind. I just was trying to get through cars as quickly as I pitted, and it didn’t work out.

“I tried to catch up, and it ended up not being a good move. We put together a good car, good race, and it just didn’t work out.”

With his exquisite fuel conversation technique working to perfection yet again, Scott Dixon might have made his final stop.

After starting 16th, the six-time IndyCar champion again seems to be unbeatable because of his ability to save fuel.

If the race stays green, Dixon could win having made only three stops over 260 laps while everyone else will have made at least four except Romain Grosjean (who is well behind Dixon).

This could be the second consecutive victory for Dixon, who won Aug. 12 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course despite being involved in an incident on Lap 1.

This is another quintessential performance for Dixon, who qualified seventh but started 16th because of his fifth engine change of the season.

IndyCar officials announced several in-race penalties just after the race’s second restart.

Helio Castroneves’ team was given a warning and postrace monetary fine for equipment out of the box.

Devlin DeFrancesco was given a warning and postrace monetary fine for hitting another team’s equipment.

Marcus Ericsson’s team was given a warning and postrace monetary fine after the No. 8’s left rear tire came off and rolled into Will Power’s pit box.

Meanwhile, IndyCar ruled the contact between Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward on the restart was all good.

While battling to chase down Scott Dixon for the lead, Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward touched on a restart just past halfway.

The contact apparently left O’Ward livid as the IndyCar on NBC broadcast played a radio transmission of the Arrow McLaren driver angrily lobbying for an avoidable contact penalty.

The incident happened with O’Ward on the outside of Newgarden in Turn 3.

Newgarden hung on to second place and trails Dixon by a half-second while O’Ward is a half-second behind in third.

The top seven hit the pits under yellow on Lap 125 of 260, leaving Scott Dixon still in the lead ahead of Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward.

Several drivers behind the top seven who were trapped a lap down took the wavearound during the caution flag.

Marcus Ericsson’s crew also had a problem with his left-rear tire left unsecured, leaving the No. 8 Dallara-Honda a lap down.

Dixon now leads at halfway coming to the restart.

Just like his Indy road course victory Aug. 12 (which extended his streak of seasons with at least one win to 19), this race is unfolding as more evidence that Dixon always is a threat to win on strategy because of his sublime fuel-conservation techniques.

A caution for Takuma Sato might have changed the complexion of the race.

Scott Dixon, who had made his last pit stop 57 laps earlier, was in the lead when Sato, his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, smacked the wall in Turn 2.

That erased Dixon’s 13-second lead over Newgarden, and it likely will bring Dixon to the pits under yellow.

With Newgarden and Pato O’Ward running second and third, respectively, will the rest of the top three also pit?

They’re on the fringe of the top 10, but Josef Newgarden and Pato O’Ward are battling for thre presumptive lead after both pitted on Lap 102.

Newgarden caught a break in traffic when he got past Ed Carpenter just before a turn, and O’Ward was left behind the lapped car.

Colton Herta was leading after electing to go long on his second stint.

With the race staying green since a Lap 1 crash, Josef Newgarden remains in control.

The Team Penske star leads by 1.2761 seconds over Pato O’Ward with both coming up on their next stops.

Colton Herta is running third after stopping early on his first stop in hopes of the undercut strategy helping him leap-frog toward his first victory this season.

After the first round of stops, Josef Newgarden has the race under control.

The Team Penske driver has increased his lead to 1.5 seconds over Pato O’Ward, who had just passed Colton Herta for second.

Herta had pitted six laps earlier than Newgarden. David Malukas is fourth, followed by Felix Rosenqvist, Marcus Ericsson, Alexander Rossi, Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin and Will Power.

After leading the first 61 laps, Josef Newgarden entered the pits for alternate tires.

The Team Penske driver ceded the lead to teammate Will Power at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The IndyCar on NBC announcing booth believes this will put Newgarden on a four-stop strategy.

Colton Herta was the first contender to stop on Lap 56 at World Wide Technology Raceway.

The Andretti Autosport driver had been in second place since the start of the race, keeping within a second of Josef Newgarden.

A lap after Herta’s stop, points leader Alex Palou was the first to pit for the alternate tire. Every driver must use the optional compound, which is softer and designed to wear more quickly, for a stint during the race.

Keeping an eye on the two biggest storylines in today’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway:

—Josef Newgarden had led all 50 laps after starting first, putting him on track for his goal of sweeping the ovals this season in the NTT IndyCar Series.

The rest of the top five: Colton Herta, David Malukas, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi.

—Championship points leader Alex Palou is making headway, gaining five positions from 14th to ninth (including a pass of pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin).

Though he likely will need to finish near Newgarden, Palou will clinch his second title today if he leaves with a 109-point lead or more with two races remaining.

The yellow flew shortly after the first turn of the IndyCar race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

As leader Josef Newgarden entered Turn 2, A.J. Foyt Racing rookie Benjamin Pedersen spun into the Turn 1 wall after being rear-ended by Ed Carpenter, who was starting last.

Carpenter received a 30-second stop and hold penalty for avoidable contact.

Pedersen was seen and released from the IndyCar medical unit.

Here’s what to watch in the 15th race of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series season:

—Josef Newgarden is starting first in trying to become the first driver to sweep a season with multiple oval races. The Team Penske star already has won this year at Texas, Indianapolis and Iowa (twice).

—Championship points leader Alex Palou has a shot at clinching his second title today, but the Chip Ganassi Racing star will be starting 14th because of a nine-position grid penalty for an engine change.

—Pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin, Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato, Kyle Kirkwood and Agustin Canapino also took grid penalties for engine changes.

—Marcus Ericsson is in a backup car after crashing in practice with Will Power, who hit the wall after trying to avoid a spin by teammate McLaughlin.