MOTOR SPORTS

Scott Dixon wins at Sonoma, takes IndyCar title in tiebreaker with Montoya

Curt Cavin
curt.cavin@indystar.com
Scott Dixon wins the GoPro Grand Prix at Sonoma and claims the IndyCar series title in a tiebreaker with Juan Pablo Montoya.

SONOMA, Calif. – One second on the stopwatch and a single position on the track gave Scott Dixon another IndyCar Series championship Sunday.

While Dixon was on his way to winning at Sonoma Raceway, series points leader Juan Pablo Montoya was struggling in the pack. He needed to finish fifth to capture his second title, and he couldn’t get it.

Montoya fell one position short.

“Just threw it away,” he said.

That assessment was in reaction to an incident on Lap 39. Montoya was 16th in line, two positions behind Team Penske teammate Will Power when the restart came. In Turn 5, Montoya ran into the back of Power’s car, turning Power and breaking Montoya’s front wing.

Montoya had no choice but to come to pit road for a wing replacement, and that stop left him 24th among 25 drivers. The climb proved too much to overcome, although he almost made it there.

Montoya got two important positions when Sebastien Bourdais bumped Graham Rahal out of the way in Turn 7 – Bourdais was penalized – but Ryan Briscoe was 3.5 seconds ahead of him with five laps remaining. Their separation at the finish was 1.1799 seconds.

“It doesn’t matter what happened (with Power),” Montoya said. “It just wasn’t enough (for the championship).”

Team Penske will not soon forget that Montoya’s contact with Power was set up by IndyCar calling for a full-course caution as Luca Filippi’s car slowly circled the track.

Finishing sixth gave Montoya 556 points, the same number as Dixon, who secured bonus points for leading a lap (Montoya did not) and besting Power for most laps led (two bonus points). Dixon’s advantage was more race wins, three to two.

Ironically, Montoya tied Dario Franchitti for CART’s 1999 championship, and he got the title on a similar tiebreaker.

Dixon certainly did his part for his fourth IndyCar title, but he can thank his Ganassi Racing teammates for their efforts. Charlie Kimball finished third with Tony Kanaan fourth, and that took points from Montoya.

Dixon surely will have a big hug for Briscoe, his close friend and former teammate, who held Montoya at bay despite red tires that were deteriorating with each passing lap.

“I can’t believe it,” said Dixon, who entered the race third in the standings, 47 points behind Montoya.

Scott Dixon competes during the IndyCar Grand Prix of Sonoma auto race Sunday, Aug. 30, 2015, in Sonoma, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Dixon’s previous championships came in 2003, 2008 and 2013, and this one tied Mario Andretti, Bourdais and Franchitti for second place in the sport’s history. A.J. Foyt won seven.

Chevrolet also won its fourth consecutive series championship.

Montoya was trying to set the record for the number of years between IndyCar championships (16). He also became the sixth consecutive Team Penske driver to finish second in the standings, although Power won last year’s title over Helio Castroneves.

Roger Penske’s organization also went the season’s final 99 days – since Montoya won the Indianapolis 500 – without a victory.

Power settled for seventh place. Castroneves, who was mathematically eligible for the title, never got close to converting. He finished 15th.

Rahal entered the race with the best chance to overtake Montoya – their separation was 34 points – but he tumbled to fourth in the standings after Bourdais punted him. It was familiar, too, as Tristan Vautier did something similar in the penultimate race Aug. 23 at Pocono Raceway. Again, Rahal wanted no part of the explanation.

Josef Newgarden was trying to wiggle into a top-finishing position, but his car caught fire during a pit stop. He got back into the action, but he finished 21st.

This race was run amid the somberness of Justin Wilson’s passing following head injuries suffered in the Pocono race. Several drivers and crew members competed with T-shirts bearing Wilson’s name and logo, and pre-race festivities included a video tribute, a moment of silence and the playing of “God Save the Queen.”

Wilson, 37, is to be buried in his hometown of Sheffield, England, this week.

Follow Star reporter Curt Cavin on Facebook and on Twitter: @curtcavin.