When the going gets most chaotic, nobody in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES finds a smooth path to Victory Lane better than Scott Dixon. He did it again Sunday, overcoming a starting grid penalty and an early on-track penalty and adapting strategy to multiple caution periods to win the season-ending Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. It was the third win of the season and 56th career INDYCAR SERIES victory for six-time series champion Dixon, who wheeled his No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing PNC Bank Honda to win on the 11-turn, 2.238-mile circuit for the first time. “A credit to this team,” Dixon said. “They’ve been executing like that all year. We got caught up in some mayhem at the start. I definitely didn’t agree with the (penalty) call, but I haven’t seen all of it yet. But I had nowhere to go. But we won; that’s all that matters. We won.” Watch the extended race highlights from Motorsports on NBC here. (Thank you to INDYCAR )
Christian Rasmussen only needed to leave pit lane to clinch the INDY NXT by Firestone championship Sunday at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, but he decided to add an exclamation point to his magical 2023 season. Rasmussen led all 35 laps from pole to earn his series-leading fifth victory of the season and win Race 2 of the INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey doubleheader in the No. 6 HMD Motorsports with DCR car. He beat Race 1 winner Hunter McElrea’s No. 27 Smart Motors car to the finish by 17.8813 seconds – the largest margin of victory in the series this season by more than 10 seconds. The win also easily sealed the season title and a prize package toward advancement to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for Rasmussen, 23, from Denmark. He beat Andretti Autosport’s McElrea to the title, 539-474, after the 14-race season. Rasmussen became only the second driver to win championships in INDY NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000 and USF2000, joining current NTT INDYCAR SERIES star Kyle Kirkwood in that exclusive club. Rookie Louis Foster rounded out the podium finishers in the No. 26 Copart/USF 2000 Championship car of Andretti Autosport in the final race of the season for the INDYCAR development series.
Justin Marks (No. 99 Trackhouse/Jockey Chevrolet Camaro) drove to the GYM WEED Victory Circle for the third time this season, claiming his second-consecutive win at Watkins Glen International. Marks started the race from the pole position for the fifth time in 2023 and cruised to victory despite an early challenge for the lead by Boris Said (No. 79 ECC/Anchor Bolt and Screw Dodge Challenger), who was making his 100th Trans Am series start. Said passed polesitter Marks going into the very first turn of the race and led the event for the first three laps before Marks was able to pick him off. Once Marks reclaimed the lead, his lead grew throughout the caution-free race despite strong competition from Said and Chris Dyson (No. 16 GYM WEED Ford Mustang). Said held onto the runner-up spot until lap 13, when Dyson moved into second place while Said’s Challenger slowed. A lap later, Said came to the pits, a transmission fan problem forcing his retirement. This allowed Keith Grant (No. 40 Showtime Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro) to take over the third spot. Marks, Dyson and Grant crossed the finish line in that order to fill the podium.
Chevrolet has won the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES (NICS) Manufacturer Championship for the eighth time since it returned to the Series in 2012. “It is an honor to receive the 2023 INDYCAR Manufacturer Championship trophy on behalf of Chevrolet,” said Jim Campbell, US Vice President Performance and Motorsports. “This championship is a result of teamwork, preparation, and execution on track throughout the season. Thanks to our powertrain engineers, our technical partners at Ilmor and our race teams, including Team Penske, Ed Carpenter Racing, Arrow McLaren, AJ Foyt Racing, Juncos Hollinger Racing and Paretta Autosport for their combined efforts that resulted in delivering our eighth championship since 2012.” In the 12 seasons of the Chevrolet 2.2-liter V6 twin turbo direct injected INDYCAR engine, Team Chevy drivers have amassed 111 wins of the 198 races to date – 58.6%. Team Chevy drivers have been crowned champion seven times since 2012 and scored five Indianapolis 500 wins. Since 2012, in addition to the eight Manufacturer Championships, Chevrolet has won seven driver championships with Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012), Will Power (2014 and 2022), Scott Dixon (2015), Simon Pagenaud (2016) and Josef Newgarden (2017 and 2019). Additionally, the Chevrolet 2.2-liter V6 engine powered drivers to win the Indianapolis 500 with Tony Kanaan (2013), Juan Pablo Montoya (2015) Will Power (2018), Simon Pagenaud (2019) and Josef Newgarden (2023).
The Italian Grand Prix, September 13, 1953. Juan Manuel Fangio celebrated his first and only victory of the season in the final race at Monza, at the wheel of his Maserati A6GCM. The Argentine ace, one of the greatest of all time, ceded the crown of the most titled Formula 1 driver to Michael Schumacher after almost 50 years. Fangio drove for Maserati in F1 in 1954 for a partial season, and then returned in 1957, the year of El Chueco’s fifth and final world championship.
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