There are only two races left in the 2022 IndyCar Series. The Grand Prix of Portland was held in Portland, Oregon, on the North West Coast of the United States, as the race before the final round. climbed to
The Portland International Raceway is a 1.964-mile flat road course along the Columbia River, which runs along the Washington State border.
It was the first weekend in September, and the Portland area was blessed with a refreshing sunny day, and despite the end of summer, the temperature reached 28 degrees Celsius on the day of the race. Many fans flocked to the circuit to enjoy the IndyCar championship battle under the blue sky.
Scott Dixon, who won Toronto and Nashville and entered Portland in 3rd place in the points standings, started from the back of the grid in 16th place in the qualifying. After entering the top 10, he steadily climbed the ranks. And following the only full-course caution issued at the end of the race, Dixon made the circuit exciting by passing three powerhouses one following another at the restart, occupying a corner of the podium and responding to the cheers of the fans. With 35 points this season, Dixon will head into the final round in Monterey, California, 20 points behind points leader Will Power (Chevrolet). If he wins the championship with a come-from-behind victory, Dixon will achieve a record-tying 7th series title.
Graham Rahal (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing) qualified 11th in the 110-lap race, finishing 5th for his second top 5 finish of the season. Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian) finished sixth and Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport) finished seventh.
Takuma Sato (Dale Coyne Racing with RWR) finished 18th following starting from 22nd. In Portland, where multiple accidents often happen right following the start, Sato’s camp aimed to get through the confusion in the early stages and achieve a high-paced run with good fuel economy to advance to the top group. However, in this year’s race, the laps progressed without any accidents, so I was forced to switch the strategy 180 degrees to stop the fuel consumption driving method and repeat the attack at full speed. The machine handled well and Takuma Sato was able to move up the order, but during the full-course caution that was issued towards the end of the race, he was penalized three positions down if he continued to drive with a gap between him and the car in front. and finished in 18th place.
The 2022 IndyCar Series will remain on the West Coast of the United States, with the season finale at Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California.
Scott Dixon (Chip Ganassi Racing)
“It’s been a really fun day. We ended up in the back of the grid in qualifying, but from there we were able to use everything to our advantage. We were very fast in the race. We were able to keep the pace and the tire wear was very good which made the fight a lot easier, the engine was very fuel efficient and it was easy to hit our target numbers. Fantastic drivability at the top was a big plus, thank you to Honda for this, we only have one final race left but we are still 20 points behind and still in the championship. And the chances of winning the title definitely exist.”
Takuma Sato (Dale Coyne Racing with RWR)
“The race in Portland was both good and bad. It was really early in the race.However, following 10-15 laps, it became clear that the two-stop strategy wasn’t working, so we switched to running full power.The finish of the machine was good, and there were several cars. I was able to pass 1. Thanks to the pit crew’s performance, I was able to improve my position even further.However, when the full-course caution was issued in the final stages, the official told me that I did not immediately close the gap with the car in front. It wasn’t our intention but we were penalized 3 places down and as a result our finish was 18th which is not right at all, the team really has a lifetime They have worked hard and I hope that next week’s Laguna Seca will be a stress-free, penalty-free weekend.”
