Dixon, Armstrong on podium at Iowa race
- NZ Sports Wire
- Jul 14
- 2 min read
New Zealand IndyCar drivers Scott Dixon and Marcus Armstrong have stood on the podium at the Iowa double-header.
Four-time series champion Dixon finished second, one spot ahead of Armstrong in the Farm to Finish 275 on Sunday (Monday NZ Time), the second of two races at the short oval at Iowa Speedway.
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Dixon, who started eighth, never led the race, with teammate and race winner Alex Palou leading 194 laps and Josef Newgarden 72 laps.
The 44-year-old Kiwi and Armstrong benefitted from front-runners Newgarden and David Malukas pitting under a green flag late in the race, before Colton Herta crashed to bring out a caution, allowing others to pit under caution.
Dixon made a pass on Armstrong in the closing laps to secure a 1-2 finish for Chip Ganassi Racing, the team's third of the season. Last weekend Dixon passed Palou late for the victory at Mid Ohio.
Dixon moved up to third in the IndyCar championship, moving ahead of Kyle Kirkwood, on 342 points, but still trailing Palou by 173 points.
Armstrong, who started 12th, equalled his best finish in IndyCar, matching his third-place behind race winner Dixon in Detroit last year. He moved up to 10th in the drivers standings, just behind fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin.
It was a short day for McLaughlin, who was taken out on the first lap by a spinning Devlin DeFrancesco, credited with 27th.
Saturday's Synk 275 was a better day for McLaughlin as he marched through the field from 27th to finish fourth. He led the practice timesheet the previous day but crashed in qualifying and had to start from the back.
Armstrong, who led three laps from lap 241 to 244, finished ninth after starting 11th, while Dixon was one place behind for another top-10 after starting sixth.
The next IndyCar race is the Indy Toronto on the streets of Canada's biggest city next Sunday (4am Monday NZT). Dixon has four race wins in Toronto, the last coming in 2022.
