Chip Ganassi Racing teammates Alex Palou and Scott Dixon were the top two drivers in the final 15 laps of the Road America IndyCar race. Dixon started at the back of the grid while Palou started second. Due to multiple caution flags, the two followed different pit strategies but ended up racing first and second near the end.

Dixon pitted a couple of laps earlier than Palou, which meant he needed to pit again near the race end for fuel. Unlike Palou, who saved fuel by running in Dixon’s slipstream, Dixon pushed hard throughout his stint and did not save fuel. As a result, Dixon had to pit with three laps remaining, while Palou managed to finish without an extra stop.

Palou described how Dixon made him nervous in the final laps despite knowing Dixon needed to pit again. Palou said he could see Dixon was not saving fuel and thought, “this guy is crazy; how is he going to do it.” He trusted Dixon’s ability to pull off something extraordinary given his experience.

Palou had to manage 14 laps on the final stint, which was close to the maximum possible on a full tank. He had only a 5-second gap to Felix Rosenqvist behind him, who was on a better fuel strategy and had fresher tires. Palou successfully kept Rosenqvist behind to win the race by just over two seconds.

After the race, Palou praised Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) for providing the fuel mileage needed to complete the race without an extra stop. He said it was a “crazy race” with many ups and downs, but credited the team and Honda for the winning strategy.

In summary, the race was a strategic battle with Dixon pushing hard but running out of fuel late, while Palou conserved enough to take the victory. Dixon’s aggressive approach made Palou nervous but ultimately Palou’s fuel-saving and team strategy secured the win at Road America.