IndyCar: Dixon completes last to first drive for 1st 2014 win at Mid-Ohio (VIDEO)

LEXINGTON, Ohio – File this one under the “improbable but not impossible” category: Scott Dixon started dead last, 22nd, and has parlayed a strategic masterpiece from his Target Chip Ganassi Racing team to win the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

The win is both Dixon’s and Ganassi’s first of the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season. It also extends CGR’s win streak at Mid-Ohio to six years in a row. Dixon also won in 2009, 2011 and 2012, with Dario Franchitti (2010) and Charlie Kimball (2013) also part of the winning brigade.

Dixon’s last stop came on Lap 62, when he led Josef Newgarden, who otherwise appeared poised to capture an elusive first victory.

Newgarden pitted three laps later, on Lap 65, but his Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing team failed to deliver a clean stop. One of Newgarden’s crewmembers fell down, the air jacks failed to engage, and to add insult to injury the car ran over an air hose.

That netted Newgarden a drive-through penalty that cost him any hope of a good finish; he had fallen to fourth after the stop on his own and following the drive-through, he fell back to 12th at the checkered flag.

With Newgarden out of the way, polesitter Sebastien Bourdais finished second for another podium finish in the No. 11 Mistic KVSH Racing Chevrolet and in third, James Hinchcliffe took his first podium of the season in the No. 27 United Fiber & Data Honda.

Dixon is the 10th different winner and Hinchcliffe is the 19th different driver to score a podium this season.

Carlos Munoz and Graham Rahal rounded out the top five.

Will Power finished sixth and with Helio Castroneves 19th, Power should move into the points lead.

Here’s your unofficial results.

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