Scott Dixon was not happy with his runner-up finish in Sunday’s 42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach – but it wasn’t due to lack of performance.
Dixon was upset that race winner Simon Pagenaud was not penalized on Lap 55 for crossing the double yellow line before reaching the end of the pit road exit lane.
Crossing the double yellow line was discussed in the pre-race driver meeting and drivers were told anyone violating it would receive a penalty.
Shortly after that exit, Pagenaud grabbed the lead away from Dixon and motored the last 25 laps to his fifth career Verizon IndyCar Series victory.
“I don’t really want to comment because I haven’t seen the replay,” Dixon told NBCSN. “But I caught a replay on the big screen and it’s tough to see there, but I think he ran across (the double yellow lines) and the rules clearly state that you can’t have two wheels on the other side of the line before you get a penalty.”
IndyCar stewards issued a warning to Pagenaud, but he did not lose his position on the track and held on to capture the checkered flag.
“I just hope you’re not recircling with our stewardship here and doing warnings,” Dixon said. “He got a warning, so there’s meant to be no warnings left, so I don’t know what that’s all about.
“I think it was our race, man. So it is what it is.”
Dixon was going for his second consecutive win at Long Beach, but ultimately came up one spot short.
“Rules are rules and I hate it when you see it get changed,” he said.
Warnings were supposedly eliminated after last season, according to Chip Ganassi Racing team strategist Mike Hull.
“They told us with the steward system they were going to have this year, there would be no warnings, so he was either in the right or the wrong,” Hull said. “On the television (replay), it clearly showed all the viewers that (Pagenaud) didn’t stay in a straight line all the way to the exit of the pit lane.
“What we were told in the driver’s meeting, if anybody did that, that would be a penalty. They didn’t say what the penalty was, but he shouldn’t be leading the race.”
However, team owner Chip Ganassi took a more diplomatic approach to the incident.
“It was obviously a close call,” Ganassi said. “It’s certainly a chance to look for some opportunity how we can improve on questionable calls like that.
“It was obviously a questionable call. The video shows one thing and I don’t know what the stewards used to make their decision. But I sort of support what they do. But I kind of like the NASCAR system, where it’s black and white, there’s a camera there and the camera makes the call electronically. Maybe it’s an opportunity for us to improve.”
As for Pagenaud only getting a warning, Ganassi again took the diplomatic path.
“You look at those situations over the long term and over a year period or something, they’ve got a new group of stewards in the booth and they’re trying to do the best they can,” he said. “I applaud what they’re trying to do. It’s not an easy job what they have to do up there. I’m sure I’ll have a discussion with them and I’ll probably learn something I didn’t know.”
Regardless, Ganassi said he’s very happy with the way his team has performed overall in the first three races of the season, including Dixon’s win two weeks ago at Phoenix.
“You look at Dixon, he’s ahead in the points where he was a year ago after three races, so that’s good,” Ganassi said. “(Tony) Kanaan is doing a job good and Charlie Kimball is up ahead of where he was a year ago and Max Chilton, the newcomer to the team, is doing a great job himself.
“We’re happy at this moment and we want to have some momentum going to Indianapolis. Right now, I think we have that. Let’s carry it to Birmingham and then on to Indianapolis in May.”
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