Kiwi Scott Dixon's rebounded from the toughest weekend of his IndyCar Series career with a pair of clean races at the Detroit Grand Prix.
Though he lacked the edge of the leaders, Dixon was able to take over the lead of the championship. This is despite still having not won a race this season.
The Ganassi Racing pilot came third in the opening race, progressing from seventh on the grid. Strategy helped him leapfrog a number of other drivers on the run to the chequered flag.
After being as high as second in this morning's double header, Dixon finished sixth. He spent most of the race recovering from a poor opening pit stop in which he lost eight seconds to the pack.
After taking the points lead after his Saturday efforts, Dixon's points lead extended. This came thanks to his nearest championship rival, Helio Castroneves, only finishing ninth after an early puncture.
Graham Rahal took victory in both races, helping him vault from 10th in the points standings to sixth. He's also the first driver in the series to take a second win, after seven straight races with different winners.
Dixon's weekend had been in doubt in the build-up to the Detroit GP, after spending most of the week on crutches. And though he did make it to the grid, the four-time champ was still in pain.
“It was a tough race no matter what — physically for me it was tougher than normal. I think I was favouring a lot of things,” said Dixon after his podium.
“I'm definitely going back to my RV here and put my foot in a big bucket of ice and see if I can cool it off and hopefully get a good rest tonight.
“I've got to give a shout out to my grandmother in New Zealand. She's not doing too well unfortunately, so I want to say hello to my family down there too.”
The next round of the series is in Texas this coming weekend.