Kiwi Scott Dixon has propelled himself into Indycar title contention with a stunning race win at Mid-Ohio on Monday (NZT).
The defending series champion is only 62 points behind championship leader Josepf Newgarden who spun out on the final lap while sitting in fourth.
It's only the second race win of the season for Dixon who finished less than a car length in front of his fast-charging teammate Felix Rosenqvist in a dramatic finish.
Dixon led by over 10 seconds with 20 laps remaining but wearing tyres almost cost the 39-year-old victory but he managed to defend his lead in a tense final lap.
"Oh man, that was crazy. I feel a little bit bad for Felix. I put some moves on him for sure but we were just a sitting duck. I had nothing else to do. I think if I let one by, I'd let the whole lot by," Dixon said.
Superior pit strategy paid dividends for Dixon's Chip Ganassi team, choosing to stop just twice while the majority of the field opted three stops.
Dixon, who started eighth, slowly worked his way through the field in the early stages, stalking his teammate and pole-sitter Will Power in the first stint.
The Kiwi finally took the lead midway through his second stint while the rest of the field stopped for the second time.
He built his lead out to 26 seconds early in his final stint before backing off as the race wound down.
Newgarden's costly mistake gifting Dixon an extra 16 points on what was a 98 point margin at the start of the weekend.
Dixon sits fourth in the championship behind Simon Pagenaud and American Alex Rossi who is just 16 points behind Newgarden.
The series takes a two-week break before heading to Pocono for a 500-mile oval race next month.
Dixon's sixth win at Mid-Ohio is a record and he joins Al Unser Jr and Michael Andretti as the only drivers to win six times at one track.
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