Kiwi Scott Dixon has claimed his first victory of the 2022 IndyCar championship, taking the chequered flag to win at Toronto.
After qualifying second on the grid, Dixon ended a run of 23 races without victory, holding off second-placed Colton Herta to win at Toronto for the fourth time.
His last win before Monday (NZ time) came at Texas in May 2021.
Dixon's relief was evident, after an error in the pits ended his chances of victory at the Indianapolis 500 in May.
Dixon's victory moves him into fourth-equal in the drivers championship with 304 points, with one win and four more top-five finishes this season, trailing leader and teammate Marcus Ericsson by 47 points.
"It was a tough drive," said Dixon, 41. "I ended a streak there, which is fantastic - I'm just so happy for the team.
"It's been a crazy year for the nine [car]. I still feel extremely bad for our partners and everybody involved for the 500 and I'm glad Marcus was able to win it for our team, because the team definitely deserved it.
"It just feels so good…Hopefully we're kind of in the title hunt now. I'm hoping this is the start of the roll."
More significantly, the victory is the 52nd across Dixon's glittering career, moving him level with Mario Andretti as the second-most successful driver in IndyCar history. Only AJ Foyt has more, with 67.
"It's amazing to be close to Mario" he added. "Every time I'm asked these questions, I'm just so thankful we still have AJ and him in the pits - to see them and to talk to them is fantastic.
"It's huge. I feel so lucky to be part of this group."
Fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin finished ninth and sits seventh on the drivers standings, with two victories among his three top-five finishes so far in 2022.
