Kiwi Scott Dixon has sealed his first victory of the IndyCar season, putting himself on top of the podium for a 19th consecutive season.
Dixon, 43, held off a late charge from polesitter Graham Rahal at the Gallagher Grand Prix in Indianapolis and took the chequered flag on his 319th consecutive start.
"That was crazy," said Dixon. "Huge credit to the team.
"I had a fantastic start and then I got T-boned in turn seven. Huge credit to the team, it's been a trying year for us, things could have rolled our way, but they haven't.
"It was pretty sketchy at the end, but we tried to put on a show for everyone."
Dixon's NZ compatriots enjoyed a mixed day, with Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske finishing eighth and Chip Ganassi teammate Marcus Armstrong 24th.
His win was all the more remarkable, after Dixon was made to fight from the back of the grid, after an incident from the first lap that threatened to take out teammate Alex Palou and championship leader Josef Newgarden.
Across 85 laps at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dixon fought his way back. After starting 15th on the grid, he made pass after pass, before pit strategy saw him take the lead on the 27th lap.
After two stops, Dixon hit the front again, when Rahal opted for fresh tyres on the 64th lap.
On faster tyres, Rahal did his best to try and pass the Kiwi on the final laps, but Dixon made his experience count on the final laps and withstood Rahal's attempts to get past on the straights.
Even as Rahal cut the gap to less than half a second on the final lap, Dixon had done enough to get home and claim the 54th IndyCar victory of his career.
The result moves Dixon one closer to American legend AJ Foyt, who achieved 67 wins in his storied career.
The win takes Dixon to second in the IndyCar championship, 101 points behind teammate Palou, who maintained his place atop the standings.
McLaughlin stays fourth, with one win and eight further top-five finishes for 371 points, 16 behind Dixon and 144 behind Palou.
