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MAVTV American Real 500 Race Report

Circuit: Auto Club Speedway (2.0-mile oval). Fontana, CA 2012 Winner: Ed Carpenter (Ed Carpenter Racing Dallara Chevrolet) 168.939 mph average Weather: Clear, mild, 77 degrees F

Other Honda-powered Results:

Fn. St. Driver Team Engine - Chassis Laps Average Speed/Notes
1. 1. Will Power Team Penske Chevrolet Dallara 250 154.867 mph avg.; led 102 laps
2. 7. Ed Carpenter Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet Dallara 250 +1.4863 seconds; led 1 lap
3. 9. Tony Kanaan KV Racing Technology Chevrolet Dallara 250 Led 3 laps
4. 8. James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Chevrolet Dallara 250
5. 17. Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 250 Led 5 laps
6. 12. Helio Castroneves Team Penske Chevrolet Dallara 249 Running; led 27 laps
7. 6. Marco Andretti Andretti Autosport Chevrolet Dallara 248 Running; led 3 laps
8. 16. Simona De Silvestro KV Racing Technology Chevrolet Dallara 247 Running
9. 11 Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Chevrolet Dallara 242 Running; led 45 laps
10. 4. Charlie Kimball Andretti Autosport Honda Dallara 238 Did not finish-mechanical
11. 15. JR Hildebrand Barracuda Racing/BHA Honda Dallara 237 Did not finish-mechanical
13. 13. Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Hamilton Honda Dallara 217 Did not finish-mechanical
14. 21. Alex Tagliani Target Chip Ganassi Honda Dallara 209 Did not finish-crash; led 5 laps
15. 22. Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda Dallara 200 Did not finish-mechanical
17. 25. Takuma Sato A.J. Foyt Racing Honda Dallara 144 Did not finish-mechanical
18. 18. Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 110 Did not finish-crash
20. 20. Josef Newgarden Sarah Fisher Hartman Honda Dallara 110 Did not finish-crash
21. 23. Tristan Vautier-R Schmidt Peterson Honda Dallara 110 Did not finish-crash
22. 5. James Jakes Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda Dallara 110 Did not finish-crash
25. 19. Pippa Mann Dale Coyne Racing Honda Dallara 68 Did not finish-crash

Dixon Survives Race of Attrition To Claim Indy Crown

On a night where crashes and mechanical failures claimed more than half of the 25-car starting field, Scott Dixon did exactly what was needed to claim his third career IZOD IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship, as the Honda-powered driver finished fifth in Saturday night's MAVTV American Real 500 to claim the title over rival Helio Castroneves.

Dixon came to the 19th and final race of the 2013 season with a 25-point lead over Castroneves, including a series-leading four wins this year. A finish of fifth or better would have secured the title for Dixon, but he worked his Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda to the front of the field, and battled for the lead for much of the night, until backing off in the final laps due to rising engine temperatures as Will Power went on to claim the victory.

Overheating issues affected several cars, as sand and debris affected both Honda and Chevrolet-powered entries and resulted in several retirements during the course of the 500-mile contest. A multi-car crash on Lap 110 eliminated five more cars, including four Hondas, and resulted in Dale Coyne Racing driver Justin Wilson being transported to a local hospital for further examination of a possible hip injury.

Despite the attrition, the race was fiercely contested, with 11 different drivers leading one or more laps, including Mid-Ohio race winner Charlie Kimball, who led three times for a total of 22 laps, and appeared to be in contention for the victory until a late-race mechanical problem sent him to the pits. Kimball still was scored 10th, despite dropping out of the contest with 12 laps remaining.

Stepping in for the injured Dario Franchitti, veteran Honda driver Alex Tagliani also ran near the front of the field for much of the night, and led five laps before spinning and making light contact with the wall to end his race on lap 209.

Driving for Bryan Herta Autosport, JR Hildebrand appeared headed for at least a second-place finish in the closing laps, as he ran in lock-step behind fellow Honda driver Kimball until he, too, was felled by debris-related overheating issues with just 13 laps remaining.

Tonight's race concludes the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series with Chevrolet winning the Manufacturers' Championship and Honda-powered Scott Dixon claiming his third drivers' title. Dixon's other titles came in 2003 and 2008. Honda-powered Tristan Vautier also claimed series Rookie of the Year honors.

Final IZOD IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship (after 19 of 19 rounds):

1. Scott Dixon 577 (4 wins) 6. Justin Wilson 472
2. Helio Castroneves 550 (1 win) 7. Ryan Hunter-Reay 469 (2 wins)
3. Simon Pagenaud 508 (2 wins) 8. James Hinchcliffe 449 (3 wins)
4. Will Power 498 (3 wins) 9. Charlie Kimball 429 (1 win)
5. Marco Andretti 484 10. Dario Franchitti 418

Manufacturers' Championship:

1. Chevrolet 144 (10 wins)
2. Honda 141 (9 wins)

Scott Dixon (#9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Dallara) started 2nd, finished 5th, wins the 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship: "It was a crazy race. We started well back and had to work on the car a fair bit in the early stages of the race to make it better. Just a huge credit to the team, the changes we made all worked and the car was quite quick, until we had an issue with some overheating towards the end. I still can't believe we won the championship. Mid-year, I did not think we had a chance of doing this, but it all turned around at Pocono [where Dixon scored Honda's 200th Indy car victory]. We dug deep and Honda stepped up, and together we made it happen."

Charlie Kimball (#83 Novo Nordisk Chip Ganassi Racing Honda Dallara) started 4th, finished 10th: "First of all, major congratulations to Scott [Dixon] for winning the championship and to the Chip Ganassi Racing organization as a whole. The goal tonight was for Scott to clinch the title in the #9 car and we were able to do that. We were able to run up front and prove that our #83 car was quick, too. It was unfortunate to have a mechanical failure that close to the end. We had a good restart, the car was getting better and better, and we were in good shape for the end of the race. Overall, we're looking forward to the 2014 season and what the future holds."

Art St. Cyr (President, Honda Performance Development) on tonight's race and the 2013 IndyCar Series season: "It was an exciting end to an exciting season that saw us win our 200th Indy car race, but somewhat bittersweet, as well. Congratulations to Scott [Dixon] on his third drivers' championship, and Honda's 15th Indy car drivers' title. Congratulations to all of our Honda and HPD associates for their incredible work throughout the season. We're already looking forward to the start of the 2014 season, which for all of us begins tomorrow."

For photos from today's race, go to: http://broadcast.sportssystems.com/hosting/display.cfm?key=101703