Alexander Rossi Takes Checkered Flag at Mid-Ohio – Dixon Finishes 5th

By Noan Gagnon
— July 29, 2018
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Alexander Rossi posing with his team after winning at Mid-Ohio on Sunday

While most eyes were on Scott Dixon, the series leader, the bosses at Andretti Autosport and Alexander Rossi said they were not worried. With 13 starts at Mid-Ohio, Dixon has won five, but the focus was on the job ahead – not Dixon, and that focus paid off as Rossi crossed the finish line in first to take the win.

That focus also saw Rossi earning the pole position on Saturday, well ahead of Dixon who qualified ninth. Today’s victory puts Alexander Rossi within reach of the championship, but with Dixon finishing fifth, and earning points, the gap might be hard to close if Dixon continues to have top 10 finishes.

Both way, it is a tight race, and for fans and IndyCar punters, it is a race that will be an exciting one. Sports betting sites that offer action on IndyCar will be watching closely as they set the odds for the next stop in the series at Pocono Grand Prix in Long Pond, Pennsylvania. For punters, there are few better sports betting sites than bet365, and with weekly promotions and a generous welcome bonus up for available, now is a ripe time to get your bets in before it is too late.

Today’s win was the second of the season for Rossi, and fourth in his career. Robert Wickens took second and continues to chase his first win in the series. However, with four podium finishes this season, and seven top-five finishes in his rookie year, Wickens is sitting in sixth place behind Ryan Hunter-Reay and ahead of Simon Pagenaud and having a great season.

IndyCar

Will Power managed to finish third and earned a place on the podium. This season has been a year that has seen Power failing to finish more races than he completed. After ten seasons in IndyCar, he has yet to win at Mid-Ohio.

Sebastien Bourdais, one of the best in the series, used fresh tires and his superior driving skills to advance through the pack to earn a finish sixth. After a blistering lap 14 and 15, Bourdais passed Tony Kanaan, Spencer Pigot and Takuma Sato that was a highlight of the racing action in Ohio on Sunday.

Thanks for all the messages and to my team @vsindycar @SealMasterNet @DaleCoyneRacing @HondaRacing_HPD @FirestoneRacing Glad you all enjoyed the show. 4 races left and we'll sure try to win before the end!

— Sébastien Bourdais (@BourdaisOnTrack) July 30, 2018

Unfortunately, during Saturday’s qualifying, he spun out, and that saw the four-time series winner was put to the back on the grid. While he may not have had a podium finish, his race was one of the most successful of the day after recording twenty passes in his pursuit to chase the leaders.

Rossi is now 46 points behind Dixon, and just behind Rossi is Josef Newgarden. He is now sixty points behind Dixon, and with four races remaining, a few mishaps could change the championship leaderboard.

Noan Gagnon

Sports Writer

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I write about North American sports for Betting.ca, with a particular interest in hockey and golf. Growing up around both, it felt natural to keep following them, and eventually start writing about them too. My style leans conversational; I like explaining what’s happening in a game and why it matters for bettors or fans watching...