The NTT IndyCar Series headed to Road America in Plymouth, WI, for race one of a doubleheader weekend for the Rev Group Grand Prix. Scott Dixon was looking to make it three in a row in the 2020 season. Josef Newgarden was the pole sitter, and next to him was Jack Harvey.
Chaos erupted on the first lap as everyone was scrambling for positions. Three cars went in the grass at turn 14, including both Marco Andretti and Alexander Rossi, as they hit the Rev Groups sign. Zach Veach also went off in the grass in turn 14. Both Rossie and Andretti came to pit road to remove the signs from their cars.
Newgarden continued to stretch his lead as he was up 1.052 seconds on Ryan Hunter-Reay. Marco Andretti’s trouble would continue as he had to come back to pit road to serve a drive-through penalty for speeding. On the eleventh lap, Santino Ferrucci battled Ryan Hunter-Reay for the third position and took it at turn five. Meanwhile, Josef Newgarden continued to lead until Newgarden pitted on lap 13.
This left Graham Rahal, the new leader. Rahal led a couple of laps before pitting, and Newgarden resumed the lead. Once Newgarden resumed the lead, he was in complete control and had an eight-second lead before making his second scheduled pit stop on lap 27, and this made the new leader Marcus Ericsson. Newgarden had trouble on pit road when he stalled his car before heading back out.
Ericsson would lead a couple of laps before making his scheduled pit stop at lap 29. The new leader was Will Power, and right behind him was Scott Dixon. Dixon was patiently catching Power with the draft as Power continued to lead until the first caution came out at lap 38 when Jack Harvey went off of turn three and into the gravel trap.
Under the caution, the leaders came to pit road, and Scott Dixon got ahead of Power and was the new leader with 15 laps to go in the race. Problems continued for Marco Andretti as his car stopped on the track. Crews got Andretti’s car off the track as his day done due to mechanical issues.
Dixon led the field back to green on lap 41. During the restart, the second caution would come out on the same lap as Pato O’Ward and Connor Daly were battling for the eleventh position when O’Ward made contact with Daly at turn seven. Daly slammed the tire wall hard. Daly told his crew chief that he hurt his shoulder but managed to get out his car.
The race resumed with 11 laps to go with Dixon in the lead, followed by Will Power in second. During the restart, the number 14 car of Dalton Kellett went off of the track in turn 14 and landed in the gravel trap to bring out the third caution of the race. The race got back underway with eight laps to go.
Dixon held off Will Power and began to pull away from the rest of the field. Power was doing all he could do to catch Dixon. Dixon would go on to win race one of the Rev Group Grand Prix by 2.5386 seconds over the second-place finisher Will Power. Dixon has now won three straight races to start the 2020 season.
The rest of the top ten finishers were Alex Palou third, Ryan Hunter-Reay fourth, Colton Herta fifth, Santino Ferrucci sixth, Graham Rahal seventh, Pato O’Ward eighth, Takuma Sato ninth, and Marcus Ericsson tenth. Race two of the Rev Grand Prix from Road America will take place Sunday at noon on NBC.
