Simon Pagenaud makes incredible late pass to win IndyCar Grand Prix

INDIANAPOLIS — Simon Pagenaud spoiled Scott Dixon's near perfect day with an exciting pass on the second-to-last lap in the final turns. Pagenaud fought his way through the field when the rains came to start off his Month of May with his third career IndyCar Grand Prix victory. The victory also gives team owner Roger Penske his fifth win in the six runnings of this event. 

On the podium: Dixon had it all but won with two laps to go when Pagenaud passed Dixon to claim the top spot. Dixon had led 39 laps after starting second. "I just pushed a little too much," said Dixon after the race. This is Dixon's third straight second place finish in the IndyCar Grand Prix. 

Jack Harvey scored his first career podium finish to follow up his best career starting position, taking third. Even after being passed late in the race by Simon Pagenaud, there was no raining on the excellent day Harvey and Meyer-Shank Racing experienced. 

Unforgettable: Jack Harvey proved that his qualifying speed was no fluke. Harvey ran up towards the front all day and challenged veterans like Dixon and Pagenaud for top positions late in the race. 

Harvey was impressive all day, staying in the top 5 for most of the race. He raced wheel to wheel with veterans with decades more experience. This wasn't new territory for Harvey either as he won on the road course when he was in Indy Lights in 2015. 

Harvey made some incredible moves on restarts to keep him in contention for the win. To make things even more impressive for the 26-year-old Brit, his car owner Michael Shank said that Harvey had never before raced in the rain. 

That was AWESOME #IndyCar #IndyCarGP https://t.co/H94I3XVatH

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Matt Archuleta (@indy44) May 11, 2019

Drive another day: After a career-best ninth-place start, Marcus Ericsson's bad luck continued Saturday. On lap 11, Ericsson lost control of his car coming out of the final corner and slammed the outside wall, damaging his suspension and ending his first IndyCar Grand Prix early. 

Ericsson’s maiden IndyCar season held lots of promise, but so far this year he only has one top-10 finish. Ericsson finished seventh at Barber last month, but has yet to post another finish higher than 15th.

“The car had some oversteer and then it snapped to understeer and I just lost it,” Ericsson said after his retirement.

The Indianapolis 500 in two weeks will not only be Ericsson's first attempt at the famed race, but also his first oval start in IndyCar. 

We're under yellow after @Ericsson_Marcus hit the wall coming out of Turn 14 👀😳 #INDYCARGP // @IndyCaronNBC https://t.co/uHswy6LneN

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NTT IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 11, 2019

Ericsson was not the only Swedish IndyCar newcomer to struggle. Pole-sitter Felix Rosenqvist had two fires on pit road that affected his day negatively. Rosenqvist was able to lead 15 laps early in the race, but once he was passed by teammate Scott Dixon, it seemed like his day began to falter. 

That was intense 🔥😳 #INDYCARGP // #ThisIsMay https://t.co/meiAAlWT7x

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NTT IndyCar Series (@IndyCar) May 11, 2019

Quote of the weekend: “The weather is going to be pretty mixed up, so that always makes for a mixed-up race” – Will Power, providing prophetic on a rainy IndyCar Grand Prix.

Championship update: Heading into the final lap of the race, Scott Dixon was in position to take the points lead over Josef Newgarden and Alexander Rossi. However, when Pagenaud passed Dixon for the win, Newgarden kept his points lead heading into the Indianapolis 500. Dixon now slots himself into second in the points standings while Long Beach winner Rossi falls to third after finishing 22nd on Saturday.