Live updates: Scott Dixon seeks IndyCar title in final in St. Petersburg

Follow all the action below as Kiwi Scott Dixon seeks his sixth IndyCar title.

8.28 am: While everything looks good for Dixon, his racing strategist Mike Hull seemed quite nervous when interviewed. So close but so far from the series victory.

8.26am: Lap 44 of 100: Newgarden 4th, Dixon 9th. Cars under caution. Ferrucci’s car went off the track.

8.20 am: The race resumes after the yellow flag … Santino Ferrucci has crashed into a wall … joins Power to withdraw from the race.

8.15: Lap 38 of 100: Replay shows that Power had a good rub against the concrete …

8.14 am: Will Power out of the race … he seemed to be skimming the wall, he was causing the jam in midfield, so his departure should be a good one for Dixon. Aussie Power looks furious … from pole to early start.

8.12am: Lap 34 of 100: Leader Will Power in the pits, some trouble for Dixon. Newgarden has moved up to fifth place, Dixon has been stuck at 11th place. Newgarden has the opportunity Dixon was looking for, but still faces an uphill battle. Dixon trying to overtake.

8.08am: Lap 29 of 100: Dixon changes tires one lap after Newgarden, a good pit stop for the New Zealander. Commentators believe the tire situation now favors Dixon. Newgarden with faster red tires, but faster wear. Dixon over standard blacks.

8 am: Scott McLaughlin penultimate … it will be very interesting to hear what the supreme supercar felt about his first IndyCar race.

7.53am: Lap 18 of 100: Race within a race is still going very well for Scott Dixon, he is a couple of places and seconds behind Newgarden, both well behind leader Alexander Rossi. Dixon trying to emulate the feat of AJ Foyt, who scored his sixth title 45 years ago – Foyt won a seventh.

Scott Dixon on winning titles: “All championships are like kids … you love them all, but they are all so different.”

7.48 am: Round 12 of 100: Newgarden is eighth, Dixon is eleventh. Which is good for the New Zealander chasing his sixth title. Scott McLaughlin has changed the tires … it looks like he’s sharpening his learning curve.

7.42 am: Newgarden 8th, Dixon 11th, as they were at the beginning. Even if Newgarden wins, a 10th place will be enough for Dixon. But Dixon never won here. Power struggles at the front, opens at a hairpin and drops back to fourth place.

Starting leader Power struggles with the car, perhaps with braking, American Alexander Rossi leading, Honda teammates Herta and Hinchcliffe following.

Another Kiwi, Supercars star Scott McLaughlin, is in the pits, last.

7.35 am: The action begins … Will Power from pole position starts cleanly. Dixon hid behind Newgarden which is basically all he has to do for the entire race.

7.32 am: A hot day in Florida, and this is a very physically tough course. Dixon has a 32-point lead over American Josef Newgarden, neither of whom had a very good time in qualifying. Dixon 11, Newgarden 8.

There are 53 points at stake, Newgarden needs to finish in the top two. Extremely hot and humid.

7.28 am: A tale of two Scotts … Dixon aiming for his sixth title, McLaughlin wants to make an early mark in his new career. The race in Florida is about to start in front of the 20,000 restricted Covid-19 fans that are predicted.

Race preview

Qualifying didn’t go well for IndyCar series leader Scott Dixon in the final race of the season, but the big picture still looks good as the Kiwi chase a sixth title.

Kiwi Dixon qualified 11th, while Kiwi Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin was 21st in the field of 24, for this morning’s Firestone Grand Prix in Florida.

Most importantly, the man chasing Dixon, American Josef Newgarden, also had a bad qualifying day, finishing eighth.

It means that even if Newgarden wins the 100-lap race through the streets of St. Petersburg, Dixon will still claim the title if he finishes ninth or better.

Much attention will be paid to New Zealand star McLaughlin, who rushed to the United States to join IndyCar after claiming his third consecutive Supercars title in Australia.

Initially he was quick in practice but after falling back in qualifying he said: “I’m disappointed in myself, but it is what it is.

“I’m pushing and trying to find the limits in a fast forward movement. We will just go back and try tomorrow.”

Meanwhile, Dixon has seen a 117-point series lead shrink to 32, but he is the favorite to win the IndyCar title, and even more so after Newgarden lost an extra point from pole position.

“Josef started eighth … that definitely helps us a lot. If they’re not in the top three, we don’t have to do anything,” Dixon said.

Newgarden was frustrated with himself and with his car.

“It makes our program a little more difficult, but we are still going to try to win,” he said.

“We can win (the title), we just made it harder for ourselves.”

Australian Will Power won his 62nd pole position, five less than Mario Andretti’s record, for the 14th and final race of the season.

The 14-lap temporary route, which includes part of an airport runway, will have up to 20,000 spectators. They must wear masks and socially distance themselves, and their temperature will be monitored due to Covid-19.

The race was postponed and apparently canceled at the beginning of the year, and Dixon said that reaching the IndyCar finish line was a “great victory” during the pandemic.

“It’s been such a strange year, a year that I will definitely never forget, no one else will,” he said.

“There will be highlights to reflect on, like leaving Gasoline Alley on race day and not seeing anyone. A polarization of the normal.

“We have to be grateful for the situation we are in.”