The 2024 Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix had the makings of a classic and the race had plenty of internal plot points that would play a big role in the outcome of the race. But while the controversial Santino Ferrucci didn;t live up to his pre-race bluster, the environment was primed for Scott Dixon to emerge as the winner in the streets of Detroit.
Strategy powers Dixon to victory
Scott Dixon has always been considered to be a master strategist out on the track and his knack for long-term planning proved to be key in snatching victory once again. Dixon used a fuel-saving strategy from Lap 50 onward that not only allowed him to fend off late chargers, but to also make maximum use of every drop of gasoline.
“Obviously, we didn’t go that risky, but the team called it perfectly. We were on the right strategy. And we won, man. How cool is that?”
In addition to Dixon winning top spot, 2nd and 3rd place became the House of Marcus, with Marcus Ericsson powering up from fourth to get second place for Andretti Global while Marcus Armstrong helped Chip Ganassi racing secure third place. Kirk Kirkwood rounded ou the top four while Santino Ferrucci got 9th place.
Grand Prix devolves into demolition derby
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix is typically known for being an opportunity for fans to see highly skilled drivers compete in automotive chess. However, the first half of the race felt like watching a demolition derby at your local fairgrounds. Most of the drivers either hit the wall, each other, tire barriers and even pit equipment which kept track officials busy with eight caution flags and 47 laps of yellow flagged racing being required to formally complete the 100 lap race.
Will Power led off the parade of accidents with a spin off of the right front wheel of Theo Pourchaire while Turn 3 saw a pileup involving Santino Ferrucci, Pato O’Ward, Tristan Vautier, and Linus Lundqvist. The street circuit in downtown Detroit is a tight course in spots and some of the tight turns proved to be too much for some drivers especially in packed passing manuvers.
Some drivers that were questioned in the post race press confrence did mention that they would like to see the ashphalt in bumpier sections of the track rectified but stopped short of revealing whether they felt the track needed to be altered or not. That said, look for race officials to ponder the issue in future meetings with the frequency of the accidents in today’s race perhap prompting them to take a closer look at the track layout for other races moving forward.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.