Dixon captures third career IndyCar crown

New Zealand's Scott Dixon finished fifth in the season-ending race at the Auto Club Speedway to claim his third IndyCar Series championship. Dixon, who competes for Chip Ganassi racing, ended the season with a 27-point margin over points runner-up Helio Castroneves. The Brazilian finished one spot behind Dixon in sixth in Saturday's event. "I did not think we had a chance at doing this, sitting in victory lane," said Dixon, of Auckland. "For all the ups and downs we had this year, I got to thank everybody on the team for sticking in there and making a comeback that I never thought was possible." Castroneves suffered a broken front wing with 30 laps remaining. Australia's Will Power finished first Saturday to post his third win of the season in a race that saw just nine drivers complete the 500 mile distance. Dixon dealt with an overheating engine late in the race. He was the last driver to finish on the lead lap. The 33-year-old Dixon's previous Indy Car overall titles came in 2003 and 2008. Power claimed his 20th career IndyCar win, but just his second on an oval course. His first oval win was in 2011 at Texas. He also won the second race in Houston earlier this month. Last year in Fontana, Power lost the series title by just three points to Ryan Hunter-Reay when the Aussie placed 24th because of a early race crash. Ed Carpenter, the 2012 race winner at this track, finished second, while Tony Kanaan took the third spot in his final race with KV Racing Technology. Kanaan, who won the Indy 500 in May, is moving to Ganassi for the 2014 season. James Hinchcliffe placed fourth. Power's win help give Chevrolet its second straight manufacturers' championship. Source: AFP