Motorsport: Scott Dixon third in IndyCar season opener

Scott Dixon has opened his defence of the IndyCar title with a third place in Alabama.

Dixon's new Chip Ganassi teammate Alex Palou of Spain claimed his first IndyCar victory, with Australian Will Power second.

Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, finished third. Photosport

Both Dixon and fellow Kiwi Scott McLaughlin avoided the first lap drama, when Josef Newgarden spun on the fifth corner taking a number of cars with him.

Supercars superstar McLaughlin, in just his second IndyCar race after a one-off appearance in 2020, qualified impressively on the third row, and jumped up to ninth place briefly after the crash.

But he slid back through the field to finish 14th.

Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Chevrolet during the warm ups for running of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Photosport

"I knew we had the best team and the best car," the 24-year-old Palou said after the race.

The top three held off the fast-finishing pole winner Pato O'Ward, the rising Mexican star.

McLaughlin finished five places ahead of fellow rookie Jimmie Johnson, the Nascar legend.