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](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/GAF37OX4W26L7IX5BLK7L4OOWU.jpg?auth=fd305f96ea11f8e696f233bf122f4d6a72109a6e5df5844fc2791f8ce1a98352&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
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.