Dixon hit with six-place grid penalty for Toronto

Scott Dixon will start Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto with a six-spot grid penalty applied to his qualifying position after an unapproved engine change was performed following last weekend’s Iowa Speedway doubleheader.

The six-time IndyCar Series champion’s luck with engines has been nothing less than miserable this year after losing his first of four approved motors within two laps of action at the final pre-season test. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver arrived at the opening race with his second approved engine inserted in the No. 9 Honda, went through the third and fourth in May, and received his first six-position grid penalty for the June 1 race at Detroit when a fifth engine was installed.

With his sixth Honda motor in the car for Toronto and four more races left to run after the 90-lap contest in Canada, Dixon could be in store for one more change and penalty before the season reaches its conclusion. Per IndyCar, an entry that exceeds the four-engines-per-season rule is eliminated from contributing points to the manufacturers’ championship, which means Dixon has not added to Honda’s handy lead over Chevrolet since Detroit.