Motorsport: Scott Dixon finishes second in dramatic Indianapolis 500 finish

Kiwi IndyCar ace Scott Dixon has fallen short of his second Indianapolis 500 crown, after a late crash saw the race finish under a yellow flag on Monday (NZ time). 

Dixon, who led for 111 of the 200 laps, was second behind Japan's Takuma Sato over the closing stages, when American Spencer Pigot hit the wall and skidded into the barrier at the pit-lane entrance. 

Takuma Sato celebrates his win.
Takuma Sato celebrates his win. Photo credit: Getty

Officials chose not to red-flag the race after the wreck and Sato ran out the winner under yellow to secure his second Indy 500 crown, while Dixon settled his third bridesmaid finish in IndyCar's biggest race. 

"It's a hard one to swallow," he says. "It's hard when it slips away like that.

"We had the mindset and the fuel to get to the finish, but you hesitate and that's what happens. Sato drove his pants off today."

Despite the result, Dixon remains atop the IndyCar standings after six races, 49 points clear of Frenchman Simon Pagenaud.

Dixon won't have long to dwell on the result, as the IndyCars are back in action next weekend for a double-header at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Illinois.