Dixon, a six-time IndyCar Series champion and 2008 Indy 500 winner, methodically moved forward after starting 21st and was leading after the final round of pit stops with less than 30 laps to go.
However, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden stormed by the No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, followed by the Arrow McLaren duo of Alexander Rossi and Pato O’Ward.
While Dixon was able to gain a position back by Rossi coming to the white flag, he was left watching Newgarden take the checkered flag ahead of O’Ward.
“Yeah, kind of, honestly, all we had,” said Dixon, who finished 0.9097s behind Newgarden.
The reality in what Dixon was up against stood out on the last restart of the race on lap 155 when he was leading the field to the green flag but was split by O’Ward and Rossi entering Turn 1.
“Went and made that restart from first position, and from the start-finish there was two of them past me already, and I knew it was going to be pretty tough,” Dixon said.
“Kudos to them for having the pace … The last shot there we were pretty much flat, man. Just staying in their tow and their wake, and honestly you kind of knew that I think we could run 218s (mph) out front and they were like 220s, and once they started cycling there were 222s and we were just trying to hang on there.
“They had much better pace than us today. Unfortunately, we just didn't have enough there at the end.”
And the result was especially satisfying after the struggles shown by Honda in qualifying, with rival manufacturer Chevrolet sweeping the Fast Six.
Dixon was the leading Honda finisher on Sunday. Reigning and two-time IndyCar Series champion Alex Palou, Dixon’s team-mate, and Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood were the only other representatives for the Japanese manufacturer in the top 10, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively.
“Yeah, it's nice,” Dixon said. “I think the biggest thing is when you get out of the car you're happy with what you did today. I think we gave it all, man. I think that's myself and the team. We were trying. They were definitely trying to pump me up at the end and I was telling them I'm going flat out here. I've got nothing left. I'm trying.
“Yeah, I think in that way the only bummer you can have is when you leave the track and you know you didn't give everything you had. I know we as a group left nothing on the table.”
