The Latest: Dixon out in Texas after tangling with Herta

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The Latest on the IndyCar race in Texas (all times local):

9:35 p.m.

Defending champion Scott Dixon is out of the IndyCar race in Texas after tangling with 19-year-old Colton Herta with about 20 laps remaining.

Herta tried to go underneath Dixon for a pass on the backstretch in a battle for second behind Josef Newgarden. Herta’s right front tire touched Dixon’s left rear tire, sending both spinning into the outside wall.

Dixon was trying to tie the track record with his fourth victory on the 1½-mile high speed oval. The crash with Herta was the third caution in the 248-lap race.

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8:50 p.m.

The IndyCar race in Texas finally had its first caution on Lap 135 after Zach Veach spun out on the backstretch.

Veach started to lose control entering the backstretch. He tried to keep the car going before finally losing the battle as the car spun out approaching Turn 3.

The Andretti Autosport driver was running in the middle of the pack before the spin that knocked him out of the race.

Ryan Hunter Reay was the leader, with defending Texas champion Scott Dixon running second. Dixon is trying to match the 1½-mile high speed oval’s record with his fourth victory.

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8:20 p.m.

Pole-sitter Takuma Sato has lost his lead at the IndyCar race in Texas because of a disastrous pit stop under a green flag.

Sato slid through his pit stall and upended one of his crew members as the car ended up in the next stall. Crew members had to pull the car back to their stall before changing tires and refueling.

After a stop-and-go penalty was assessed for hitting the crew member, Sato ended up four laps down once he got back on the 1½-mile high speed oval.

Ryan Hunter-Reay was the leader after the first round of pit stops. The first 90 laps were run without a caution. Defending Texas champion Scott Dixon was running second.

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Scott Dixon is starting on the front row at Texas, where he has the chance to match the track record for IndyCar Series victories.

Dixon is the defending race winner at the 1½-mile oval, where he has won three times. Helio Castroneves has won four IndyCar races at the track, his last in 2013.

Takuma Sato is the pole-sitter for Saturday night’s race. Sato and Dixon were the only drivers to qualify at more than 220 mph.

This will be Dixon’s 20th IndyCar race at Texas, where he has eight podium finishes. Castroneves has seven podium finishes in his 20 races at Texas.

Indianapolis 500 champion Simon Pagenaud was the runner-up to Dixon last June. Pagenaud has improved his standing each recent trip to Texas, finishing fourth in 2016, third in 2017 and second last year.

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