2006 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Race 13 of 14 in the 2006 IndyCar season
| |||
| Date | August 27, 2006 | ||
| Official name | Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma | ||
| Location | Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, California | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility 2.260 mi / 3.637 km | ||
| Distance | 80 laps 180.800 mi / 290.969 km | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Scott Dixon (Target Chip Ganassi Racing) | ||
| Time | 1:17.0344 | ||
| Fastest lap | |||
| Driver | Tony Kanaan (Andretti Green Racing) | ||
| Time | 1:18.6820 (on lap 43 of 80) | ||
| Podium | |||
| First | Marco Andretti (Andretti Green Racing) | ||
| Second | Dario Franchitti (Andretti Green Racing) | ||
| Third | Vítor Meira (Panther Racing) | ||
The 2006 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma was an IndyCar Series motor race held on August 27, 2006, in Sonoma, California at Infineon Raceway. It was the thirteenth round of the 2006 IndyCar Series and the second running of the event. Andretti Green Racing driver Marco Andretti won the 80-lap race. Andretti's teammate Dario Franchitti finished second and Vítor Meira of Panther Racing finished third.
Scott Dixon won the pole position by posting the fastest lap of qualifying. He led the first 28 laps before making a pit stop, giving the lead to teammate Dan Wheldon. Dixon reclaimed the lead after Wheldon made a stop ten laps later. Andretti, who adopted a fuel-saving strategy, made his final stop on lap 45 and took the lead six laps later as Dixon was hindered by a slow pit stop. Andretti led the final 30 laps and, with the assistance of a late caution, managed to conserve his fuel on his way to his first IndyCar victory. He had also became the youngest driver to win an American open-wheel car race, though his record was broken by Graham Rahal in 2008.
The final result gave Hélio Castroneves the first position in the Drivers' Championship once again, leading teammate Sam Hornish Jr. by one point. Wheldon, Dixon, and Meira remained third through fifth with one race left in the season.