Dixon wins IndyCar title

New Zealand's Scott Dixon has claimed his second consecutive IndyCar Championship after finishing second in the Peak 300 to rival Helio Castroneves by 0.0010 of a second at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois.

Dixon and Castroneves crossed the line side-by-side in photo finish with Australia's Ryan Briscoe just behind and Tony Kanaan finish in fourth.

Dixon needed to finish in the top eight in the race to secure the championship, a feat apparently made easier when Castroneves was forced to start from last in the grid after the time he set in qualifying (which would have seen him start from the second row) was disallowed as he was found to have run under the white line.

However the Brazilian, driving for Team Penske, made a tremendous comeback and managed to pip Dixon at the finish line by a few centimetres.

Dixon's fate at one stage looked doubtful and he slipped back to tenth place before managing to move through the field after an excellent pit stop.

Dixon's second place saw him capture the championship after finishing on 646 points, edging out Castroneves who needed to either win or to come second in the race and rely on Dixon to finish outside the top eight.