Battistini started his No. 15 National Guard Delphi racecar in the fourth position, but quickly moved to the front battling for the lead on the first lap. Dillon took the lead on lap two and never relinquished it.
“I knew it was going to be hard to pass on this track. I knew there was a chance at getting (Matos) at the start, and I pulled that off and was able to hang on,” Battistini said of his lap one move. “I still had to fight off some really strong competition. Luckily, we were strong enough to stay in the lead and take the win.”
The win, Dillon’s fourth of the year, vaulted him up three spots in the championship standings into a tie for third with Arie Luyendyk, Jr., 57 points back of leader Richard Antinucci. Dillon has now won more races than any other driver in the series this season.
“It feels good to make up some ground in the standings after the last few races,” Battistini said. “We still have three races to make up points. We are due for a strong showing on a road course, and after that is another oval, so I feel good about our chances to make up some good points.”
The Firestone Indy Lights will be in action next in two weeks when they head to Infineon Raceway for the Carneros 100 and the Valley of the Moon 100 in Sonoma, California.
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