Strategy and a controversial non-call from Race Control for the Verizon IndyCar Series defined the 2016 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. Target Chip Ganassi’s Scott Dixon started on the front row and made a brilliant move to dive to pit lane while in traffic to come out as the expected leader late in the race only to have a pit exit violation call ruin the outcome of the event.

The latest edition of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach as a fast caution-free race filled with furious on-track battles, dueling pit strategies, and a controversial rule decision that likely changed the outcome of the entire event. For the majority of the early-goings, the battle was between Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves and Target Chip Ganassi’s Scott Dixon. Defending champion Dixon appeared to get the upper-hand by stretching his first stint a lap longer and then improving his track position in the pits while Castroneves was stuck behind lapped traffic.

Dixon appeared to have the race in hand during the final round of pit stops, but Team Penske’s Simon Pagenaud was able to slip out of the pits and slide in front of the Target machine to take the lead. The problem was the blend line at pit exit. The rule states the two outside tires must not cross the blend line as the car enters traffic. On the television replay, it appeared that that Pagenaud’s right-side tires crossed the line as he re-entered the racing line and got in front of Dixon. IndyCar’s Race Control took several laps to review the incident and ultimately issued a warning (by rule the minimum penalty) to Pagenaud.

Thanks to the quick work in the pits and the fortunate no-call from Race Control, Pagenaud was able to pick up his first win for Team Penske after going winless in his first season with Penske last year. Pagenaud will also hold the distinction of winning the fastest-ever Long Beach race. The field’s average speed was over 100mph for the first time in the event’s history.

Beyond the drama at the front, the race also featured tough battles between teammates, rivals, and engine builders. The final lap may be the most illustrative proof of the disparity between the Chevrolet and Honda engines. Two Honda drivers, Takuma Sato and James Hinchcliffe, each had boost left but neither could muster a meaningful attack on the Chevrolet-powered cars ahead of them.

It is clear that the Verizon IndyCar Series has a competition conundrum from both an engine performance standpoint and a rule enforcement standpoint. Honda has work to do to close the gap to the Chevrolet-powered teams and the series needs to prove its steward system in Race Control has teeth to force teams to follow the rules. Warnings mean nothing. Action must be taken when rules are violated.

Here are the full results from the 2016 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach:

Simon Pagenaud, Chevrolet, Team Penske Scott Dixon, Chevrolet, Target Chip Ganassi Helio Castroneves, Chevrolet, Team Penske Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, Team Penske Takuma Sato, Honda, AJ Foyt Racing Tony Kanaan, Chevrolet, NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Will Power, Chevrolet, Team Penske James Hinchcliffe, Honda, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Sebastien Bourdais, Chevrolet, KV Racing Technology Josef Newgarden, Chevrolet, Ed Carpenter Racing Charlie Kimball, Chevrolet, Tresiba Chip Ganassi Racing Carlos Munoz, Honda, Andretti Autosport Conor Daly, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing Max Chilton, Honda, Gallagher Chip Ganassi Racing Graham Rahal, Honda, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Mikhail Aleshin, Honda, Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Luca Filippi, Honda, Dale Coyne Racing Ryan Hunter-Reay, Honda, Andretti Autosport Marco Andretti, Honda, Andretti Autosport Alexander Rossi, Honda, Andretti Autosport Jack Hawksworth, Honda, AJ Foyt Racing

By virtue of his win at Long Beach and his previous podium finishes, Pagenaud takes the championship points lead into the next race. He’s being chased by Dixon, Montoya, Castroneves, and Kanaan. There are only three Hondas currently in the Top Ten of the point standings. Takuma Sato is currently in sixth, Ryan Hunter-Reay sits in seventh, and Graham Rahal is clinging to the ninth position.

The next race for the Verizon IndyCar Series is the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. The race is slated for 3:00pm ET on Sunday, April 24. It is scheduled to air on the NBC Sports Network.