Call it karma, justification, or simply an act of the IndyCar Gods to balance things out. After all of the bad luck that Scott Dixon suffered at Sonoma and Baltimore, he got even on Saturday in Houston. Dixon cruised through the downtown course and won the first race of this weekend’s Grand Prix double-header. As if winning weren’t sweet enough, championship leader Helio Castroneves finished in 18th position.

Castroneves had a 49 point lead entering today’s race. Dixon made up 41 points, leaving Helio with just an 8 point lead heading into tomorrow’s race. It was a collection of problems for Castroneves, who started the race in 21st position and never made it to the front.

Simona de Silvestro had an incredible race, and finished in runner up position. Justin Wilson joined them on the podium. Josef Newgarden had a solid day, finishing 5th, and the RLL team had a good day with their drivers finishing 6th and 7th respectively.  It was a strong run for Italian driver Luca Filippi, who finished 10th, driving for Bryan Herta’s team.

There were a few other drivers (besides Castroneves) that had a tough day on Saturday. James Hinchcliff stalled his car on the standing start, and was clipped by Ed Carpenter. His day was officially done before it even began. Takuma Sato won the pole for today’s race, but had to pit  in the first few laps because of a cut rear tire. He also lost his radio and crashed into the tire barrier. Ryan Hunter-Reay’s day (and chances at a championship repeat) ended with 32 laps remaining when they had an issue with the gearbox.

Teams must now regroup for tomorrow’s race, which will set up the season-ending race in Fontana on October 19. It will be a huge day for the championship contenders, who are still chasing Castroneves. It could also be a big day for Honda, who can win the 2013 Manufacturer’s Championship if one of their teams win tomorrow’s race. The Grand Prix of Houston (race 2) will start at 1 PM ET, and will air live on the NBC Sports Network.