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Dan Peters
Sports Editor
Suburban
Journals of Chicago Inc.
Oak Park Journal
Forest Park Journal
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Scott Dixon in the Lead.... Wins
in a Well Run
Race.
© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
by Dan Peters
DIXON
NEARLY PERFECT.. WINS WILD INDIANAPOLIS 500
by Dan
Peters
Scott Dixon capped a nearly perfect month of May at the Indianapolis
Motor Speedway with the biggest win of his career – the 92nd
Indianapolis 500 … The greatest spectacle in racing.The weather was
nearly perfect for this year’s race, just like Dixon.
Early in May, Scott Dixon recorded the fastest practice lap. On Pole
Day, he posted the best four-lap qualifying average, and on Race Day,
he led 115 of 200 laps, including the final 29, to take the victory.
You can’t do much better than that.
“What a day, man,” said Dixon, who took over the IndyCar Series
points lead. “I just couldn’t believe it. You just thought something
was going to go wrong. I’ve got to thank my wife, for sure. She’s put
up with my moods. What a day. We seemed to have a good car. We just had
to hold on to it and stay ahead of those guys on restarts. You’re just
a sitting duck. There were so many yellows. It was so hard to get into
a rhythm.
“I was trying to save fuel, and I was trying to see how the car
was in traffic. We were trying to work on it the whole time. I think we
had a little too much drag in it. But coming toward the end, as long as
we got a good jump on those guys, I don’t think anyone was going to get
past us. The Target guys did a fantastic job.”
Scott Dixon was exhilarated and screaming. He also felt alone, dazed by
winning the Indianapolis 500.
A day after the biggest victory of his life, he took a more leisurely
spin around Indy. He rode slowly around the 2 1/2 -mile oval on a white
speedway bus, surrounded by microphones, notepads and cameras.
And Monday night, he received a check for almost $3 million, a record
prize from the richest purse in open-wheel racing history.
“I don’t normally yell too often,” he recalled. “But I was definitely
yelling and I had a few four-letter words in there as well to the team.
Winning here, it’s like nothing else.
“I keep saying to people that’s the funniest part of it because all
you’re wanting to do is get back to the pits and enjoy it with
everybody else. You feel so alone out there on that (cool-down) lap,
and all you can do is talk to them on the radio.”
He’ll have plenty to talk about now.
The winner’s share of $2,988,065, announced at the annual victory
dinner at the track Monday night, broke the record of $1,761,740 for
Buddy Rice’s win in 2004. The total purse was $14,406,580, topping the
$10,668,815 set last year. The only richer prize package in auto racing
is for NASCAR’s Daytona 500 at about $18 million.
Dixon’s main competition early in the race was his Ganassi Racing
teammate Dan Wheldon. Wheldon, the 2005 Indianapolis 500 winner
started in the middle of the front row, passed Dixon for the lead three
times. Together, the Ganassi cars led 145 laps.
After Wheldon’s car started handling poorly in the middle of the race,
Dixon’s stiffest competition came from Marco Andretti and later from
Vitor Meira.
Nobody gave Meira a chance… “Nobody but me and the Delphi National
Guard crew. We really, really prepared the car, and everything was
according to plan. But things didn’t really happen our way. We finished
second, but you know what, this is a very good result compared to the
struggle we had last year and at the beginning of this season.
Definitely, Panther Racing is back, and the big three better watch out.”
Team players?. Marco Andretti made a bold move that caused team mate
Tony Kanaan to lose control and collect Sarah Fisher in turn 3 near the
mid point of the race.
“In hindsight, it’s easy to point out mistakes in the race. I think as
a team, we did an awesome job. I think the whole month, the Indiana
Jones car was one of the ones to beat the whole month. It was a team
decision to do what we did, but we missed. We messed up as a team. We
finished third, got good points, let’s move on.” (Are you referring to
decision to trim rear wing on last stop?): “Yeah, copy. That’s the
thing: It’s easier said than done afterward. It’s a team decision. If
you mess up, you mess up. We got good points. What are you going to
do?” He failed to comment on the on track incident that caused
the Kanaan crash.
Marco Andretti took home $782,065, also a record for third place. Ryan
Hunter-Reay, who finished sixth, received $328,065, including a $25,000
award as rookie of the year.
Andretti, who finished second as a rookie in 2006, led twice for 15
laps, and Meira took the lead on Lap 160 following a restart when he
sliced between Dixon and Ed Carpenter heading into Turn 1.
Vitor Meira led 11 laps before Dixon regained the lead for good on Lap
172. Meira finished second, tying his 2005 Indianapolis 500 finish,
while Andretti finished third.
Helio Castroneves, a two-time winner of the race, was fourth, and
Carpenter was fifth.
“Well, fourth place, definitely not what we expected. We tried
everything we could. We had a little issue with the debris. I was
trying to avoid a slow car; I slammed on the brakes instead of hitting
him. I pulled away and a piece of the debris hit my front wing so we
had to stop to change that. The team, let me tell you, wow, what a
team. I can’t thank enough, Team Penske. What a great strategy. Tim
Cindric and all my guys, led by Rick Rinaman, they were fantastic. We
were patient. Unfortunately, overall, it was very difficult to pass. We
were just trying to keep gaining spots. Wow, what an incredible team. I
am extremely honored to be part of it. Now, let’s think about the
championship. Scott did an excellent job. Ganassi seems to be the
favorite team right now, but, hey, the championship is still a long way
and we ’re going to continue working hard.” (About racing at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway) “This race is amazing. This place is
magic. I remember Cindric on the radio, saying, ‘Come on, man, we have
work to do.’ I’m like: ‘What do you mean, buddy? Patience! I have to be
patient so you have to be patient.’ This place is amazing. I have to
thank the fans for the support and the warm welcome again. To be here
again and finish in the top five for me is great, so thank you
everyone.”
The enduring image from the 2008 Indy 500 most likely will be that of
the 5-foot-1, 100-pound Patrick stomping toward Briscoe’s pit stall,
ripping off her gloves, looking for a fight.
“It’s probably a better idea that I didn’t make it all the way down
there anyway,” she said. “Because, well, as you guys know, I’m a little
emotional.”
Danica Patrick and Ryan Briscoe won’t be going to dinner together
anytime soon after an incident on pit row which took them both out of
the race. Patrick was so hot, she strutted down the pit lane to
confront Briscoe, but was finally brisked away by head of
security and officials. She failed to make a comment at the time, but
Briscoe spoke his side of the incident. "It's a real shame. I
just saw the replay, and it confirmed my thoughts. We were both out
there trying to win the Indy 500 today, and when it's time to go, we
have to go. But from what I can see, there was still plenty of room on
the right side for her to get around and there are people pointing
fingers, but that's not the way we are. We both have a brake pedal in
our cars, and from what I can tell, there was still plenty of room for
her to get around me. I was trying to get around Wheldon, and I was
staying in the middle lane. I got ran up in the back, and it's a shame."
Patrick started fifth and never ran above sixth once the race began.
She complained repeatedly to her team about a slow car.
Later after Patrick cooled down she spoke of the incident. "I was going
down pit lane, and as people pull out of their pit boxes if you are in
the outside lane, then they have to wait to blend in. From what I know,
it looked like it was pretty obvious what happened. What are you going
to do? The guys worked so hard today. We worked so hard on the car all
month. Unfortunately, we didn't get to show for it in the end. Congrats
to (Scott) Dixon. He was strong all month and he deserves it." (About
what she would like to tell Ryan Briscoe): "It is probably best I
didn't get down there anyway, isn't it?" (About her day): "The
unfortunate thing is we worked our butts off all month. We were
creeping forward slowly, but surely. After the little mishap in the
pits early and struggling with the car, but from what I can tell it
seemed like it was relatively obvious what happened. You just don't
come out of you r pit box and swing three lanes out. That's why there
is a 'get up to speed' lane and an 'at speed' lane. I was at speed."
(About what she wants to say to Ryan Briscoe): "We will see if he can
find me first."
Milka Duno was the highest finishing woman at the race. "For my second
time at the Indianapolis 500, I am excited to have finished this
classic race. Throughout the race, we were in good contention and made
routine pit stops and tire changes. It was during Lap 168 that the No.
91 car (Buddy Lazier) essentially forced me to go on the apron. His
tire made contact with my front wing and tires. I was able to control
the spin, and no major damage was done to the car. The CITGO car was
brought back to the garage, and I took off running through the pits to
meet the team. The guys did a tremendous job to getting the car back
out. Their efforts allowed us to gain two positions back on the track
to finish 19th."
There were six crashes during the race involving seven drivers. None
were injured.
92nd Indianapolis 500
INDIANAPOLIS - Results Sunday of the 92nd Indianapolis 500 IndyCar
Series event May 25 at the 2.5-mile Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with
order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver,
chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
2. (8) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
3. (7) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
4. (4) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
5. (10) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
6. (20) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
7. (9) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
8. (17) Buddy Rice, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
9. (14) Darren Manning, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
10. (12) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
11. (25) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
12. (2) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
13. (23) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
14. (18) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
15. (29) Enrique Bernoldi, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
16. (21) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
17. (32) Buddy Lazier, Dallara-Honda, 195, Running
18. (28) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 194, Running
19. (27) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 185, Running
20. (15) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 184, Running
21. (31) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Honda, 180, Running
22. (5) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 171, Contact
23. (3) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 171, Contact
24. (11) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 156, Mechanical
25. (19) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 151, Contact
26. (26) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 139, Mechanical
27. (16) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 132, Contact
28. (24) Jeff Simmons, Dallara-Honda, 112, Contact
29. (6) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 105, Contact
30. (22) Sarah Fisher, Dallara-Honda, 103, Contact
31. (30) Jaime Camara, Dallara-Honda, 79, Contact
32. (33) Marty Roth, Dallara-Honda, 59, Contact
33. (13) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 36, Contact
Race Statistics
Winner's average speed: 143.567 mph
Time of race: 3:28:57.6792
Margin of victory: 1.7498 seconds
Cautions: 8 caution flags for 69 laps
Lead changes: 18 among 9 drivers
Lap leaders: Dixon 1-2, Wheldon 3-9,
Junqueira 10-11, Rice 12-
19, Wheldon 20-35, Dixon 36-74, Wheldon 75-79, Dixon 80-91,
Wheldon 92-93, Kanaan 94-105, Dixon 106-121, Andretti 122-135,
Moraes 136-138, Andretti 139, Dixon 140-155, Carpenter 156-
158, Dixon 159, Meira 160-171, Dixon 172-200.
Point standings: Dixon 191, Castroneves 176, Wheldon 153,
Kanaan 139, Andretti 130, Patrick 122, Carpenter 120, Power
114, Mutoh 113, Servia 112.
INDIANAPOLIS 500 POST-RACE NOTES:
* Scott Dixon wins the Indianapolis 500 for the
first time in his sixth start. This is Dixon’s 12th career victory in
the IndyCar Series and his second this season. He also won at
Homestead-Miami Speedway.
* This is the third Indianapolis 500 victory for
Chip Ganassi. He is tied with Mike Boyle, Leader Card (Bob Wilkie) and
Pat Patrick for the third-most ‘500’ wins in history. Roger Penske has
14, and Lou Moore has five. Ganassi won in 2000 with Juan Pablo Montoya
and was co-owner with Pat Patrick of the 1989 winner driven by Emerson
Fittipaldi.
* This is the fourth time car #9 has won the
Indianapolis 500. The last time was 2000 with Chip Ganassi driver Juan
Pablo Montoya.
* Dixon is the first native of New Zealand to win
the Indianapolis 500.
* Dixon led 115 laps, the most laps led by a race
winner since Juan Pablo Montoya led 167 laps in 2000. Dan Wheldon led
148 laps in 2006 but finished fourth.
* Vitor Meira finished second in the ‘500’ for the
second time in his career. He also finished second in 2005. Meira has
five top-10 finishes in six Indy starts.
* Marco Andretti finished third, his second
top-three finish in three starts. He finished second as a rookie in
2006.
* Helio Castroneves finished fourth, his seventh
top-10 finish in eight starts.
* Ed Carpenter finished fifth, his best finish in
the Indianapolis 500 and his third career fifth-place finish.
Carpenter’s best ‘500’ finish was 11th in 2005 and 2006. Carpenter has
fifth-place finishes at Homestead-Miami earlier this season and at
Chicagoland in 2006.
* Ryan Hunter-Reay finished sixth, tying his
career-best finish recorded at Michigan last year. He is
highest-finishing rookie.
* Hideki Mutoh, the American Dairy Association
Fastest Rookie, finished seventh, his third top-10 finish of the season.
* 2004 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Rice finished
eighth. It’s his only top-10 finish other than his victory. Rice also
has finished 11th in 2003 and 25th in 2006 and 2007.
* Darren Manning finished ninth, his best
Indianapolis 500 finish in four starts. His previous best finish was
20th last year.
* Townsend Bell finished 10th in his second start in
the Indianapolis 500. He finished 22nd in 2006.
* 1996 Indianapolis 500 winner Buddy Lazier improved
15 positions during the race, the most of any driver. He finished 17th
after starting 32nd.
* Dixon won from the pole position. This is the 19th
time the winning car has started from the pole position.
* Dixon takes over the IndyCar Series points lead
from Castroneves. Dixon also led the standings following his
season-opening victory at Homestead-Miami. Castroneves had been the
leader since winning at St. Petersburg, the second race of the season.
* Fifteen cars finished on the lead lap. The record
for most cars finishing on the lead lap is 16 in 1959. The 1931 and
1962 Indianapolis 500 races also had 15 cars finish on the lead lap.
* Nine drivers led laps during the race. The Indy
500 record is 12 lap leaders in 1993. The 1980, 1995 and 1998 races had
10 lap leaders. The 1981, 2002, 2004 and 2007 races also had nine lap
leaders.
* Marco Andretti recorded the fastest lap of the
race (224.037 mph) on Lap 161. His father, Michael (1992), and his
grandfather, Mario (1978), also recorded the fastest lap of an
Indianapolis 500 race.
* Dixon, was the top lap leader with 115 laps led.
His teammate, Dan Wheldon, led the second most laps in the race with 30
laps.
* Buddy Lazier completed 195 laps. It raised his
Indianapolis 500 career total to 6,665 miles completed, which moves him
past Michael Andretti for eighth on the all-time mileage leader list.
* Helio Castroneves finished on the lead lap for the
seventh time in his eight career starts in the Indianapolis 500. The
only year he did not finish on the lead lap was in 2006 due to an
accident.
* Two drivers led the 2008 Indianapolis 500 for the
first time. Mario Moraes and Ed Carpenter each led three laps.
* The 30 laps led by Dan Wheldon raised his
Indianapolis 500 career total to 234 laps, the most among active
drivers.
* Tony Kanaan led his record seventh consecutive
Indianapolis 500. He led 12 laps, raising his career total to 214 laps
led.
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