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Filed under: IRL

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) -- Scott Dixon won a controversial Honda Edmonton Indy on Sunday after Helio Castroneves crossed the finish line first, but was penalized for blocking his teammate.

An enraged Castroneves, who ended up 10th, stormed from his car after the race to yell at IndyCar officials and grabbed Indy Racing League security chief Charles Burns by the lapels of his shirt, shaking him.

After cooling down somewhat, Castroneves told a TV interviewer, "I have nothing smart to say. The only thing I can say is talk to my attorneys."

Castroneves took the lead from Team Penske teammate and pole winner Will Power with 18 laps to go in the 95-lap race, but was called for blocking Power when Power tried to pass him on a restart with two laps to go.

With Power blocked by Castroneves, Dixon stormed past him to take second place as they charged toward the finish line.

But the flagman showed Castroneves the black flag, while Dixon received the checkered flag. Power was second, followed by Dario Franchitti, Ryan Briscoe and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

It was Dixon's second victory of the season, but he won this one without ever being the lead car.

"Pretty strange to not run a lap and actually win the race," Dixon said. "But rules are rules, man. It was obvious Will had a pretty good run. The only way to stop him was blocking."

 

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Filed under: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IRL, Indianapolis 500

INDIANAPOLIS -- Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon won the 2008 Indy 500 from the pole position. Dixon, one of the favorites in Sunday's race, will start from the sixth position. FanHouse TV's Holly Cain caught up with him at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

 

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by FanHouse NewswireKANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Waiting for the final green flag after a caution a few laps from the finish, Scott Dixon jokingly asked his crew if he could save some horsepower boosts for the Indianapolis 500 later this month.

Obviously, the answer was no.

The way Dixon kicked off IndyCar's oval season, he might not need them anyway.

Making few changes to a fast-off-the-truck car, Dixon cruised to his second straight IndyCar Series victory at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, firmly placing himself atop the list of favorites for the big race on the bricks.

Scott Dixon Back on Top as IndyCar Moves to Ovals originally appeared on Motorsports FanHouse on Sat, 01 May 2010 15:51:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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Scott Dixon ran away with the IndyCar series race at Kansas Speedway Saturday, leading more than three-fourths of the race on his way to an easy 30-car length victory over his teammate, Dario Franchitti.

On the clock, Dixon's margin of victory was a comfy 3.05 seconds, and he jumped ahead to that lead even after a restart with less than 10 laps to go.

Dixon led 167 laps, including the final 150 circuits, and easily survived a couple of late-race restarts to win his first race of 2010 and his second straight at Kansas.

Series defending champion Dario Franchitti was second after holding off a late charge from Tony Kanaan. Helio Castroneves was fourth, followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Pole winner Ryan Briscoe, who led 31 early laps, was sixth, the final driver on the lead lap. Franchitti was the only other driver to lead any laps; he was in front for two circuits.

 

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Filed under: IRL

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) -- Scott Dixon seemed more perturbed with the start of Sunday's Indy Grand Prix of Alabama than he was with the finish, when he fell just short of a win.

IndyCar officials ruled that Dixon improved his position by two spots before reaching the start/finish line, including passing eventual winner Helio Castroneves. Dixon was sent back to his original fifth-place position but figures he actually crossed the line in ninth or 10th.

"The call to start the race was total B.S. We had a clean pass," said Dixon, who wound up second. "If they want us to just start single-file and stay that way, then that's what they should have us do."

Dixon said pole-sitter Will Power started too slow, causing the issue.

"I think the cause for it was Will," he said. "I don't know why he's trying to start in first gear and crawl 20 miles an hour. I think that's ridiculous."

His Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dario Franchitti chimed in then: "I thought you were supposed to keep pace-car speed."

"Yeah, you're supposed to keep pace-car speed, and that is the first ever start I've done in first gear," Dixon said. "So that set it up. So whoever was in front of me got a lot of wheel spin."

Dixon was left futilely trying to overtake Castroneves in the final two laps after coming off a two-lap caution.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

 

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Filed under: Crew Chiefs, IRL

BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) -- Helio Castroneves held off Scott Dixon to win the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama on Sunday, coasting to the finish line after coming off caution with two laps to go.

The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner took over in the stretch run when Marco Andretti headed to pit road with seven laps to go. He treated the new IndyCar venue to his trademark "Spiderman" move, climbing a chain link fence in front of the grandstands and pumping his fists to the fans.

Castroneves won by just over half a second over Dixon and nobody else was closer than 7 seconds to the lead, making it a two-man chase at the end. He didn't offer any opening for Dixon to get by him on a narrow track that offers few easy spots to pass.

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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (AP) -- Will Power will start the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama up front, the same place he's been finishing lately.

Power has won the first two IndyCar Series races this season. He grabbed the pole on Saturday with a speed of 118.057 mph (189.99 kph). Penske Racing teammate Helio Castroneves (117.186 mph; 188.58 kph) was third, behind Mike Conway (117.197 mph; 188.6 kph).

Power understands how difficult it is to win a race, but he's making it look easy. He will start on the pole for the second straight race in Sunday's inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama at Barber Motorsports Park.

The Australian is trying to become the first driver to win the opening three IndyCar races. Power also has a chance to join Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon and Kenny Brack as the only IndyCar drivers to win three in a row.

He topped both Friday practice rounds and turned in the fastest lap time in the final round of qualifying.

 

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Filed under: IRL

SAO PAULO, Brazil (AP) -- Qualifying for the IndyCar season-opener on the streets of Sao Paulo was postponed Saturday because the main straight lacked enough grip to make racing safe.

Drivers ran practice sessions on Saturday, giving officials time to try to improve track conditions overnight. Qualifying was rescheduled for Sunday morning ahead of the race.

Drivers complained that the temporary circuit for the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 has severe bumps and was dangerous on the slick front straightaway.

The straight goes through a Sambadrome, a stadium-like venue that stretches for about a third of a mile and is the only part of the track with concrete instead of asphalt. It is where the traditional Carnival parades take place every year.

 

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Filed under: IRL, Danica Patrick

The joke goes -- in several variations -- that if former Professional Bull Riders CEO Randy Bernard can hang on more than 8-seconds in his new job as CEO of theIZOD IndyCar Series, he will have some serious potential.

He grabbed the IndyCar reins officially March 1 and gets his first true ride this weekend as the series opens Sunday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Loaded with Brazilian drivers, sponsored by many Brazilian companies in a country that adores auto racing, it's fair to say the IndyCar series will get a larger and warmer reception in Sao Paulo this weekend than at many other stops on its expanded 17-race schedule.

And that goes to the heart of Bernard's greatest and most pressing challenge: Promotion! Promotion! Promotion!

Now unified as the country's premier open-wheel circuit, the IZOD IndyCar Series has exciting racing, close finishes and the top championship dramas of any major racing series.

But it's the best racing show people aren't watching enough of.

 

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Filed under: Jimmie Johnson, Juan Pablo Montoya, Daytona Int'l Speedway

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The autograph line wound from the garage to Daytona International Speedway's famous victory lane, at least a full football field away.

One man took a vacation day from his job to drive three hours from Valdosta, Ga., to wait six more hours in line just to get NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson to sign a photo and a shirt. A family waited nearly as long to have former Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya sign 10 miniature replicas of the No. 42 Chevy he drives in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

"This is one of the cheapest races we can go to,'' said Fernando Zapata, 42, who brings his wife and two young children to the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona sports car race every year.

To see their favorite NASCAR drivers.

It's enough to make sports car purists cringe, but for the Grand-Am Series - NASCAR's sports car sibling - it doesn't matter why fans are coming through the gates or watching on television. As long as they're paying attention.

 

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