RacingNation.com
Home / IndyCar Series / Dixon Turns Tables, Wins IndyCar Series Race At Milwaukee

Dixon Turns Tables, Wins IndyCar Series Race At Milwaukee

Milwaukee, WI – Picking up where they left off in 2008 at the Milwaukee Mile, Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon spent most of a beautiful Sunday afternoon at the front of the field in the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225. Last year, it was Briscoe holding off Dixon for his first IndyCar Series victory. This year, the results would be as Briscoe termed “flip-flopped”. With a daring three wide pass, Dixon powered to the lead and on to victory lane.

Briscoe led the field to the green flag from the pole position but lost the lead to outside pole sitter Graham Rahal in the first turn. Rahal’s lead wouldn’t last long either when Tony Kanaan blasted into the lead down the backstraight. Kanaan led the race for the next twenty five miles, while Briscoe and Dixon positioned themselves to challenge. When Briscoe moved low to take over the top spot, Dixon followed along into second place.

The first of only two caution flag on the day flew when rookie Mike Conway slid high through the fourth turn and made contact with the wall. Conway was not hurt but his race was over. The caution flag was just what Helio Castroneves needed. Castroneves was under heavy pressure from Briscoe and in danger of going a lap down. Unfortunately for Castroneves, a gearbox issue caused his car to stall during his pitstop and by the time he restarted, he was back at the tail end of the field. Thirty miles after the restart, Briscoe had again caught up to Castroneves, this time he put his teammate a lap down.

Green flag pit stops were next on the agenda for the field. Dario Franchitti took advantage of and open pit lane and was in control of first place after the entire field had cycled through their stops. While all of the pitting was going on, Kanaan was forced back into the pits a second time with smoke pouring out of his engine compartment. Kanaan, still visibly sore from his crash at Indianapolis last week, was helped from his car and retired from the race. Kanaan ended up in 19th place, breaking a streak of top four finishes in six Milwaukee Mile contests.

“It was a tough day for the No. 11 team,” said Kanaan. “We had such a strong car, and I was confident that we would have a strong finish. We don’t know what happened to the car, it caught fire, so we need to do some research on that situation. It was a hard month, and I was hoping we would bounce back with a great race here.”

Dealing with traffic was the key of the day. After leading nineteen laps, Franchitti got caught up in traffic, Briscoe moved back into the lead and Dixon drove back into second.

“The hard thing was lapped cars. It was traffic, it was timing your passes right,” explained Franchitti. “My guys did a great job and got me out in the lead on the green flag stop. Then I just mistimed a pass, someone took my air off and that was it – back to third again. It was a tough day. The Milwaukee Mile produces close racing and you’re really fighting that lapped traffic all day.”

With twenty-five miles remaining in the race, Dixon made the move of the race. While Briscoe worked to lap Tomas Scheckter, Dixon dove down low going three-wide on the backstraight. By the time they reached the third turn, Dixon was in the lead. Dixon powered towards the checkers while Briscoe’s image got smaller in his rearview mirrors.

“We had a great run through one and two and I got a huge run going into three,” Dixon talked about the winning pass. “You can’t really use traffic, you just gotta time it right. You gotta look ahead and see where those guys are using their lines. My car was fantastic on the high line in one and two, so I could get a good run. I knew that once I got to the inside [in turn three], it was going to be tough for [Briscoe] to push it.”

Andretti-Green teammates charged through the field near the end of the race with Danica Patrick finishing fifth and Marco Andretti in seventh. Patrick’s top five finish was her fourth in five races this year. Franchitti settled for third and early Rahal took the checkers in fourth.

The win was Dixon’s second of the season and vaulted him to the top of the point standings.

IndyCar Series
ABC Supply/AJ Foyt 225 at The Milwaukee Mile
Sunday, May 31, 2009
1. Scott Dixon
2. Ryan Briscoe
3. Dario Franchitti
4. Graham Rahal
5. Danica Patrick
6. Raphael Matos
7. Marco Andretti
8. Hideki Mutoh
9. Mario Moraes
10. Dan Wheldon
11. Helio Castroneves
12. Ryan Hunter-Reay
13. Tomas Scheckter
14. Robert Doornbos
15. Justin Wilson
16. Ed Carpenter
17. Paul Tracy
18. E.J. Viso
19. Tony Kanaan
20. Mike Conway
21. Stanton Barrett

Share Button