Jun 5, 2006, 2:51 GMT
Watkins Glen, NY - Dodging rain drops and spinning race cars, Scott Dixon won Sunday's Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix. The No.9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda crossed the finish line 2.3311 seconds ahead of Vitor Meira.
The victory was Dixon's first of the season and fifth of his IndyCar career.
Helio Castroneves brought the field to the green flag for a scheduled 60 laps of road course racing on the famed Watkins Glen International circuit. Right from the start, however, it was not his day and he dropped outside the top- five.
One of the race favorites, Dario Franchitti, also had his problems with the wet road circuit and slid into a sand pit on lap 16, ending his chances of winning.
Danica Patrick spun on lap 18 restart and Kosuke Matsuura and Jeff Simmons collided on the same lap.
Through the first 20 laps, Tomas Scheckter was the leader followed by Tony Kanaan and Dixon, both with more experience on road courses than the No.2 driver.
Scheckter gave up the lead on lap 22 to pit for fuel and tires as did a number of leaders.
Dan Wheldon inherited the top spot along with Bryan Herta, Eddie Cheever Jr. and Buddy Rice all of whom stayed on the track.
Wheldon set the fastest lap on lap 28 as he expanded his lead to 3.4065. But on the next lap, 19-year-old Marco Andretti bettered that time as he slashed his way through the field. He was up to sixth place and putting the heat on Vitor Meira for fifth.
Andretti was still on the move earning the fifth spot after both he and Meira went by Herta. Kanaan was following the pair through the pack and was in sixth place after 31 laps.
Wheldon came in for a pit stop on lap 35 and a quick 10.0-second stop kept him in seventh place. With everyone in front of him still having to pit for fuel, barring a caution flag, the defending series champion was in good shape.
Unfortunately a caution flag did appear, on lap 39 when Andretti and Cheever Jr. came together. It looked as if Cheever Jr. never thought that Andretti would attempt an outside pass and moved into the rookie's line.
The entire field took the opportunity to come down for a final stop, but two cars had problems. A slow stop for Team Penske on Castroneves' car left him in eighth place and Wheldon never made it out of the pits with a broken halfshaft.
That left Dixon, the defending champion, with the lead, but the finish would not be easy.
Rain started to fall and drivers began to spin out as they were on slicks.
First Tony Kanaan, then Castroneves did 360-degree spins. Tomas Scheckter also went for a slid.
The three leaders (Dixon, Meira and Briscoe) all gambled that they could make it without changing to rain tires, while fourth-place Buddy Rice and fifth- place Ed Carpenter made the change.
The race would restart, but shortened by time, would go just one lap under green.
Dixon got a good jump on Meira and the drivers on rain tires could never make a move on the three leaders.
Dixon's lead over Meira kept the pressure off of him over the final lap and he took the checkered flag for his second consecutive win at Watkins Glen International.
For Meira, who is winless in the series, it was his fifth runner-up finish.
Briscoe, Rice and Felipe Giaffone completed the top-five.
The next race is the IndyCar Series is set for Saturday night, June 10th at the Texas Motor Speedway.
© 2006 Sports Network
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