Dixon Finds Destiny After Indy 500 Domination

When Scott Dixon won CART’s Nazareth race in 2001 at the ripe age of 20, it was obvious then that Dixon was destined for open-wheel greatness.

Dixon inched closer to an unparalleled destiny in 2003 when he captured the Indy Racing League championship in his first year in the series.

Then, on Sunday, May 25, 2008, Dixon discovered the Holy Grail and arrived at his absolute destiny when he won the Indianapolis 500 from the pole position in one of the most dominating performances in history.

By a show of hands, who honestly thought Vitor Meira was going to win the race?

Mr. Meira, please put your hand down.

Meira’s victory, although heart-warming, would have spoiled Dixon’s perfect month.

From the moment Dixon’s No. 9 Target machine rolled off the trailer, he was the odds-on favorite to capture the Indy crown. Dixon ran the day’s fastest lap four times throughout the month, including pole day, which gave Dixon the essential advantage of starting up front. Despite a few unorthodox restarts, Dixon was flawless on race day and led 115 laps en route to manhandling the competition.

It is a shame that another Danica Patrick temper tantrum, Tony Kanaan’s feud with teammate Marco Andretti, and 60 mind-numbing caution laps stole the headlines. But, nevertheless, Dixon will go down as one of the most deserving Indy 500 champions in history. His charismatic personality will do nothing but generate millions in terms of revenue and endorsements for himself, his team, and the IRL.

The media has unfairly tabbed Dixon as The Iceman because of his dry personality that rivals the emotional depth of a stone. If 12 career victories, a series championship, and earning $2.9 million for winning the Indy 500 are qualities of an Iceman, than I am sure Dixon will not mind the unmerited criticism.

It is difficult to believe that Dixon, who has a career’s worth of accomplishments by age 27, is just hitting his peak.

His potential is priceless. If Dixon were to get the NASCAR itch, his car owner Chip Ganassi would be more than happy to oblige. Imagine this for a race team: 2000 Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya, 2007 Indy champ Dario Franchitti, and reigning Indy winner Dixon. Sponsors would flock to Ganassi’s garage.

But, there is no need to get ahead of ourselves. Although that trio of drivers as teammates would be a media gold mine, open-wheel success in no way guarantees similar success in NASCAR. Montoya, 2006 Indy 500 champ Sam Hornish, Jr., and Franchitti currently rank 17th, 34th, and 42nd in NASCAR’s season standings. The three have combined for just 1 victory in 69 total starts.

Note to Dixon: Stay where you are!

Dixon will undoubtedly be approached numerous times in the upcoming years about jumping to NASCAR. And why not? NASCAR bosses tend to prey on Indy 500 winners. When NASCAR owners come calling, Dixon needs to follow the same advice that drug ads offer: Just Say No!

After years of perseverance and hard work, Dixon has arrived at his destiny. Now, it is time to fulfill it for years to come the only way a Kiwi can.

Official 2008 Indy 500 Prediction

Yes folks, it is finally that time. The moment you have all been waiting for.

It is time for the DFresh prediction of who will drink the milk after the 92nd Running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday.

33 drivers will start but only one will be recognized as an Indy 500 champion by day’s end.

Who will that driver be?

Well, the answer is very simple. It is more than simple. In fact, it is a no-brainer.

Let’s be realistic. More than half of this Sunday’s field does not have a prayer.

Marty Roth. Milka Duno. Enrique Bernaldi. A.J. Foyt IV. The list can go on. Thank you for showing up and helping fill the field, but it is past your bedtime.

The field consists of four former winners; Buddy Lazier (1996), Helio Castroneves (2001-02), Buddy Rice (2004) and Dan Wheldon (2005). Will one of these gentlemen add another trophy to their mantle? Castroneves and Wheldon are both overwhelming favorites with Lazier and Rice on the outside looking in.

For the second straight year, three women will be given the command to start their engines. Sarah Fisher brings the most experience to the table with her seventh start. Milka Duno embarks on her second Indy 500 with another year of experience under her belt. Danica Patrick, making her fourth start, is oozing with confidence after her first IndyCar win in Japan last month. If any of these women are to make history on Sunday, Patrick would be the best bet.

The field is comprised of 11 rookies, most of which are a result of the off-season open-wheel merger between Champ Car and the IRL. Most of these rookies have zero oval experience which is a recipe for disaster, but there are a few picks of the litter.

Graham Rahal, son of 1986 winner Bobby Rahal, is considered the favorite of the rookies based on his appreciation and respect for the speedway. He drives for Newman Haas Lanigan Racing, which won the last four Champ Car series championships but years of disappointment at Indy should motivate young Rahal.
ODDS: 50:1

So, exactly who will win Sunday’s race?

Let’s start from the top.

Pole sitter Scott Dixon finished runner-up to Dario Franchitti in last year’s Indy 500 and has been fast all month, but starting from the pole does not guarantee a victory. Dating back to Rick Mears in 1988, only six pole winners have gone on to win the race, so history does not bode well for Dixon.
ODDS: 10:1

2005 Indy winner Wheldon should be a contender on Sunday, but his lengthy hair and new teeth will cause his car to develop a push in the turns, which means he will have to wait another year for a second win.
ODDS: 9:1

Penske newcomer Ryan Briscoe has had relative success at Indy, but it would be difficult to picture him in Victory Lane. Briscoe put his back-up car into the wall in practice this month, and odds are he will do the same with his primary car come Sunday.
ODDS: 25:1

Helio Castroneves is a victim of his own success. Two wins in two starts make Castroneves a contender year-after-year, but it has been six years since he climbed the fence in victory. The Dancing with the Stars winner needs to share the wealth and let somebody else drink the milk and kiss the queen.
ODDS: 5:1

Danica Patrick led 19 laps in her rookie run of 2005, but she failed to lead the most important lap. She won her first IRL event last month in Japan and is a legitimate contender on Sunday. The IRL will quietly be cheering for Patrick because a victory on Sunday would generate millions of dollars in sponsorships and revenue. Unfortunately, there are too many other top contenders for her to compete with so it will take another risky fuel strategy to steal a victory.
ODDS: 10:1

Marco Andretti finished second to Sam Hornish, Jr. in 2006 in the 2nd-closest finish in the history of the Indy 500, but that is as close as he will get on Sunday. Andretti’s cockiness and lack of appreciation is why he does not deserve an Indy win just yet. He has been fast all month, but after his runner-up finish in 2006 his immediate reaction was, “Second place is nothing. They don’t remember people who finish second here.” Marco feels he deserves a win here simply because of the notoriety of his last name. If you do not respect Indy, you end up in the wall or upside down, which is how Marco finished last year, and odds are that is where he will end this year.
ODDS: 100:1

Tomas Scheckter has nearly won this race twice already, but has not been competitive since a fourth-place finish in 2003. He led a race-high 85 laps as a rookie in 2002, but crashed out while leading the race with just 28 laps left. Scheckter is the biggest threat to the 3 power teams, but he will need to show more patience than in years past.
ODDS: 25:1

There you have it; the odds and predictions for the top contenders in Sunday’s race. Of course, there is one driver left, and that would be the winner.

DFRESH PREDICTION:

Tony Kanaan will end all of his disappointment and snake-bit luck on Sunday and will finally capture the only trophy that has eluded him throughout his career – the Borg Warner Trophy. Kanaan has been close year after year. He has led 202 laps since his rookie year in 2002 and he has shown no signs of slowing down. He drives for Andretti-Green Racing, which has produced two of the last three Indy winners, so experience is on his side. Kanaan has three top-five finishes on his Indy 500 resume, but he is tired of coming up short. Kanaan has the drive, the patience, the passion, the experience, and the killer instinct that is required to win this great race. 2008 is the year of Kanaan.
ODDS: 2:1

Good luck and Godspeed

Best of the Rest Indy 500 Preview

Best of the Rest Indy 500 Previews

Townsend Bell will drive the third Dreyer & Reinbold machine. Bell finished 22nd in his only previous Indy 500 start in 2006. He was the fastest third-day qualifier (second day rained out). Solid open-wheel experience should make him a genuine competitor on Sunday.

The Indy 500 welcomes another second-generation racer when Graham Rahal, son of 1986 Indy 500 champ Bobby Rahal, starts his first Indy 500. He rolls off the grid 13th for Newman Hass Lanigan Racing. Rahal poses perhaps the best threat of any Champ Car drivers based on his passion and appreciation for the speedway.

Darren Manning is hungry for his first IndyCar win, which could not occur at a more historic event like the Indy 500. A victory would be the second for car owner A. J. Foyt, who won in 1999 with Kenny Brack. Manning will be making his fourth Indy start with his best finish of 20th coming in 2007.

2002 pole sitter Bruno Junqueira returns for his fifth Indy 500 after a two-year hiatus. Junqueira had a solid run going in 2005 before a violent wreck broke his back just before the 200-mile mark. He is eager to improve on a pair of fifth-place finishes. He has led in each of his last three races, so if his Dale Coyne machine holds up he should be a contender.

Rookie Justin Wilson may not win the Indy 500, be he will go down as one of the tallest to ever cross the yard of bricks. Wilson, who stands 6’3, is eager to win the only trophy that eludes Newman Haas Lanigan; the highly coveted Borg Warner Trophy

Buddy Rice is one of four former winners competing in the 92nd Indianapolis 500. Rice looks to rebound after some recent bad lack at the speedway. He was unable to defend his championship in 2005 due to a practice accident, and then crashed out in both 2006 and 2007. Rice drives for Dreyer & Reinbold, which seeks its second IRL win and first at Indy.

Alex Lloyd is the reigning Indy Pro series champion and is making his Indy 500 debut in a joint effort by Chip Ganassi and Rahal Letterman Racing. Lloyd found the wall on Fast Friday, but rebounded to qualify safely for the race. Assuming his confidence has not been shattered, Lloyd could be a legitimate threat on Sunday.

Ryan Hunter-Reay is driving for the same Rahal Letterman Racing team that won the race in 2005, so the bar is set high for this 27-year old rookie from Dallas. Hunter-Reay crashed on pole day, but he has the backing of an experienced car owner to guide him through his first race.

John Andretti joins cousin Marco as the other Andretti in the field. He makes his second consecutive start after a 12 year absence. Andretti drives the second Marty Roth owned car, but managed to find speed immediately. Andretti has four top-10 finishes in his eight career starts, including fifth-place back in 1991.

For the first time in her Indy 500 career, Sarah Fisher comes to Indianapolis as a car owner. Despite a lack of support from several primary sponsors, Fisher qualified for her seventh race. Despite being voted most popular driver in the IRL three years in a row (2001-2003), she has failed to deliver successful results. Her best finish of 18th came last year, which means much room for improvement.

Will Power, a fiery Australian rookie to Indy, seeks his second IndyCar victory of the year after winning on the streets of Long Beach. He drives for KV Technologies, owned by former Champ Car president Kevin Kalkhoven and 8-time Indy 500 starter Jimmy Vasser. Does Power have the power to be the third rookie since 2000 to drink the milk?

Jeff Simmons straps into the second A.J. Foyt car for what will be his fourth Indy 500. Last year was his most impressive showing – he actually led a lap en route to an 11th place finish.

Oriol Servia makes his first start at Indianapolis, but he no stranger to open-wheel racing. In fact, this is his second trip to Indianapolis; he failed to qualify in 2002. Servia is best known for replacing an injured Junqueira in 2005 and finishing second in the Champ Car final season standings.

EJ Viso’s first appearance at the track came by way foot, not car, when he participated in the Mini Marathon. Viso drives for HVM Racing, which is a carryover team from Champ Car. Viso has displayed signs of potential thus far which makes him optimistic for Sunday.

Milka Duno became the fifth woman to drive in the Indy 500 last year, when she finished 31st after crashing out on lap 65. She returns to Indy with more experience and even more confidence so improving on her prior performance should be a simple task.

Mario Moraes, Enrique Bernoldi, and Jaime Camara are all rookies at this year’s Indy 500, and they fill up the 10th row. Moraes look for advice and leadership from Dale Coyne teammate Junqueira while Bernoldi and Camera are teammates are Conquest Racing and plan to surge to the front together.

It was an up and down bump day for 1996 Indy winner Buddy Lazier, but he survived and will start a race-high 16th Indy 500. Lazier’s resume is impressive, which includes the 1996 win and five top-five finishes. It will be a challenging charge from the rear, but there is no driver in the field more capable of overcoming incredible odds at Indy.

Last, but certainly not least, is Canadian Marty Roth, who survived the bubble and will start from the tail end of the pack in his fourth Indy 500. No need to waste space discussing Roth’s history. He has yet to finish an Indy 500 and there is a better chance of Milka Duno and Danica Patrick making out in victory lane than Roth has of winning the race.

Hopefully everybody is now more familiar with some of the newcomers and journeymen who will be competing in Sunday’s Indianapolis 500. It should be filled with drama, suspense and excitement, and that is why it is the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.