Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon won the 2008 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday (May 25th) capping a month-long demonstration of speed that eventually overwhelmed every challenger. Dixon's win was a career first for him at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, in his sixth '500' start.
"The whole month has been good," said Dixon. " A lot of people have worked hard on these cars to make them fast. It's hard work and the team has been unstoppable because of it. There were so many yellows (eight) it was hard to get a rhythm. Toward the end I didn't think anyone could pass me. The team did a fantastic job."
Dixon owns the lead in the IndyCar championship chase with a fifteen point cushion over Helio Castroneves. Dixon has 191 points, Castroneves 176 and Dan Wheldon is third, with 153 points
Team Penske's Helio Castroneves came back from serious damage to his car to finish fourth Sunday. Castroneves struck debris from a crash early in the race, but his crew repaired the No. 3 Team Penske Honda/Dallara and got him back in the race.
"Fourth place is definitely not what we expected," Castroneves said. "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. Let me tell you, wow, what a team."
The first half of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing saw Target Chip Ganassi racing (CCGR)teammates, Dixon and Dan Wheldon alternating between first and second place. Wheldon spent time in the pits fixing handling issues with the No.10 Target machine throughout the last 100 laps after leading 30 circuits in the first half of the race.
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