Scott Dixon, known as the “Ice Man” for his cool demeanor, became the “Milk Man” Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver featured throughout the 92nd running of the famed 500-mile race, and then held off the final-lap efforts of Vitor Meira and Marco Andretti to score his first “500” victory.
The 2003 IndyCar Series champion was one of the primary contenders all month, qualifying on the pole, taking the initial lead at the green flag and leading 115 of today’s 200-lap race. But he faced a stern challenge in the last 40 laps from Meira and later, Andretti.
Meira, who led nine laps just prior to the final round of pit stops, lost the lead to Dixon during the last stop. But he gave his all in pursuit of the victor, visibly sliding his Panther Racing Honda through the corners and setting some of the fastest laps of the race during his chase, taking the checkers just 1.7 seconds behind Dixon.
Andretti was equally strong, but first had to deal with passing the Team Penske Honda of Helio Castroneves, which he accomplished on Lap 190. But the 10 remaining laps were not enough for the third-generation racer to close the gap to Dixon.
For the third consecutive season, Honda powered the entire 33-car starting field at Indy. And for the third year in a row—and the only three times in Indianapolis 500 history—there was not a single engine-related retirement in the event.
Other performances of note included Vision Racing’s Ed Carpenter, who charged back after problems in the pits left him 16th to finish fifth; and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who crossed the line in sixth as the top rookie finisher after a long battle with fellow Indy 500 rookie Hideki Mutoh.
The 18-race IndyCar Series now makes a dramatic shift from the high-speed 2.5-mile Indianapolis “Brickyard” to next week’s race at the equally historic, but much smaller and tighter, Milwaukee Mile oval in Wisconsin.
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