Scott Dixon began the 2008 season well, starting the first race from pole position and ultimately winning at Homestead. In May he won the pole position for the 92nd Indianapolis 500, his first front-row start in the historic race.
The New Zealander held off all charges today and won the race. He was the 19th driver to win after taking pole position. Dixon had dominated the early laps before falling back during the middle section of the run. But he was there at the end, finishing ahead of Vitor Meira.
Danica Patrick failed to finish for the first time in four trips to Indy, though it wasn’t her fault. She was clipped on pit road by Ryan Briscoe with 29 laps to go, breaking the left rear suspension on a car that had run in the top 10 most of the race but never seriously challenged for the lead. She finished 22nd.
Patrick’s mishap was one of numerous crashes and mechanical failures that kept the race under yellow much of the day. But Dixon, who started from the pole, clearly had the strongest car on the track. He had this to say:
There were so many yellows it was really hard to get into a rhythm. I was trying to save fuel and just see how the car was in traffic. We were trying to work on it all the time. I think the car had a little too much drag in it but coming towards the end as long as we got a bit of a jump on those guys I didn’t think they were going to get past us.”
Dixon’s wife Emma was on hand to give him a congratulatory kiss. The Ice Man became the Milk Man as he took a big swig in the winners circle.
Check out photos below.