The race literally went down to the wire as Scott Dixon passed Helio Castroneves a few hundred yards from the finish line on the final lap. Marco Andretti finished third.
This win almost certainly cements the series win; barring disasters in all of the remaining races, Dixon will be the season champion.
A Tough Track
The 1.5 mile Kentucky Speedway is a modified oval with a long, arcing back straight, noted for three-wide, side-by-side racing all the way around. “Kentucky is a tough track to master, because it’s very bumpy and very fast,” explained Penske driver Helio Catroneves, “There is hardly any banking, so it’s always a challenge to make sure we get the right setup. The race always comes down to the final laps.”
To make the set-up more difficult, the race was a day-night affair, starting around sunset and finishing under the lights. This meant that track and air temperature changed dramatically throughout the race. Crews were tested as much as drivers at Kentucky.
Danica Patrick had another hard-luck weekend. Her car broke during practice, putting her into the wall and forcing her to start last on the grid on race day.
Dixon Runs up Front
Points leader Scott Dixon took the pole and led the race early on, followed by Vitor Meira, still looking for his series win, Dan Wheldon in third. These three opened up a long lead over the rest of the field.
On lap 45, Vitor Meira passed Dixon for the race lead. Meira immediately pulled away from Dixon. It was not clear whether Dixon was letting Meira burn fuel and wear out his car while Dixon drove more conservatively, or if Meria’s car was really that much better.
