KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Scott Dixon took an early lead and never gave the other drivers much of a chance, cruising to his second straight IndyCar Series victory at Kansas Speedway on Saturday.
Dixon had a fast car all weekend and an easy race day, making few changes and barely using his push- to-pass button to lead the final 150 of the 200 laps on the 1 1/2-mile oval.
Runner-up Dario Franchitti finished more than three seconds behind and Tony Kanaan was third.
Dixon tool the early lead in IndyCar’s new oval championship and became a front-runner for the Indianapolis 500, a race he won in 2008. He’s also the second straight repeat winner at Kansas, giving Target Chip Ganassi Racing four straight wins following Dan Wheldon’s 2008 defense.
Dixon got the season off to a decent start on the road courses.
He opened with a sixth in Brazil and followed a disappointing 18th at St. Petersburg with two top-five finishes, including a runner-up to Ryan Hunter-Reay in Long Beach two weeks ago.
All that was missing was a victory.
Back on the comfortable Kansas oval — he’s finished in the top four each of the past five races there — Dixon was an uncatchable force.
McClenathan leads top fuelers
MADISON, Ill. — Cory McClenathan held off defending top fuel champion Tony Schumacher to earn the top qualifying spot at the NHRA Midwest Nationals.
John Force (funny car), Mike Edwards (pro stock) and Hector Arana (pro stock motorcycle) also took the top spots in their classes.
The Associated Press
