INDIANAPOLIS -- They call Scott Dixon "The Ice Man" for his coolheadedness, and the New Zealander more than lived up to that reputation Sunday on his way to winning the 92nd Indianapolis 500.
For this was no easy triumph even though the box score says differently. It shows him, at the end, nearly two seconds up on Vitor Meira and better than two up on the third-place finisher, Marco Andretti. But it was hardly that on an afternoon filled with antics and accidents and an attitude that just about anything was possible.
There was a fire in the pits involving A.J. Foyt IV. There was an incident in the pits involving Danica Patrick and Ryan Briscoe. There were eight cautions for 69 laps and even two spinouts (one by Sarah Fisher, the other by Jeff Simmons) when the cars were under yellow.
That was the kind of race Dixon, 27, was forced to negotiate, and that was why he needed every bit of his notable elan.
"He's been like that forever, ever since I've known him," team owner Chip Ganassi said. "Quite frankly, at first I didn't think he was that excited about racing. . . . But that quietness, people confuse that with not caring about things. It was a relief to know it wasn't that. It was a quiet confidence. That's his trademark. That's a powerful tool."
Even Dixon acknowledged: "I was worried going into the race just because we'd had such a smooth month. It was one of those things of waiting for something to go wrong. . . . You always have high expectations, but in the back of your mind you wonder about a bad pit stop or something mechanical, something that's out of your hands. . . . At no point did I think, 'We have this in the bag.' I was waiting for something to go wrong."
Nothing did go wrong, but with only 100 miles remaining in the festivities, Meira did go by him and take over the lead.
This was an unexpected twist. He drives for the under-financed Panther Racing team, and Dixon works for one of the wealthiest and most powerful.
Yet, when asked whether he then thought he might win, Meira replied, "For sure. I was as sure as I could be with Dixon on my left. . . .
"We had the car. We had the crew. It just didn't work out. . . . We finished second, but you know what? This is a very good result compared to the struggle we had last year and at the beginning of this season. Definitely Panther Racing is back and the Big Three (Ganassi, Andretti, Penske) better watch out."
