Scott Dixon Claims First Indianapolis 500 Victory
Posted May 25, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Scott Dixon stayed ahead of the trouble, got a boost from his crew and drove to his first Indianapolis 500 victory Sunday.
Dixon got out of the pits ahead of Vitor Meira on the final round of stops, then held off the Brazilian and hard-luck Marco Andretti to win the first 500 since the two warring open-wheel series came together under the IndyCar banner.
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.
“There were so many yellows,” Dixon said, “it was really hard to get into a rhythm.”
Meira, driving for the one-car, low-budget Panther Racing team, has never won an IndyCar race but finished runner-up in the biggest race of all for the second time in four years.
Andretti appeared to knock teammate Tony Kanaan out of the race with an aggressive move just past the midway point, but all he got was another close call for a family that is now 1-for-57 at the Brickyard. The 21-year-old settled for third.
Indianapolis 500 Winners
2008 — Scott Dixon
2007 — Dario Franchitti
2006 — Sam Hornish Jr.
2005 — Dan Wheldon
2004 — Buddy Rice
2003 — Gil de Ferran
2002 — Helio Castroneves
2001 — Helio Castroneves
2000 — Juan Montoya
1999 — Kenny Brack
1998 — Eddie Cheever
1997 — Arie Luyendyk Sr.
1996 — Buddy Lazier
1995 — Jacques Villeneuve
1994 — Al Unser Jr.
1993 — Emerson Fittipaldi
1992 — Al Unser Jr.
1991 — Rick Mears
1990 — Arie Luyendyk Sr.
1989 — Emerson Fittipaldi
1988 — Rick Mears
1987 — Al Unser Sr.
1986 — Bobby Rahal
1985 — Danny Sullivan
1984 — Rick Mears
1983 — Tom Sneva
1982 — Gordon Johncock
1981 — Bobby Unser
1980 — Johnny Rutherford
1979 — Rick Mears
1978 — Al Unser Sr.
1977 — A.J. Foyt
1976 — Johnny Rutherford
1975 — Bobby Unser
1974 — Johnny Rutherford
1973 — Gordon Johncock
1972 — Mark Donohue
1971 — Al Unser Sr.
1970 — Al Unser Sr.
1969 — Mario Andretti
1968 — Bobby Unser
1967 — A.J. Foyt
1966 — Graham Hill
1965 — Jimmy Clark
1964 — A.J. Foyt
1963 — Parnelli Jones
1962 — Rodger Ward
1961 — A.J. Foyt
1960 — Jim Rathmann
1959 — Rodger Ward
1958 — Jimmy Bryan
1957 — Sam Hanks
1956 — Pat Flaherty
1955 — Bob Sweikert
1954 — Bill Vukovich Sr.
1953 — Bill Vukovich Sr.
1952 — Troy Ruttman
1951 — Lee Wallard
1950 — Johnnie Parsons
1949 — Bill Holland
1948 — Mauri Rose
1947 — Mauri Rose
1946 — George Robson
1942-45 — No races, World War II
1941 — Floyd Davis and Mauri Rose
1940 — Wilbur Shaw
1939 — Wilbur Shaw
1938 — Floyd Roberts
1937 — Wilbur Shaw
1936 — Louis Meyer
1935 — Kelly Petillo
1934 — Bill Cummings
1933 — Louis Meyer
1932 — Fred Frame
1931 — Louis Schneider
1930 — Billy Arnold
1929 — Ray Keech
1928 — Louis Meyer
1927 — George Souders
1926 — Frank Lockhart
1925 — Pete DePaolo
1924 — L.L.Corum and Joe Boyer
1923 — Tommy Milton
1922 — Jimmy Murphy
1921 — Tommy Milton
1920 — Gaston Chevrolet
1919 — Howard Wilcox
1917-18 — No races, World War I
1916 — Dario Resta
1915 — Ralph DePalma
1914 — Rene Thomas
1913 — Jules Goux
1912 — Joe Dawson
1911 — Ray Harroun
Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images
