Dixon unhappy with early ruling in IndyCar race
Scott Dixon seemed more perturbed with the start of Sunday's Indy Grand Prix of Alabama than he was with the finish, when he fell just short of a win.
IndyCar officials ruled that Dixon improved his position by two spots before reaching the start/finish line, including passing eventual winner Helio Castroneves. Dixon was sent back to his original fifth-place position but figures he actually crossed the line in ninth or 10th.
``The call to start the race was total B.S. We had a clean pass,'' said Dixon, who wound up second. ``If they want us to just start single-file and stay that way, then that's what they should have us do.''
Dixon said pole-sitter Will Power started too slow, causing the issue.
``I think the cause for it was Will,'' he said. ``I don't know why he's trying to start in first gear and crawl 20 miles an hour. I think that's ridiculous.''
His Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dario Franchitti chimed in then: ``I thought you were supposed to keep pace-car speed.''
``Yeah, you're supposed to keep pace-car speed, and that is the first ever start I've done in first gear,'' Dixon said. ``So that set it up. So whoever was in front of me got a lot of wheel spin.''
Dixon was left futilely trying to overtake Castroneves in the final two laps after coming off a two-lap caution.
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FUZZY MULE: When Charles Barkley was growing up 10 minutes away, there wasn't much on the 700-acre site of Barber Motorsports Park.
``There used to be a bar here called the Fuzzy Mule,'' said Barkley, who served as grand marshal for Sunday's race.
The former NBA star drove down from his Atlanta home for the event at the 7-year-old facility, mingling with Penske Team drivers Helio Castroneves, Will Power and Ryan Briscoe. He grew up in nearby Leeds.
``This is great for Leeds, it's great for Birmingham, it's great for Alabama,'' Barkley said,
Former American Idol winner Taylor Hicks, a Birmingham native who sang the National Anthem, said he ``used to go mud-running'' on the land.
One thing the bulky 6-foot-4 Barkley wasn't doing: Climbing behind the wheel.
``I couldn't get a leg in an IndyCar,'' he responded quickly.
Barkley has taken a few laps around the track, which gave him more appreciation for the pros.
``I've been in a car going 120 mph a couple of times and thought I was going to have a heart attack. It's scary going that fast,'' he said.
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BARBER STOP: IndyCar drivers left Barber Motorsports Park with mostly favorable reviews and a few suggestions.
They mostly revolved around the layout that left passing at a premium in the race.
Franchitti would like to see ``just a couple of small changes, to promote some passing.''
He suggested extending a straightaway and putting in another good braking zone.
``Then it would be spectacular,'' he said. ``To be here and see the crowd, it was bloody amazing. That was pretty cool.''
Castroneves obviously had few complaints after his victory but agreed that a longer straightaway would be nice.
``The layout is great. It's a lot of fun, a lot of up-and-down elevations,'' he said. ``Very difficult but it's a lot of fun when you get it right.''
Event officials said 53,555 fans attended Sunday's race with a total three-day attendance of 84,126.
Promoter Gene Hallman said the heavy walk-up crowd actually exceeded expectations to the point that he was considering limiting one-day sales next year.
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LEGENDS: Barber will host the first Bobby Rahal Signature Legends of Motorsports event May 21-23 with Mario Andretti scheduled to appear. Rahal, a three-time CART champion who won the 1986 Indianapolis 500, said Sunday the event will feature ``cars that really stir the soul, so we think it's going to be a big hit.'' Other events are scheduled for Watkin Glen, N.Y. (June 11-13); Quebec, Canada (July 9-11) and Sebring, Fla. (Dec. 3-5).
