Auto racing: Wheldon wins XM 300
Dan Wheldon loves Homestead-Miami Speedway, and it’s easy to see why.
The Englishman ran away from the field Saturday night to win the season-opening XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 in Homestead, Fla., for the third straight year.
Wheldon, who started from the pole, fought off an early challenge from Sam Hornish Jr., another three-time Homestead winner, and easily overcame a bad pit stop to drive away with the 12th victory of his IndyCar Series career.
“This is step one toward the Indianapolis 500,” said Wheldon, who won both the 500 and the championship in 2005. “I’m all about the Indianapolis 500, nothing else matters to me. But to get three consecutive wins on the same speedway is a big deal, too.”
Wheldon has led 345 of the last 600 laps on the 1.5-mile Homestead oval. It’s the first time in the 12-year history of the IndyCar Series that a driver has won three straight races at the same track.
Wheldon’s teammate Scott Dixon took second.
NASCAR Nextel Cup
A.J. Allmendinger and Jeremy Mayfield are finally in the show, ending four weeks of futility at NASCAR’s top level.
Allmendinger, the former Champ Car star, has experienced his share of frustration in his first season in the Nextel Cup Series. Allmendinger has yet to actually make his Cup debut after failing to qualify for the first four events.
But he put the No. 84 Camry in this week and will start the race in the 43rd position.
Mayfield was just a tick better, ending 38th on the chart, but it didn’t dampen his spirits.
“I’m just happy to be here,” Mayfield said. “The team is just pumped up to be in the race.”
The Toyota program has struggled mightily through its first month in NASCAR’s top series. With three teams fielding seven Camrys, the Japanese automaker expected a decent start to the year.
A season-high five of the seven Toyota cars will race today, with only David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip failing to qualify.
It’s led many in the Cup garage to speculate Toyota pumped all of its resources into the Car of Tomorrow, which makes its NASCAR debut today. Because the COT will run 16 races this season, and NASCAR is hoping teams will ask to use it exclusively in 2008, it makes sense that Toyota wouldn’t waste too much time working on the current car.
Busch Series
Carl Edwards held off hard-charging teammate Matt Kenseth over the final dozen laps to win the Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tenn.
It was a typical crash-filled Bristol race, with 12 cautions for 103 laps and one red-flag stoppage. NASCAR also confused things with a miscue on pit road that confused most of the field and gave Edwards, Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman a second chance.
Edwards used that free pit stop to get fresh tires and drive away to his first win of the season. Kenseth never got close enough to move past him, and Edwards beat him to the line by 0.260 seconds.
“I just can’t thank Matt Kenseth enough for racing me that clean,” Edwards said. “He’s so great here and it meant the world to beat him.”
Kenseth said he tried to get past Edwards earlier, but couldn’t, and wouldn’t force the issue.
Indy Pro Series
Pablo Perez was airlifted to a Miami hospital because of serious leg injuries after a crash ended the season-opening Indy Pro Series race 10 laps early at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Perez, driving his first race for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, was in serious but stable condition, awake and alert at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He underwent surgery to both legs below the knees and also was scheduled for a CAT Scan.
Alex Lloyd won the race, claiming his third IPS victory.