INDYCAR SERIES: HONDA INDY 225

June 15, 2003

Scott Dixon

SCOTT DIXON: Yeah, we were fairly decent. You know, at the start of the race we just leaned back and were saving gas. We got caught there I think with Foyt. We were actually inside, he ran me under the white line. I think a few guys out there were having problems with their cars. I think we lost like four spots then. Everybody just blew by me on the outside. I think going on through the run, everybody was fairly consistent to start with. You know, our car was a little better mid to the end of the run, maybe not as fast at the start. You know, we had a good, decent car. The first few runs, couldn't adjust the weight jacker. It had bound up. That made some of the adjustments a little difficult. As the run went on, the understeer just got worse and we couldn't help it out.

SCOTT DIXON: I don't know. It was a bit of a shame. You know, we only did the install lap. Then when we went to go out next time, I think we broke the drivetrain, I think it was a tripod on the inside of the wheel, which we can't do much about. Guess we had to swap the gearboxes because I guess it had broke something else inside the gearbox, as well.

SCOTT DIXON: I think, you know, the first one, wasn't worried too much because I knew we only had six laps till the end and, you know, we had a car between us, so I knew I'd get the jump at the start anyway. It was going to be pretty hard. I think once the cars were sort of, you know, at their maximum speed, it was going to be tough to pass. You could sort of see that through the race. At the end, once people were going around the same lap speed, you couldn't make a big move. So we were fairly confident, but anything could happen. Then, you know, that next portion, which unfortunately finished the race under yellow.

SCOTT DIXON: I wouldn't say that (laughter). We come out every weekend and we try our best. I've been lucky that Team Target has given me a great car every time we rolled off the trailer. You know, even like today, I don't think we were the fastest car, but we had a good, clean run. You know, other guys are there a lot and (inaudible).

SCOTT DIXON: We basically saved fuel. I think we picked maybe a few up in the pits. Gil actually got us. The cars were much better when they were newer. The car was a lot faster. Basically I think over the course of the first one, we tried to pick off as many people as we could. Tomas had the incident in the pits, which made us jump them. I think the next one we were able to get past Gil in some traffic.

SCOTT DIXON: You know, the things seemed like here, you didn't need too much horsepower, especially once the tires got older. But the Toyota engine just gave it great fuel mileage. We just leaned the thing back and we were able to still pick people off. We're a little leaner than what everybody else had been. Also in the draft, even like with Texas, I think we can save a little more fuel once you're behind somebody.

SCOTT DIXON: We have, from the start. I've been a little frustrated recently. You know, we've had good cars, but, you know, we haven't been able to finish, sometimes crash, or we'd have a mechanical problem. It's been the same for Tomas, as well. We've really tried to, you know, maybe not get the car that's the fastest, but make sure we have a good, consistent car to rack up the points. As can you see from Tony, I think he's still probably 50 points ahead of us. And that's all he's done, is finished, apart from Motegi. I think here, as long as you keep finishing in the Top 4, you're going to do really well in the championship.

SCOTT DIXON: There were times when you thought you could pull away, and then you'd look in the mirror again and there would be somebody creeping up. It was really tough. During the whole course of the day, there was people that were faster at the start of the stint or the middle. We were better I think middle to end. And it seemed to like everybody would pull away, catch up, pull away. Nobody could just ever drive away.

SCOTT DIXON: Sorry, I missed that.

SCOTT DIXON: I don't know about that. Yeah, I guess. I don't know. Just got to see how it plays out really. Are they all?

SCOTT DIXON: There you go (laughter). I didn't realize all three of them were from there.

SCOTT DIXON: I haven't heard anything. I saw a little I thought in my mirrors. But, you know, Tomas was also very fast. I think he ended up passing me. I don't think there's anything in that, to be honest.

SCOTT DIXON: It did. Japan, I think depends who you talk to. I don't see where I've talked to. I've asked Brian many a time. He needs to sit me down with Al and JR to show me what I did wrong, because I feel I wasn't in the wrong. You know, I've looked at the tapes many a time, and still nobody has ever come back to me. If it was my fault, you know, whatever. But I think it was a racing incident. I was there racing. You know, maybe today I was a little more cautious. You know, it's basically because we need to finish races.

SCOTT DIXON: I think it was turn one and two.

SCOTT DIXON: I had a run on Tony and I got caught on the inside. I think Tony passed me, Tomas, and I think one of the green cars, Dario.

SCOTT DIXON: I think at the start of the race, you could be a little more aggressive because it didn't matter how far off line you got opposed towards the end. When we were driving under those cautions towards the end, the track had so many marbles on it. But there was a lot of people. You know, I think in many races in the IRL, it's all about momentum. You know, you got to charge pretty hard to get, you know, ahead of the guy, even lap traffic, or as it showed today, the guys behind are just going to take over.

SCOTT DIXON: It's hard to say. I think our car was pretty decent at the end. Then when he passed us at the end, we let him by. Yeah, I think he just came out of the pits or whatever. But, I don't know. It was hard to gauge. After the first run, he got a good, clean run through. We were saving fuel, he might have been saving fuel. I don't know. I haven't spoken to any of them. But I do know he did have a very fast car, yeah.