Richmond: TCGR race report

Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon and Dan Wheldon managed to survive Saturday nights attrition filled SunTrust Indy Challenge in Richmond relatively unscathed, crossing the finish line in the third and forth position respectively.

Dixon, who started fourth and managed to stay ahead of most of the mayhem, was gifted the third spot on the podium when teammate Wheldon slowed on the final lap, allowing Dixon to capture his seventh consecutive top-five finish and eighth top-five finish of the season.

“It was a tough night," said Dixon. "We had a very good car. Once again it was very tough to pass here. Even when the tires got old it was very hard to get close to people. If we were out front, I think we had a car to win. Kanaan definitely looked pretty strong tonight but I think the Target car still had a chance.”

Wheldon, who started sixth, had a strong run going and was all but guaranteed a podiums spot, but an electrical problem shut down the No.10 Target car on the final lap, forcing him to coast to the finish line behind his teammate.

"I was trying to be aggressive while trying to finish the race and it was difficult behind the other cars," said Wheldon. "We knew there would be more than a few wrecks tonight, and that proved to be the case. The car shut off on the last lap for some reason and that's not what we need when we're trying to close the point gap."

The team now prepares for Watkins Glen, where Dixon, who remains the IndyCar Series championship leader with 351 points, is also the three-time defending winner of the event.

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