Dixon Wins Rain-Shortened Indy 200, Bia Triumphs in Lights
Written by Allan Brewer · July 13, 2008
The rain fell in Nashville as Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon padded his huge lead in the Indy Racing League championship standings and twenty-three year old Brazilian Ana ‘Bia’ Beatriz became the first woman Firestone Indy Lights winner on Saturday.
Dixon’s victory came as AGR’s Tony Kanaan chose to pit immediately ahead of a thunderstorm that halted the race, while a communications error that would have brought Dixon to the pitbox also came too late.
As a result the Kiwi remained on-track one more lap than planned. Then the rains fell.
Motorsport.com: Scott Dixon Wins Rain-Shortened Firestone Indy 200
Dixon teammate Dan Wheldon finished second as the red cars (well, at least most of the time) threatened to put the IRL championship on ice early in 2008 with Dixon’s lead now gaping to sixty-three points over second=best points contender Helio Castroneves (who was third in the race).
On the Indy Lights side of the house, the series toasted its first woman winner as Ana ‘Bia’ Beatriz roared to a win on the undercard for her maiden victory in North America and in the series.
IndyProRacer.com: Ana Beatriz Becomes First Female Indy Lights Winner
The dark-haired Beatriz, who is still remembered internationally by her surname as Bia Figuereido, took the lead on the 33rd of 77 laps over the 1.3 mile concrete oval, then drove off into the distance ahead of second-place Bobby Wilson of Team E and AFS Andretti Green Racing’s Arie Luyendyk Jr.
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