CART: Dixon quickest Toyota in Texas

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

(Fort Worth, TX) – For the second consecutive day, cold temperatures limited running at the Texas Motor Speedway; however the elements did not seem to slow PacWest rookie Scott Dixon as he posted impressive times on the 1.5-mile oval.

Dixon, who tested for Firestone Tuesday on the Texas oval in his 2000 championship- winning Dayton Indy Lights car, took advantage of his additional day by learning the intricacies of the track where the Champ Cars will compete on April 29.

The extra day apparently paid off, as the twenty-year-old Kiwi was the quickest Toyota on the track. He posted a fast time of 23.9 seconds and completed approximately 210 trouble-free miles. Dixon did incorporate a long 46-lap run into his program at the end of the day, with temperatures reaching only 55 degrees.

With the completion of the two-day Texas test, PacWest will head further west to Phoenix to run on the short oval at PIR on February 27-28.

SCOTT DIXON - # 18 PACWEST TOYOTA

“We had another good day at the office,” said Dixon. “We didn’t get started until around 12:00pm because of the cold whether, and even after we went green, there were still a few seepage spots on the track that we had to stay aware of. My team and I were able to try a lot of different things on the car today, and we got our time down to 23.9 seconds, which was the best Toyota time by a few tenths. We were right there with the Penske car of Castroneves, so that is definitely a positive. I had another trouble-free day, and my car has been very reliable. We seem to be right where we need to be heading into the last couple of test days prior to Mexico.”

RUSSELL CAMERON – PACWEST DIRECTOR OR RACE OPERATIONS

“Once again, Scott was very competitive, and he’s driving like he’s on a mission, which is why he has accomplished so much in his young racing career,” said Cameron. “We completed about 210 trouble-free miles, and it was another productive day for PacWest from a fact-gathering stand point. While Dixon’s times were just a few 100th of a second behind Castroneves, he did run quicker than Franchitti. That was obviously not our focus for the test, but it’s just another one of the many positives that we can build on for the start of the season. This track is going to produce a very exciting race, and I anticipate a lot of wheel-to-wheel action. It should be fun to watch.”

Text Provided By Anthony Vestal

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