CART: Scott Dixon powers to another top ten finish in Japan

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

May 19, 2001

Race recap: Dixon started the day from 20th position, and through good fuel conservation and pit strategy, he slowly moved his way up through the field. Dixon had a shot at a possible top-five position had the track remained green (due to his remaining fuel load), but a late yellow helped others stay out and conserve, rather than pit.

"I'm pretty happy with a ninth place result considering how much we have struggled this week," said Dixon. "The balance on my car was good all day and our main goal was just to try and stay consistent and be there at the end. We decided early to work on conserving fuel so we could have a good run to close out the race, but the late yellow really hurt us - and helped some of the others. I think we possibly could have had a top-five finish if the track would have stayed green. We definitely had enough fuel to make a strong run, but I'm happy with the points. It's always a good thing when you can leave with points."

MAURICIO GUGELMIN - # 17 NEXTEL PACWEST TOYOTA

Position: 12th Time: 31.914s Points Earned: 1 (1 total)

Race recap: Gugelmin started this race from the 25th position, and quickly went a lap down to the leaders. He kept fighting and remained consistent in his battle, and walked away from his first oval race of the season with his first championship point.

"I was really loose at the beginning of the race," said Gugelmin. "My crew was able to fix that on my first pit stop, but I still had difficulty maintaining straight-line speed. The balance of my car was better mid-way through the race but we never got into a position to contend. It's really good to get my first point of the season, and hopefully we can build on this and collect some more in Milwaukee."

Text provided by Tom Hollett

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