IRL Adds Boxing and Fantasy Writing to Racing Program

Originally Posted on Foxsports Blogs on September 2, 2007.


With one race to go before the Champion is crowned, tempers are flaring, and memories are fading and being rewritten at an alarming rate.
Scott Dixon, who races for Chip Ganassi, and Dario Franchitti, who runs for Andretti- Green Racing (AGR), are locked in a battle royale for the title.  Today, the two teams got into dispute over a crash during the last few laps at Belle Isle.  
With time running out, Tony Kanaan (AGR) was comfortably leading the race.   Buddy Rice was running second, but gambling on fuel.  Rice ran out of fuel as he was being closely followed by Dixon and Franchitti, running third and fourth respectively.


Dixon attempted to pass the slowing Rice, but spun, swinging back across the track and hitting Franchitti.  Franchitti was able to eventually go on and now leads the title hunt by three points.


Meanwhile, in the pits, Michael Andretti was claiming on TV that Dixon deliberately blocked the track.  Given that the whole incident took place in less than 3 seconds, it is difficult to believe that Dixon had the presence of mind to think about screwing up Franchitti's run while he himself was spinning.  But then again, Andretti last week blamed his son's crash into Franchitti on Franchitti, who by the way, was leading the race and the points at the time.
Franchitti didn't think Dixon did anything deliberately, and chalked it up to one of those racing deals.


Dixon denied trying to collect Franchitti in the wreck, and Rice appologized to both Andretti and Ganassi.


Andretti and Kevin Savoree, an AGR shareholder, charged Chip Ganassi in the pits after the race.  Bystanders reported that Andretti and Savoree attempted to get Ganassi to start a fist fight by both their words and actions.  Ganassi's managing director then called Andretti "classless" in a media interview.   
Kanaan, from victory lane, continued his spat with Dixon from last week by claiming Dixon intentionally tried to ruin Franchitti's day.  Kanaan was still denying, after he admitted last week, deliberately blocking Dixon during the race last weekend at Sonoma.


In other news, Helio Castroneves, probably realizing he agreed to dance on national television, crashed into Thomas Schekter.  Castroneves hobbled away from the wreck on an apparent sprained ankle, but Schekter chased him down to the care center.  Castroneves blamed Schekter for the crash and Schekter blamed Castroneves.  The Infield care center wisely pulled both men into the center before their confrontation could be captured on TV.


All this makes the Dan Wheldon - Danica Patrick flap look quaint.