Scott Dixon determinedly held off Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Dan Wheldon in the final laps and won his second race this season on Saturday at the Nashville Superspeedway.
Wheldon, the defending IndyCar Series champ, tried to pass his teammate on the back stretch of the final lap. But he went a little too high and couldn't get around Dixon, who won his sixth race of his career in the Firestone Indy 200.
"I think being out front, it was easy to protect it," said Dixon, who also won at Watkins Glen. "Once you go in, the high line was good. But I don't it was good enough to get around a fast car ... It was definitely a fast car tonight."
Wheldon came in second for the first 1-2 finish for a team since Fontana last year. Ganassi said he was sorry that points leader Sam Hornish Jr, who came in looking for a third straight victory and fourth this year, crashed.
"I'm sorry that Sam got put out of the race," Ganassi said. "We wanted to beat him fair and square. Hopefully, this gets us back a little closer in the points."
Dixon became the sixth different driver to win in the six races at the only concrete track on the IndyCar Series schedule.
Wheldon had the fastest car in practice and had the pole where he led the first 58 laps before swapping it back and forth with Hornish.
Then Hornish got high coming out of Turn 2 on lap 128 and brushed the wall after his second pit stop. He spun out, sending sparks flying before coming to a stop in the grass. That knocked him out of the race, but he was checked and released at the infield care center.
Vitor Meira, whose drought without a victory stretched to 54 races, came in third. Danica Patrick, who started 10th, turned in her best finish this year at fourth. Helio Castroneves was fifth.
Dixon struggled in qualifying with a balky gearbox that had him running only 225kph, so he huddled with Wheldon and his crew for advice on his race setup. Dixon then used that help to hold off Wheldon.
"Basically all we did was just copy their setup," Dixon said.
Dixon, the 2003 series champion, said he doesn't think the teams have worked together enough this year even though both drivers have stressed just that. Dixon has been trying hard to adapt to a new chassis and engine in the Honda-powered Dallara.
"Dan's had it the last three, four years," Dixon said. "I'm definitely willing to have their help. I know it's very hard on race weekend to have that situation, especially on two-day events when you don't have much time to sit down and discuss what's going on."
Dario Franchitti, last year's winner, finished sixth as the final car on the lead lap. He wasn't happy with Patrick blocking him as he tried to get past her.
"Well, I was protecting, and there's nothing illegal about staying down the inside," Patrick said. "I was protecting the inside, and I kept it. If he wanted to go around the top, I wouldn't have put up a fight. That's all we can do out here is protect the bottom."
Dixon first had to hold off Meira. But Wheldon had to dip to the inside and passed Meira with nine laps left, and he said that may have kept him from chasing down Dixon.
"Vitor drove me down onto the apron, and I lost a lot of ground there. When I got near Scott, I had to try and rush to get by him. I think that somewhat cost me," said Wheldon, who led a race-high 115 laps.
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