INDY RACING LEAGUE Dixon records milestone in dominant performance

He led all 206 laps before the rain hit for his third win in seven races.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Scott Dixon turned his first start at Richmond International Raceway into the most dominant performance in Indy Racing League history, leading all 206 laps before rain came Saturday night.
Dixon, who moved over from the CART series this year, became the first driver in IRL history to lead from start to finish. The SunTrust Indy Challenge ended 44 laps short of the scheduled 250.
After saying he thought the three-quarter-mile oval looked like a go-kart track when he got his first look at it Friday, Dixon had a different opinion after winning.
"This is an awesome place to race," he said.
On a roll
It was Dixon's third victory in seven races, and came as he repeatedly outran Helio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran.
But the last time either of Roger Penske's drivers seriously contended was on lap 160, when Castroneves followed closely for several laps. But Dixon gradually pulled away, and was leading by more than four seconds when officials called a caution as it began to rain.
The cars circled for seven more laps, but with lightning in the area and radar showing a big storm approaching, the IRL decided to shorten a race because of rain for only the second time in its history. The other time was in 1997, when Eddie Cheever won at Walt Disney World.
Castroneves runner-up
Castroneves finished second, followed by de Ferran and two-time series champion and defending race champion Sam Hornish Jr. He put on a dazzling show of driving after some misfortune dropped him in the field.
Hornish, who went from third to 15th on the grid after a pit road crash into the car of Felipe Giaffone on lap 62, darted around lapped traffic and others ahead of him for his third straight impressive run in Richmond.
Two years ago, he finished second in the inaugural IRL race here.
The victory allowed Dixon to gain on series leader Tony Kanaan, trimming a 49-point deficit to 29. Kanaan has 247 to Dixon's 218.
Castroneves is third with 207 points, and Indy 500 winner de Ferran fourth with 202.