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Scott Dixon at the Miami signing session - Source: ONE Sport -
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Okay day two on the road to the final. Miami dawned to a hot and humid day with record temperature highs for this time of the year, they are going into winter so they say. In the mid 30's c all day and very very humid. The heat may even play a part in the Championship race. I'll say it here first watch out for the tyre wear come race day.
Now first mission in hand today was to stop by the track and collect the pass for the weekend spoke briefly with kiwi legend Dave McMillan, whose workshop we use in Indy to host our Indy 500 show from. He runs the two car Palm Beach International Raceway Indy Lights Cars. He spoke very highly of our recent star on the show, Richie Stanaway, and felt he was well worth keeping an eye on. How about that? He's been checking him out from up here.
That done I was off to the 12:15 Indy Car Press Conference at a training facility that the local NFL team use. Now I got directions and everything from the hotel but ghee wiz do you think I could find the place? I even found the street but no it was not there. As I later learned in Miami, street's can actually have up to three names and even be called both an avenue a street or freeway and expressway. The nice lady at the hotel later told me that she has lived here 12 years after moving from New York and she still gets lost at least once a week. Don't know if that made me feel better - I am sure my regular co-driver Bob McMurray would have got me there. Perhaps?? Or we would of yelled at each other trying!! Just getting out of the airport here is bad enough.
Okay news of the day from the track.
We saw the Grand Am Proto Types on track for practice and also the
Firestone Indy Lights cars. Sebastian Saavedra topped the charts as
the Lights teams began preparations for the season-ending
Homestead-Miami 100. Saavedra, driver of the No. 27 Automatic Fire
Sprinklers Inc. car for AFS Racing/Andretti Green Racing, posted a
top lap of 28.5564 seconds, 187.208 MP3. In all, 18 cars turned
1,037 laps in the practice session without incident. Our own Wade
Cunningham (28.7510, 185.941) was second fastest in the No. 11
Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsport car. All looking pretty good for
Wade who has a massive day tomorrow with practice, qualifying and
the race tomorrow night. Go the first of the Kiwis I say!!
Now many have asked what it's going to take for Scott to win this week. Well how about this ... It's a winner-take-all scenario for Dixon and Franchitti - as it was in 2007, with Franchitti prevailing on the final lap at Chicagoland Speedway when Scott ran out of gas and we all went *(&_& , or something like that. Now an Indy Car Series race winner earns 50 points for the win, with a 10-point margin to second and another five to third. A single bonus point for pole and two bonus points for laps lead - they could all be pretty important come race day.
There are a few additional criteria for Briscoe to claim his first title based on the bonus points as well.
If Briscoe wins the pole and the race, he wins the championship.
If Briscoe wins the race and leads the most laps, he wins the championship.
If Briscoe wins the race, earns the pole and leads the most laps, he wins the championship.
If Briscoe wins the race but doesn't score any bonus points, Dixon can win the title if he finishes second and leads the most laps.
Dixon will win any tiebreaker over Briscoe.
Scott recently commented about this weekend "You almost treat it just as a normal race weekend," Dixon said of his mind-set since last competing Sept. 19 at Twin Ring Motegi which was LIVE on ONE Sport. "I think if you try to change your strategy or the way you approach the race, it might affect how quick you go over the outcome of the race, and ultimately the outcome of the championship.
"So I think you try to keep it simple. Not put too much pressure on yourself and let it all play out. It's pretty much whoever beats who is going to walk away with the championship. So it's definitely good for all the fans and one of the toughest days for the drivers. I'm definitely looking forward to it. It should be a great show and a happy occasion for one of us".
After talking with Scott tonight at a fan autograph signing at one of Miami's largest shopping malls he certainly seemed very relaxed - they after all don't call him the Iceman for nothing you know. He told me the heat would not be a problem once you are in the car you just get on with it and it will be fun.
As for that autograph signing thousands of fans turned out to see their stars and it was hosted at the Miami Dadeland shopping mall. All the drivers for this weekend's race tuned up and signed autographs for they fans for over an hour. The two seater Indy Car was there as well and complete with Road Rego and Lights taking twenty fans for rides around the downtown streets - pretty cool eh.
Well that's news and today's pic is from the signing tonight - just proves again how good these guys all are when it comes to PR and promotion of the brand they call Indy Car Racing and the respect they have for the fans.
More tomorrow.
