8B SPORTS
THE UNIVERSITY OF LAKERSAN
THURSDAY APRIL 2, 2009
NASCAR
HURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2009
Dixon favored to repeat IRL victory Driver to head to season-opener Sunday in St. Petersburg
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Everything seems to favor Scott Dixon in his bid to win a second straight IRL IndyCar Series championship.
Helio Castroneve, the 2008 runner-up who pushed Dixon to last season's final checkered flag, will miss at least the first few
races of 2009 while defending himself against federal tax evasion charges.
And 2007 series champion Dario Franchitti, Dixon's new teammate at Target Chip Ganassi Racing
"To try and repeat 2008 is going to be very tough."
and considered by many his major challenger may take a while to shake off the rust after a failed bid to transition to NASACR last year.
Dixon, meanwhile, heads into the season-opening race at St. Petersburg on Sunday with the same strong team that took him to his second series title last season.
SCOTT DIXON
NASCAR Driver
But the New Zealander laughed when a reporter said it looks like he has an easier road this year to another IndyCar championship.
"Yeah, right," he said, shaking his head. "To try and repeat 2008 is going to be very tough. ... We definitely are going to have a target on our backs and it's going to be a hard season.
"Its a shame that Helio is having to go through this and will miss the start of the season, but there are plenty of drivers, including my teammate, that are going to make this one of the most competitive seasons ever in our series."
Castroneves, the personable Brazilian as well known for winning "Dancing with the Stars" as for his two Indianapolis 500 victories, is also at risk of having his racing career short.
Franchitti, whose NASCAR
experiment ended abruptly last summer due to a lack qf sponsorship, is confident he can get up to speed in an IndyCar fast enough to be a threat for a second championship.
"I felt good at the (offseason) tests," he said. "It came back quickly and, being with this team, with all the resources that Chip
gives them, is a big help, too."
Franchitti, who won his title with Andretti Green Racing, also expects a hard-fought championship battle from former AGR teammate Tony Kanaan, Team Penske drivers Ryan Briscoe and
Will Power — the at least temporary replacement for Castroneves — and possibly several others
Unlike the chaotic start to last season, which began just six weeks after the unexpected unification of IndyCar and longtime rival Champ Car, the drivers and teams that made that transition now have all the latest equipment and a year's worth of experience with the cars and the tracks.
"I know some
"I know some of the drivers and teams who made the transition last year from Champ Car had to figure everything out because it was so new, particularly the ovals," Franchi said.
"But they're very good and I won't be surprised if somebody like Newman/Haas/Lanigan (Racing), with Graham Rahal) and Robert) Doornibos, are very competitive."
"I think more than ever this year it will be about winning races," said Kanaan, last year's third-place finisher and the 2004 series champion. ("Last year) Helio showed
how consistent you can be and still not win a championship, and Dixon showed that winning races is the best way. It's a combination, but winning races this year is going to be more important."
Dixon matched the season-record of six victories in 2008, but didn't wrap up the title until the final points race of the year as Castronews applied the pressure. The Brazilian gave Dixon a scare with both of his season wins, four runner-up finishes and a third all coming in the final seven races of the season.
"We did not deliver as much as we should have last year. I think we failed on the driver's side to get it done."
Lack of consistency was a problem for AGR last year, with its four drivers combining for just two wins, 21 top-five finishes and 40 top-10s in 68 starts.
But, for the first time since 2005, the team's lineup returns intact, led by Kanan. He is joined by Danica Patrick, coming off a year in which racing's glamor girl finally got her long-awaited first victory and improved to sixth place in the points, 22-year-old Marco Andretti, son of team coowner and longtime driving great Michael Andretti, and 2008 rookie of the year Hideki Mutoh.
TONY KANAAN
NASCAR Driver
"Continuity is definitely a nice
thing," said Michael Andretti, whose team has won three titles in the last five seasons. "There's no adjusting going on. That's always good because you can hit it strong right away. Everybody knows everybody. That definitely a positive for us."
Kanaan expects big improvement from everyone.
"Last year was a year we could say, 'Oh, they're young, they're learning,' but now it's time to do it." Kanaan said. "We did not deliver as much as we should have last year. I think we failed on the driver's side to get it done. We talked, and this year we're saying, 'No excuses.'"
Jenny Terrell/KANSAM
Valerie George, senior pitcher, in the game against Missouri on Wednesday night. Kansas lost the first game 8-0 but won the second 4-1 on a walk-off home run by junior first baseman Amani Jobe.
2 Blocks West of HyVee on Clinton Pkwy.
SOFTBALL (CONTINUED FROM 1B)
GAME 1
No.11 Missouri 8, Kansas0
GAME2
**TWNAS**
WP — Delaney (7-2)
LP — George (7-11)
HR — Ubrun (MU, 5)
Christopher (MU, 4)
Kansas 4,
No. 11 Missouri 1
WP — Vertekla (4-4),
LP — Noteltmann (8-1)
HR — Kocon (KU, 2),
Jobe (KU, 2)
Not lost in the Jayhawks' late innings rally was the strong effort from junior pitcher Sarah Vertelka. She worked seven innings, allowing only five hits and one run to
a lot of pop." Bunge said. "She did what she needs to do to be successful - she kept the ball down."
the Tigers, who entered the game leading the Big 12 with a .334 team average.
"That was a very good effort from Sarah against a Missouri team with
With the comeback, Kansas (11-20, 1-3) got their first conference victory, as well as a boost in confidence.
"This was big for both our overall psyche and our momentum," Bunge said. "This was a huge win for us."
Jobe agreed with her coach. "We've been struggling lately, no one can deny it," she said. "but we can really build off of this win."
Edited by Susan Melgren
KANSAS CONTAINS LEADOFF HITTER
notes
BUNGE NEARS MILESTONE
RAINJS CONTAINS LEADOFF HITTER
The Jayhawks did a solid job containing the Tiger's speedy leadoff hitter Rhea Taylor. The sophomore outfielder had only two hits in her nine at bats, but she still made her presence felt with two steals and one run scored.
With Kansas' walk-off victory in game two, coach Tracy Bunge is now only one victory away from 400 as coach at Kansas. She will have a chance to achieve that milestone on Saturday, when the Jayhawks will play Texas Tech.
Ben Ward
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