IndyCar Series

Honda Indy 200 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course - Lexington, OH

There was a huge celebration for Scott Dixon and the whole Chip Ganassi Racing organization amid rain drops falling on the Nashville Superspeedway last Saturday night. Dixon's victory in the Firestone Indy 200 at Nashville was not only the point leader's fourth win of the season, but the 100th overall win for Ganassi as well.

Ganassi has already posted 22 victories as a team owner in the IndyCar Series. His first victory came in May 2000 when Juan Pablo Montoya won the Indianapolis 500. Montoya now competes in the Sprint Cup Series, driving the No.42 entry for Ganassi.

All 14 of Dixon's IndyCar career wins have come with Ganassi, including a victory in last year's inaugural race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Dixon capitalized on a late-race pit strategy by taking the checkered flag at Mid-Ohio.

On lap 70, Helio Castroneves gave up the top spot to take his last pit stop. During the next few laps the rest of the leaders cycled through their last stops. Dixon used a fast fuel stop only and re-entered the track ahead of Castroneves for second.

Dario Franchitti was able to stay out longer and took over the lead. His plan was to build a large enough lead where he would be able to pit and keep the first position. Franchitti's lead was 16 seconds when he came down pit road with 10 to go.

Would Franchitti be able to pit and come out ahead of Dixon?

That question was answered when Franchitti, coming out of the pits, saw Dixon fly by him on the track.

This proved to be the race winning moment as the remaining laps saw very little passing. Dixon crossed the finish line 2.6917 seconds ahead of Franchitti for his third consecutive victory of the season. Dixon had won at Nashville and Watkins Glen prior to Mid-Ohio.

Castroneves, Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick completed the top-five.

Dixon's had a successful tenure with Ganassi so far, winning the Indianapolis 500 this year and capturing the series championship in 2003.

"Having been a part of this team for almost seven years now, you understand exactly what it takes to win the big races and championships at the highest levels of racing," Dixon said. "I think the tremendous amount of success the organization has seen is a direct result of the team Chip has assembled over the years. The people are the ones that truly make a difference."

Dixon now holds a healthy 63-point lead over Helio Castroneves with six races remaining in the season. Dan Wheldon, Dixon's teammate at Ganassi, is third in the standings, 69 markers behind.

Formula One

German Grand Prix - Hockenheimring - Hockenheim, Germany

Two weeks after winning a rainy British Grand Prix and moving into a three-way tie with Kimi Raikkonen and Felipe Massa for the top spot in the point standings, Englishman Lewis Hamilton is looking forward to this weekend's German Grand Prix.

Last week, Hamilton was fastest among 12 drivers testing at the 4.574- kilometer Hockenheimring in Hockenheim, Germany. Hamilton, in a McLaren Mercedes, turned in a total of 101 laps during the three-day test session.

He also evaluated several new aero components while preparing for the German Grand Prix.

"I am pleased to be back testing as I just love spending time in the car, Hamilton said after the first day of testing. "Its a great feeling being part of the development process with the team and I do anything I can to help. We are all pushing hard to try and win the World Championships."

For Hamilton, this will be his first Formula One start at Hockenheim.

"I was at Hockenheim in 2005 when I won a Formula 3 EuroSeries race and in 2006 with GP2 when I finished second and third," Hamilton said. "Its actually quite a straightforward circuit to get into, and it helps that our car just feels so awesome at the moment. Theres a bit of everything around here and its quite fun to throw the car into some of the high-speed corners, like Turn One and Turn 12 - the high-speed right-hander into the stadium section."

The first F1 race held at Hockenheim, in 1970, was dramatic as Jochen Rindt drove his Lotus home, a nose in front of Jacky Ickx's Ferrari.

In response to the drivers not wishing to compete at the Nurburgring, following Niki Lauder's near fatal accident in 1976, the race returned to Hockenheim in 1977. Lauder, ironically enough, won the '77 race.

The most memorable race at this circuit was in 1982 when Nelson Piquet made the headlines after trying to punch Eliseo Salazar after they collided. It also saw Didier Pironi badly injured during wet practice for the race, and his teammate, Patrick Tambay, went on to score an emotional win.

The craziest race held here would have to be 1994 when, at the end of the first lap, only half the field remained. Michael Schumacher retired, and Gerhard Berger went on to give Ferrari their first win in four years.

Last year, organizers moved the German round of the F1 World Championship to the Nurburgring and renamed the event the European Grand Prix due to a disagreement over naming rights.

Fernando Alonso out-drove Felipe Massa over the final laps to capture the 2007 Grand Prix of Europe at the Nurburgring. The two-time World Champion crossed the finish line 8.1 seconds ahead of Massa. It was his third victory of the season and the 13th of his F1 career.