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| | Wednesday, October 20 | |||||
| Results
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The only time Greg Ray panicked Sunday was when he couldn't find his Pokemon cards. Confident after tracking down his good-luck charms, Ray outlasted rain, cool temperatures and other obstacles that tripped his four closest competitors to capture his first Indy Racing League championship. Ray finished third behind first-time winner Mark Dismore in the season-ending Mall.com 500, but it was enough to give him the points title and a $500,000 bonus for both himself and team owner John Menard. "It's a huge accomplishment to win here, especially in my home state," said Ray, who lives about an hour away in Plano. "This is truly incredible." Ray began streaking to the championship after his oldest son, 6-year-old Winston, gave him some of the popular trading cards to carry during a June race at the Texas Motor Speedway. A second good-luck trinket was a black-and-white portrait photo of Winston and Ray's other son, 1-year-old Simon, that had a penny taped to the back. Ray, who had been 21st in the first three races of the season, finished second the first time he carried the items. Then he won three of the next five to take over the points standings; he was without the charms only in the events where he finished 21st and 23rd. During a nearly four-hour rain delay Sunday, drivers were told to get to their cars to prepare for the start. That's when Ray realized what he was missing. "They caught me off guard," he said. "My heart hit my throat because I didn't have my cards in my pocket. I was afraid I'd left them at home. I frantically went back to my briefcase and they were there. "I knew the day was going to be good then." Ray started the day with a 16-point lead over defending champion Kenny Brack and 33 points ahead of Sam Schmidt, Ray's house guest this weekend. Scott Sharp and Scott Goodyear were mathematical long shots. Of those five, only Ray was running at the end. After Scott Goodyear, who won the June race here, crashed while in the lead, Brack and Ray dueled for the lead. Ray was in front when a tire problem knocked out Brack with 22 laps left. Ray was easily in the lead then, but he pitted for fuel and new tires. It cost him a chance to win the race because shortly after he returned, Robby Unser wiped out, forcing 11 of the last 13 laps to be run under caution. Dismore, who started on the front row alongside polesitter Ray, crossed the finish just ahead of Davey Hamilton. Dismore dedicated the victory to his father, who is fighting prostate cancer. "Dad, this is for you," a teary-eyed Dismore said as he approached victory lane. "I hope you beat that damn cancer." Scott Harrington, who finished sixth, earned the rookie of the year title and a $50,000 bonus. Ray joined Menard's team last October in hopes that his deep pockets would take the driver farther than his low-budget team could. Ray, 33, celebrated the season championship by doing doughnuts at each end of the frontstretch. It was his way of thanking the home crowd, which was smaller than 50,000 because of the inclement weather. Dropping temperatures forced the IRL for the first time in its four-year history to use a green-yellow start for the race and after nearly every caution. The combination meant drivers could speed up but not jockey for position. Only green was waved once tires reached safe temperatures. "I think it was a terrific idea," Ray said. There were several one-car and two-car incidents, but none seemed to be caused by the weather or track conditions. The first big crash was Goodyear's. On the restart, Scott Sharp knocked out Schmidt. Schmidt broke his left foot and fractured a toe on his right foot. Goodyear reinjured the left leg he broke in the previous race. The two shared a helicopter ride to a Dallas hospital. None of Sunday's collisions were as bad as the Saturday incident on pit road when rookie Niclas Jonsson lost control of his car and injured 12 people, including nine members of Tyce Carlson's crew. Using borrowed crew members, Carlson finished 13th. Jonsson was unable to compete. Sarah Fisher's first race ended in disappointment when a broken timing chain knocked out the 19-year-old after 99 laps. The youngest driver in IRL history and only the second female plans to join the circuit full time next season. "I am a little upset now, but I really like the people that I'm around and I'm looking forward to racing next year," she said. | ALSO SEE Slow down champ! Ray ticketed for speeding
Notebook: Carlson competes with borrowed team
Three still hospitalized after IRL pit road accident
AUDIO/VIDEO   Mark Dismore takes the checked flag in the Mall.com 500 for his first career IRL victory.avi: 849 k RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1  Greg Ray says everyone at Team Menard hung tough in order to win the IRL championship.wav: 146 k RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6  | |||||