FanHouse ScottDixon

For the first time since open-wheel racing in America split prior to the 1996 season, the two factions were back together racing on the same track Saturday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

It was Scott Dixon, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, that would ultimately pick up the historic win in the Gainsco Indy 300 following leader Tony Kanaan getting taken out in a late wreck.

Kanaan, who Dixon was catching during the closing laps, got taken out of the event after driver Ernesto Visto lost control and Kanaan couldn't avoid him, damaging his front suspension. From there, Dixon sailed to the win.

Marco Andretti, Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves, and Ed Carpenter rounded out the top-5 of a relatively clean race with only two crashes and three caution periods.

Next week, the series heads to St. Petersburg, Fla. for its first street course event of the season -- a race that many of the former Champ Car drivers are viewing as something much more suited to their driving experience.

Unlike Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series race, the IRL race at Texas Motor Speedway was nothing to snooze at.

The Bombardier Learjet 550 was complete with on track drama, "the big one," the first win of the season for the reigning champion and a career-high finish for the series' star female driver.

I'll admit I tuned in to see the follow up on the Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon incident that occurred last week in Milwaukee which had the feisty female wanting to duke it out with her competitor following an on-track incident. Boringly, that story seems to have ended with Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage adding another piece of memorabilia to his office: boxing gloves signed by both drivers.

Things ended up getting exciting anyway, though, on lap 87 when Marco Andretti chopped Tomas Scheckter and sent him sailing across the infield. A very angry Scheckter stormed the track and threw his gloves at Andretti (video link when I find it). And here I thought that kind of stuff only happened in NASCAR.

On lap 197, Scheckter's Vision Racing teammate Anthony Foyt IV lost a tire and caused a multi-car pileup, which took out Wheldon and his Target Chip Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon, who had previously battled for the lead, as well as Helio Castroneves, Darren Manning, Ed Carpenter and Sarah Fisher.

Watch Tony Kanaan glide through the slowing cars and flying parts unscathed:

"I'm not going to brag about it," Kanaan said. "I have no idea how I made it through. It was like 'Days of Thunder.' I kind of closed my eyes and went full throttle and made it through. Sometimes you've got to be lucky."

At the end of the day, Sam Hornish Jr. brought home the win for Penske and Andretti Green Racing finished 2-3-4 with Kanaan, Patrick (career high) and 2007 Indy 500 winder Dario Franchitti.

I was already planning to watch IRL's debut in my home state at Iowa Speedway later this month. Now I'm thinking I might have to consider a trip home to attend the Iowa Corn Indy 250 in person.