INDY Racing League: Texas- Scheckter Wins, Patrick Looks Like Rookie

FORT WORTH, Texas June 12, 2005; Mike Harris writing for the AP reported that Tomas Scheckter edged Sam Hornish Jr. by half a car-length Saturday night to win at Texas Motor Speedway, while Danica Patrick finished 13th -- last on the lead lap -- in the first Indy Racing League race since her thrilling finish at the Indianapolis 500.

Scheckter, who raced to his only other series victory in Michigan in 2002, pushed a Chevrolet-powered car to victory for the first time since Hornish did it in the 2003 series finale for Panther Racing -- the team for which Sheckter now drives.

Chevrolet had only two cars in the 22-car field and plans to pull out of the IRL after the season. But the engine had plenty of horsepower at the Bombardier Learjet 500, where Sheckter led 119 of the 200 laps.

"American Revolution, baby," the jubilant 24-year-old said. "It's good. They really worked really hard. I take my hat off to all of them, and it shows that they've come back harder than ever to win here and I thank them a lot.

"I want to be doing this again and again. We want to do this every weekend.

Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon, going for a record fourth win in a row in the series, threatened early but finished sixth.

"Danica Mania," in full bloom since Patrick finished fourth in the Indy 500, took a night off as the 23-year-old racer, the only woman in the field, quickly slipped back into the pack after starting third and wound up finishing an uneventful 13th, the last driver on the lead lap.

After leading in each of her last two races and coming close to winning at Indy, Patrick was never a factor Saturday. Instead, she gave up the spotlight to a pack of IRL veterans who put on another in a series of great side-by-side racing shows on the 1 1/2-mile Texas oval.

"It seems a lot like Homestead in March," she said, referring to her IRL debut, in which she ran well but back in the pack before getting caught up in a crash. "It's a lot of side-by-side racing, and it's just something I have to get used to.

"I kind of had the same things happen at Homestead; you know, you drop back at the beginning, kind of figure it out, then you're behind -- it's OK. It's all part of the learning curve. Places like the last race at Indy, I had lots of time to practice, so ... as you can see, I just need practice."

The battle at the end came down to Scheckter, who started from the pole for the third time in six races here, and two-time series champion Hornish, with Scheckter -- the son of former Formula One champion Jody Scheckter -- winning by 0.534 seconds, less than a car-length. It was the 10th-closest finish in IRL history.

Scheckter, who had led more laps here than any other nonwinner and never finished above 15th, threw his hands in the air in celebration as the crowd of about 100,000 cheered.

Tony Kanaan, the defending series champion, wound up a close third, followed by Scott Sharp and Helio Castroneves, who all raced in a tight pack over the final 20 laps, with Scheckter and Hornish pulling away at the end.

Hornish did everything he could to get past Scheckter in the last few laps, getting up to the rear of the leader but never able to pull alongside.

"The outside pass, I think, with the right timing, I'd be able to get it. But, as it turned out, I didn't have enough time."