Staff reports
May 28, 2008
Two dizzying days after capturing the illustrious Indy 500, Scott Dixon's whirlwind celebration tour landed in Manhattan yesterday. Dixon met with reporters at Langan's restaurant, as the Indy Racing League tries to better integrate itself into the New York scene.
The open-wheel circuit has struggled worldwide since the IRL split a dozen years ago, but the hope is their recent merger with Champ Car will bring fans back to the sport. "It's a tough market," Dixon said. "It's hectic. We have an upstate New York market that's doing pretty good."
The Big Apple, however, is a different story. Forget the IRL, NASCAR has trouble breaking through in this market. Which is why events like yesterday's exist.
But you'll have a tough time getting Dixon depressed over it, not after the 27-year-old New Zealander tasted the most-famous milk in sports after getting to Victory Lane Sunday.
"The ceremonial process, with the wreath and the milk, is the best," he said. "That was the sweetest milk I ever had. The only problem with it was, an hour later, I was smelling pretty bad."
