2008 Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300
motor car race
The 2008 GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 was the opening round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season and took place on March 29, 2008 at the 1.485-mile (2.390 km) Homestead-Miami Speedway. For the first time in series history, the reigning champion was not on the grid to defend his title, as Dario Franchitti had moved to the No. 40 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car for Chip Ganassi Racing. Graham Rahal was supposed to make his debut in this race, however due to a crash in testing his team could not get his car repaired in time for the race. 2003 champion Scott Dixon kicked off the season with the victory, on his way to the series championship.
Qualifying
All cars run four laps and the car which completes the laps in the quickest time, wins the pole.
The Vision Racing entries of Ed Carpenter and A. J. Foyt IV, who qualified second and third, failed technical inspection and were moved to the back of the starting grid.
Race
Average race speed: 171.248 mph
Cautions: 3 for 24 laps
Lead changes: 12
Broadcasting
Television
The race was televised in high definition in the United States on ESPN 2, the telecast utilized the Side-by-Side format for commercial breaks.
Radio
The race was broadcast on radio by the IMS Radio Network. Mike King served as anchor.
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