NASHVILLE, Tennessee, 21 July 2003 — Indy 500 winner Gil de Ferran of Brazil scored his second victory of the year, holding off New Zealander Scott Dixon in the closing laps of a Nashville 200 race which finished under caution on Saturday.
Brazilian Helio Castroneves finished third to complete a podium sweep for Toyota-powered Indycars. He and de Ferran were in Dallaras while Dixon was driving a G-Force. De Ferran, who finished second here last year, said he had a “perfect strategy, perfect car”.
“I know that in both years I had a fantastic car here, and I guess it shows in the results,” he added.
The race was shaping up as a shootout between de Ferran and Dixon when Buddy Lazier brought out two separate cautions in the last six laps of the race. Britain’s Dan Wheldon, in his first full year in the series, finished fourth in a Honda-powered Dallara. De Ferran (289 points) is now only 14 points behind series leader Tony Kanaan of Brazil, who was ninth on Saturday. Dixon is one point behind de Ferran.
