Gossage’s wish for a closer IndyCar race denied

Kanaan tells Gossage to stick to his day job

Tony Kanaan offered career advice to Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage on Saturday night.
Keep your day job of promoting races.

"He's one of the best promoters I've seen," Kanaan said. "I think that's what he should stick with. Let us race. That's what we do."

Gossage rankled some Verizon IndyCar drivers with comments about recent races at TMS lacking excitement. Gossage suggested the series needed closer finishes.

"That's his opinion," Kanaan said. "He's not racing cars."

Gossage did not get what he hoped for in the Firestone 600. Scott Dixon led 94 of the final 103 laps on his way to an easy victory over Kanaan, a teammate with Chip Ganassi Racing. It was the third straight IndyCar race at TMS in which the winner dominated the final stage.

Whether this was a good race was in the eye of the beholder. Helio Castroneves, who finished third, raved about the competition. There were no accidents, and the winning speed was a track-record 191.940 mph.

"It was a very tough one," Castroneves said. "I don't think we could have raced any closer."