ON TO THE SPEEDWAY; Dan Wheldon wins Kansas, carries momentum to Indy.(Competition)

Byline: CURT CAVIN

If nothing else, the IndyCar Series race at Kansas Speedway provided a solid preview of the upcoming Indianapolis 500.

There was action throughout the 27-car field, both on the track and in the pits, with controversy, competition, strong newcomers and angry crew members. And there is, literally, a target team to chase entering the month of May.

Chip Ganassi's team, sponsored by Target, of course, dominated the Road Runner Turbo Indy 300, with Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon combining to lead 194 of the 200 laps. That was no surprise, actually, as they led 193 laps in last year's race, and Wheldon won for the second-straight year.

But in this case, Dixon was the dominator. He led 145 of the first 151 laps and likely would have finished first had a caution not caught him in the pits. He was getting service when Buddy Rice slammed the second-turn wall on lap 153.

By the time the lineup shuffling took place and everyone pitted, Dixon was in the back of the pack, officially in seventh place. It was too much to overcome, and he was third when the checkered flag fell.

Remember, this is the same driver who should have won the week before in Japan. Dixon dominated the second half of the race, only to see Danica Patrick and Helio Castroneves execute a better fuel strategy as he came home third.