WEST ALLIS, Wis. -- For the smallest moment Ryan Briscoe thought it was going to be another one of the bad luck days that have dogged him this season.
The 23-year-old Australian was working hard late in Sunday's IndyCar race at the Milwaukee Mile to hold off Indianapolis 500 winner Scott Dixon and, all of sudden, the track ahead was enveloped in smoke and all he could do was hit the brakes hard and hope.
"A million things went through my mind when I saw all that smoke," Briscoe said. "With a couple of laps to go, I knew how to keep Dixon behind me. I think I'd have been in tears if I didn't get through."
It was just four laps from the end of the ABC Supply A.J. Foyt 225 when pole-winner Marco Andretti and Ed Carpenter collided, sending both into the wall. Vitor Meira, who had crashed in qualifying on Saturday, then drove over Andretti's car and slammed into the concrete barrier, with Briscoe close enough to see the underside of Meira's car.
"I think it was less than a foot," Briscoe said.
Somehow, though, his No. 6 Team Penske Dallara came through the melee unscathed and Briscoe was able to drive slowly to the checkered flag under caution, claiming his first IndyCar victory and the 300th overall win for Roger Penske's racing team.
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| Ryan Briscoe's team gives him a lift after the Milwaukee Mile victory. (AP) |
"It's huge," Briscoe said. "It feels so good to get the win. The car was just magic today. We just came through the field."
The youngster, who lost his ride after a season with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2005, received another chance with Penske's team this year but crashed in three of the first five races, falling all the way to 19th in the points before Sunday's win boosted him to eighth, 100 points behind leader Dixon.
"This will help in the points and, hopefully, we can just keep getting some front-running positions in the rest of the championship," Briscoe said.
He dedicated the win to former Penske driver Rick Mears, a four-time Indy winner who is now a consultant for the team. Mears was honored before the race on the 30th anniversary of his first win, which came on the same track.
"I can't tell you how special it is to win my first IndyCar race on the 30th anniversary of Rick's first win," Briscoe said. "I wouldn't have won it without his advice here."
Penske said he was proud of his new driver, the 15th different winner for the team in IndyCar racing.
