HOMESTEAD, Florida (Ticker) - Scott Dixon, who barely lost last year's IndyCar Series title, laid claim that he is the driver to beat in 2008 after winning the Saturday night's season opener in the Gainsco Auto Insurance Indy 300.

Dixon captured the victory in a most unusual way, however.

Tony Kanaan was on his way to the victory before Ernesto Viso crashed. As Viso's car was sliding down the track it clipped the Dallara of Kanaan, who was trying to avoid the crashed car with six laps remaining.

Kanaan was able to stay in front under caution despite the fact the left-front suspension had collapsed.

But when the green flag waved with three laps to go, Kanaan had to drop to the low side of the track, allowing Dixon to speed by and take the lead.

Dixon went on to score his second win at Homestead. He won his first-ever IndyCar start here in 2003.

Kanaan finished eighth after his unfortunate incident snatched victory from his grasp.

"We were catching him quick but TK (Kanaan) had a great car," Dixon said. "We got the win and that is what counts. This is fantastic, a great way to start the season."

Dixon defeated Marco Andretti by 0.5828-seconds. Dan Wheldon, Dixon's teammate, was third followed by Helio Castroneves.

The top four cars were all on the lead lap. Fifth place went to Ed Carpenter, who was one lap down.

This was the first IndyCar Series race since the sport was unified with teams coming over from Champ Car.

"The guys that came in from Champ Car were fantastic out there," Dixon said. "They gave everybody tons of room. I didn't really have a problem with anybody. I'm sure there were some others that did. But the problem I had were with a couple of guys that we run with week in and week out.

"I think with the inaugural unification of the two (it) is great to win. But to be honest, we haven't really given them a fair shot at it. They've had to try and come around quick and get cars together. I think next year is going to be the real championship of the unification. Those guys can have strong showings at different places throughout the year, but to be fair, they haven't had much time to prepare."

Oriol Servia was the highest-finishing driver from Champ Car in 12th place - five laps off the pace.

Andretti led three times for 85 laps - the most in the race - but Dixon was in front three times for 67 laps. There were 12 lead changes among five drivers.

There were only three yellow flags for 24 laps which boosted the average speed to 171.248 miles per hour.

The first caution for an on-track incident came on lap 128, when Milka Duno of Venezuela spun out of the second turn and drifted up the race track, barely clipping the rear wing on Ryan Briscoe's car.

Briscoe was making his Team Penske debut after replacing three-time IndyCar champion Sam Hornish Jr.

"I was have such a great race, it was going the way we wanted it to do and I was taking my time out there, working my way through traffic, it was perfect but it's a shame I was in the wrong place at the wrong time," Briscoe said. "I've been pretty impressed. A lot of the new teams coming over aren't up to speed yet but the drivers are doing a great job, making it easy for them to go by them."

"I think he did a great job, we're just trying to get a good race in here and it's unfortunate we didn't finish it," team owner Roger Penske said of Briscoe. "It was a good race, a lot of cars with a lot of inexperience but it will get better."

Entering the race, there was a fear that some of the inexperienced newcomers to IndyCar that had come over from the Champ Car Series might be treacherous on the track, but that was not the case.

Unfortunately, for those drivers, they were slow but did not cause any hazardous situations for the faster cars racing at the front.

Dixon led the race from the pole before Kanaan took the lead on the 13th lap. The yellow flag waved on lap 18 for debris and, when the race restarted, Dixon was the leader in front of Kanaan, Castroneves and Briscoe.

Andretti took the lead for the first time on lap 74 after a green-flag pit stop sequence. The son of team owner and former driver Michael Andretti then began to take control of the race.

Danica Patrick, who had dropped off the lead lap, topped off her fuel tank on lap 140, which put her on the outside edge of making the distance depending on another caution period.

After the Duno-Briscoe incident, the green flag waved on lap 142 with Andretti in front followed by Wheldon, Kanaan and Dixon. Patrick was in eighth position, one lap down.

With 47 laps to go, the top four were running together led by Andretti followed by Wheldon, Kanaan and Dixon.

Kanaan got around Wheldon on lap 158 and began to chase down Andretti.

Andretti had to get off the throttle to avoid Mario Moraes, one of the Champ Car drivers, when Andretti was confused which lane the newcomer would take. That was enough for Kanaan to drive by to take the lead on lap 160.

Kanaan pitted with 27 laps to go, allowing Andretti to retake the lead.

Andretti pitted for the final time on lap 175 and that gave the lead to Wheldon, who pitted on lap 178 to put Castroneves in front.

Castroneves pitted for the final time on lap 181. He was in and out in 6.9 seconds and that put Kanaan in front of Patrick.

Patrick pitted on lap 185 and that simplified the battle for the victory before Viso had an outcome on the race by taking out Kanaan while he was in the lead.

"I've been around a long time and the race is not finished until the checkered flag," Kanaan said. "This was a misfortune - yes. But how many times have I won' races because some other guy was unlucky? With 10 laps to go I was looking around and I was thinking, This looks too easy.

"When somebody spins and he's doing 230 miles an hour, you're like, 'Where should I go?' I slowed down. He was on the bottom so I went to the top. Then, all of a sudden he started to go to the top and I was trying to go to the bottom so there was nothing I could do about it. The way I look at it, this is right where I finished in 2004 and we know the way that year turned out."

It was Dixon's 11th career IndyCar Series win and his first victory since Infineon last August. It was the 17th victory in the IndyCar Series for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, which has won the last three races at Homestead-Miami and four of the eight events contested at this track.

It also puts Dixon in a familiar place at the top of the points standings and further evidence he may be the driver to beat for the 2008 title.

"Finishing second, with Dario Franchitti leaving, you would sort of think that," Dixon admitted. "I think every year there is a crop of five, six or seven of us that have a great shot at it. And I think you saw all of us racing at the top tonight. It's going to be a tough championship.

"Every year I think any driver you ask them, they'd like to think they are the man to beat."

Updated on Sunday, Mar 30, 2008 0:42, EDT