Scott Dixon hugs Dan Wheldon, left, after winning the Gainsco Indy 300 on Saturday night in Homestead, Fla.

Homestead, Fla. ? Scott Dixon took the lead after Tony Kanaan crashed Saturday night and went on to win the first race of the new era of American open-wheel racing.

Dixon, who lost the IRL IndyCar Series championship when he ran out of fuel on the last lap of the 2007 season, got off to a great start with a victory in the Gainsco Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Kanaan came out of the last round of green flag pit stops in the lead and appeared well on the way to a victory until Ernesto Viso, a rookie driving for one of the former Champ Car World Series teams that just joined the IRL, spun on the 193rd of 200 laps.

As Viso slid broadside across the track, Kanaan tried to duck around him but hit with the right front of his Dallara Honda, knocking his tire askew.

Kanaan stayed out front for several laps behind the pace car, but ducked into the pits as the green flag waved on lap 197, giving up the lead to Dixon, who won for the second time on Homestead’s 1.5-mile oval.

“We were catching (Kanaan) quick, and that was the best part about it,” Dixon said. “It would have been close at the end.

“This is fantastic. I think it’s four wins in a row for Ganassi cars at Homestead.”

Marco Andretti finished second, followed by Dan Wheldon, who had won the last three Homestead races for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, and Helio Castroneves.

Ed Carpenter finished a lap off the pace in fifth, followed by Danica Patrick.

Of the eight former Champ Car entries, Oriol Servia was the top finisher in 12th.

Despite the fact that most of the newcomers had little or no oval racing experience, there were only three caution flags in the race.

Before Viso spun, the only cautions were brought out by debris on the track and then when Milka Duno spun and hit Ryan Briscoe as he tried to squeeze by near the top of the banking.