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Associated Press 18y

Schumacher dominates in fifth Indy win

INDIANAPOLIS -- Now this was a celebration for Michael
Schumacher.

A year ago, he was dour after winning the U.S. Grand Prix. On
Sunday, after capturing the race for the fifth time, and becoming
the first driver in any series to win five races at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he cut loose.

The 37-year-old driver tossed his Brazilian teammate in the air,
sprayed champagne and took a leap after stepping onto the victory
podium. Then he waved his arms like a maestro as the crowd sang
along with the German anthem.

"I've had very good times here," he said. "I feel very
excited right now and on the podium I showed a lot of emotions.
There are a lot of reasons that come into it, and it's something
special."

In 2005, Schumacher accepted his accolades quietly, not even
cracking a smile. After 14 of 22 cars were withdrawn moments before
the race because of a safety issue, he was in no mood to party
after what he considered an embarrassing performance by Formula
One.

He made up for it this year, proving he is the king of the U.S.
Grand Prix, no matter the size of the field. The seven-time Formula
One champion won for the fourth straight time on the 2.6-mile,
13-turn road course at the famed Brickyard.

The only other drivers to win as many as four at Indy are A.J.
Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears -- all in the Indianapolis 500 -- and
NASCAR's Jeff Gordon in the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard.

Schumacher, pumping a fist, was followed 7.9 seconds later by
Felipe Massa for a 1-2 Ferrari finish.

Formula One champ Fernando Alonso, who had won six of the first
nine races and four in a row entering Sunday, was never in
contention and wound up fifth. Giancarlo Fisichella, Alonso's
Renault teammate, finished third, followed by Toyota's Jarno
Trulli.

Schumacher won for the third time this season and the 87th time
of his career. What's more, he cut Alonso's championship lead from
25 points to 19 with eight of 18 races left.

"We can only hope to keep some of the edge we have this weekend
the rest of the season," Schumacher said. "This is a big step
toward the championship. And to have Felipe alongside is just a
dream result."

Massa's best finish until Sunday was third in the European Grand
Prix at Nurburgring on May 7, Schumacher's previous victory.

"The car was really great, and I tried as hard as I could to
increase the gap," Massa said. "But Michael was really too quick
on the out lap and he managed to pass me. But I'm very happy.
Hopefully, we carry on at this pace until the end of the year."

Alonso said his team was not competitive all weekend, and he has
"nothing new to say about the race." As for Schumacher gaining
ground, the Spaniard did not seem overly concerned.

"The races keep going and the gap never decreases below 15
points," he said. "So it's a comfortable gap."

Schumacher was not proud of his win a year ago when he raced
against only the five other cars on Bridgestone tires. The 14 cars
entered on Michelin tires withdrew moments before the start after
the French company decided there was a possible safety issue and a
compromise could not be reached.

Spectators responded by throwing beer and water bottles. Many
disgruntled fans left long before the checkered flag.

This year, with renewed fan enthusiasm and a turnout estimated
at more than 130,000, all 22 drivers started. Eight were sidelined
after a first-lap crash and only nine cars were running at the end.

Massa started alongside pole-winner Schumacher, taking the lead
at the start and staying in front until the first pit stops.
Schumacher trailed Massa by just under a second before the stops
and came out of his pit on lap 29 in front of the Brazilian by
nearly three seconds.

Alonso led for one lap before making his first stop on lap 31.
That left Schumacher out front and the rest of the race was a
runaway.

Heading into the first of 73 laps, the McLaren-Mercedes cars
driven by 2000 Indy 500 winner Juan Pablo Montoya and Kimi
Raikkonen bumped, setting off an eight-car melee.

As cars bounced off each other and skidded off the track,
Honda's Jenson Button and Sauber's Nick Heidfeld touched wheels,
sending Heidfeld's car into a gravel trap. The car dug into the
gravel and began flipping, barrel-rolling several times.

"I don't know exactly what happened," said Heidfeld, who was
not hurt. "I had a very good start and had already made up three
positions. Then, all of a sudden, I was airborne."

Also knocked out in the crash were Scott Speed, Mark Webber,
Christian Klien and Franck Montagny. Button continued but quit
after three laps.

"We had an awesome start," said Speed, the first American to
race in F1 since Michael Andretti in 1993. "Of course, you always
want to finish one in front of your home crowd. But that's racing.
I didn't make any mistakes so, for that, I'm OK."

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