Barron out to defend 'spin and win' victory.

Alex Barron defends his famous 'spin and win' title this weekend as the IRL heads to the Michigan International Speedway.

Last year Alex took the chequered flag having caused his own yellow when his car spun with 36 laps to go in the race. He recovered to pass Sam Hornish Jr on the outside of Turn 4 on the 200th and final lap, the cars crossing the finish line side by side, with Barron on the outside, inches in front. The win, by just 0.0121secs, was his second career victory in the Indy Racing League.

Understandably, the driver of the #51 car is looking forward to the race.

"I have some great memories from last season at Michigan," he said. "The win created a lot of publicity and I think it has had a big influence on where I'm at in the 2004 season. We had a great test there and it will be good to go back there with a lot of confidence."

Teammate Ed Carpenter races at the circuit for the first time in the IRL, but with experience of the track from his days in the Infiniti Pro Series, he too is looking for a good result.

"I am really looking forward to getting back up to Michigan," he said. "We tested up there and I felt very comfortable on the track. This will be my third visit there, since I ran there twice in the Infiniti Pro Series. It is going to be a big race for Chevy, since Detroit is so close. I'm looking forward to a good run on race day."