In the largest IZOD IndyCar Series field, outside the traditional 33 starters in the Indianapolis 500 since 1997 at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway, Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti won Saturday night’s PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in a thrilling match against Panther Racing’s Dan Wheldon. In fact, the top-three finishers in Saturday night’s contest was the exact podium finishers of this year’s most prestigious event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as Marco Andretti, in the No. 26 Team Venom Energy Dallara Honda led the Andretti Autosport brigade with a third place finish.
The 200-lap race featured a season high 12 different leaders over the course of the first of four oval races that will conclude the 2010 IZOD IndyCar Series season.
For Franchitti, the husband of actress Ashley Judd it was his third win of the season, his 11th top-five or 12th top-10 in 14 races. An obviously stellar has yet to give the former NASCAR driver the points lead as Will Power driving for Mooresville, North Carolina-based Team Penske maintained control of the top spot despite having to pit for fuel inside the final laps of the event. He finished 16th.
With three races remaining this season (Kentucky, Twin Ring Motegi in Japan and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway), Power in his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Dallara Honda has a 23 point advantage over the Scotland native, who recorded his 26th overall IndyCar win at the 1.5-mile speed plant.
“We were struggling tonight with the Breathe Right car really in traffic as we got a little further back there. A lot of crazy stuff going on. I was just more comfortable up high,” said Franchitti. “That last stop was the key to this race. Chris Simmons, turns out he was the one that made the call. We had a lot of faith in the Firestone tires. He said leave the tires on and got us out front. Dan Wheldon, he was just pushing me all the time, just helping me. I was giving him room at the bottom. We were working together very, very well there. So between him and Scott Dixon pushing me around all night. This Team Target is amazing.”
For Wheldon, the Emberton, England native racked up his third top-five finish of the year but yet to find his No. 4 National Guard Dallara Honda to victory circle.
“Great job by everyone at National Guard Panther Racing. We continue to work very, very hard. To be honest at the end, the reason I worked so hard with Dario (Franchitti) and just tried to stay with him was because he was so clean and professional. He is a true gentleman out there and a great driver. I have to take away with the guys on our team. They did an excellent job and it was a strong performance. I have to thank my team and the fans who were definitely on their feet at the end of the night. It was an exciting race as it should be,” Wheldon remarked after notching his seventh top-10 of the year.
Ryan-Hunter Reay, the Long Beach, California winner finished fourth with Iowa Speedway winner and fellow Andretti Autosport teammate Tony Kanaan rounding out the top-five.
Former Dancing with the Stars contestant Helio Castroneves was sixth followed by Dryer & Reinbold Racing’s Justin Wilson in seventh, Franchitti’s teammate Scott Dixon in eighth, Vitor Meira driving for the legendary A.J. Foyt took ninth with Graham Rahal, one of the likeable youngsters on the IZOD IndyCar Series tour closed out the top-10.
Pole sitter and Penske Racing protégé Ryan Briscoe faded late in the race and finished 11th after leading a race high 113 laps. Bertrand Baguette driving for Conquest Racing had a uneventful night but a solid night nonetheless by finishing 12th.
Hideki Mutoh in one of two Newman / Haas Racing entries overcame contact on pit road with fellow Japanese driver Takuma Sato to claim 13th. Mutoh started eighth in his No. 06 Formula Dream / Panasonic Dallara Honda.
Danica Patrick was the first of a record five females to take the checkered flag on Saturday night. Patrick, running a full IZOD IndyCar Series schedule and a partial NASCAR schedule never found her No. 7 Godaddy.com Dallara Honda in contention and settled for what many would consider a disappointing outing. “I’m really disappointed with the race result. The GoDaddy car was handling well all night, I just didn’t have enough speed to stay with the lead pack. It’s tough to end the event like this because we were really competitive and I thought we’d have more out there tonight,” Patrick remarked.
The feel good story of the weekend had to come from the 16th place finisher of Sarah Fisher. The Commercial Point, Ohio native used pit strategy to soar her No. 67 Dollar General into the lead and gained control over the field for nine laps. Once passed by Briscoe, Fisher kept her Sarah Fisher Racing own machine comfortably in the top-five before having to make a green flag pit stop early into the second-half of the race. Fisher’s gamble didn’t pay off but her energy and ability proved to the world that she still has the talent and rightfully gained her attention that easily overshadowed her 16th place run. Fisher, a long time spectacle in the IndyCar scene is a pre-race favorite when the season resumes action next Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.
Mario Moraes led the KV Racing Technology train. It was a tough night though for the KV Racing organization as all three of their drivers including E.J. Viso and Sato experienced their share of misfortune Saturday night.
Davey Hamilton traded in his microphone for a steering wheel this weekend and was able to steer his de Ferran Dragon Racing entry from 28th to 18th.
Venezuelan’s Milka Duno had a solid night. After starting her Dale Coyne Racing (DCR), No. 18 Citgo Dallara Honda 26th, Duno, a now Miami, Florida native kept her nose clean, gained additional speedway experience and maneuvered a quiet 19th place run. It was the best showing for Duno thus far in 2010 and gives her DCR team momentum leaning into Kentucky Speedway next weekend.
Ed Carpenter, making an infrequent start in the IZOD IndyCar Series had a strong automobile Saturday night but a series of obstacles kept the Vision / Panther Racing out of contention for his first career win.
Alex Lloyd, Duno’s teammate flexed his muscle in his No. 19 Boy Scouts of America Dallara Honda but a flat tire and a late race spin forced a 21st place finish.
Jay Howard, the former Firestone Indy Lights Champion had a tough weekend. After battling a series of hiccups throughout the weekend, the troubles continued during the race with gear issues but Howard and his Sarah Fisher Racing team never gave up and claimed 22nd, despite eventually retiring from the event, missing 39 of the 200 circuits.
Simona de Silverestro appeared well on her way to a solid top-20 finish Saturday night but the Team Worldgate / HVM Racing female rookie experienced mechanical woes near the end of the race and retired in 23rd.
Ana Beatriz making her third career IZOD IndyCar Series start of the season made her Chicagoland debut in a second Dryer & Reinbold Racing entry subbing for the injured Mike Conway appeared to be the fastest female of the night but light contact with the turn four wall ruined those chances. The Brazilian in the No. 24 Dad’s Root Beer Dallara Honda was unable to overcome further mechanical gremlins which eventually led to her completing only 88 of 200 circuits.
Alex Tagliani showed he had a fast FAZZT Racing Team entry Saturday but contact on lap 85 dashed his chances of a good finish.
Sato and Viso claimed 26th and 27th respectively.
Bringing up the rear of the field was Tomas Scheckter and Raphael Matos in 28th and 29th respectively. Scheckter and Matos brought out the first caution of the night on lap four and were unable to return to competition. It was sour night for Matos as he had high hopes for a better finish in his 29th birthday.
Earlier Saturday, James Hinchcliffe won his very first Firestone Indy Lights race on an oval beating out Pippa Mann by 0.0159 of a second – the third-closest margin of victory in series history – to win the Chicagoland 100. Hinchcliffe in his second season of Indy Lights is hoping to make the jump to the IZOD IndyCar Series in 2011. It was Hinchcliffe’s third triumph of the year.
Next up for the IZOD IndyCar Series tour is a stop in Sparta, Kentucky for the running of the Kentucky Indy 300 on September 4th. The race will be telecast live in High Definition at 8 p.m. (ET) by VERSUS. The race will air live on the IMS Radio Network, XM channel 145 and Sirius channel 212. The race also will be carried on www.indycar.com. The 2010 Firestone Indy Lights season continues with the Drive Smart. Buckle Up Kentucky 100 on Sept. 4 at Kentucky Speedway.
