Have a FaceBook, Twitter, or other social networking account?

Link them to your fanatic account!

Add An Account

TAKE ME TO...
IndyCar
INDY500: Franchitti Rockets To Win Number Two
Dario leads 155 of the 200 laps to dominate the 2010 Indy 500. Dan Wheldon finished second and Marco Andretti takes third.
Marshall Pruett  |  Posted May 30, 2010   Indianapolis, IN
Dario Franchitti streaked off into the distance for the majority of the race to score his second Indy 500 win in four years. (LAT)
Dario Franchitti delivered a command performance today under sunny skies and almost 100 degree weather to dominate every phase of the Indy 500. Leading 155 out of 200 laps, the Scot gave Chip Ganassi an Indy 500 win just months after his team won the Daytona 500.

"[Chip's] hogging all the trophies this year," said Franchitti. "To come back after going away for a year, to win a championship and then to win the Indy 500. I'm speechless right now."

Delivering a drive that was reminiscent of Ganassi's first Indy 500 win ten years ago with Juan Pablo Montoya, the Scot emulated his friend by leading just 12 fewer laps (Montoya held the point for 167 laps in 2000), and never looked seriously under threat on his way to victory. But that doesn't mean it was an uneventful day.

"I don't know how other people's were to drive," said Franchitti. "My car was a handful, but it was a fast handful. When it's fast, you can hang on to it. When it's not quite like that, you have to start making adjustments. It was a handful particularly in one, but it was a handful doing 223s when other guys were doing 221s."

With poleman Helio Castroneves leading into Turn 1, Franchitti moved past Will Power on the outside of the first turn and hunted down Castroneves to take the lead by the end of the first lap. A solo spin by Davey Hamilton on Lap 1 brought out the race's first of nine yellows. Franchitti would lead Will Power to the first round of pit stops.

"That move at the start, though, I knew the car was capable of it," Franchitti continued "It's something I've done before here. When I got past Will, I thought, Fair enough. I was sitting on Helio's gearbox. I thought, Damn, this is good. Pulled on past him, the yellow came out."

Stopping on Lap 40, the remainder of the race was cast. With a slight bit of understeer in his first stint, Franchitti asked for a small addition of front wing and a minor tire pressure adjustment. Those changes transformed the No. 10 Target car from being a leader to being uncatchable. Will Power's day went south when his Verizon Wireless crew waved him out of the pits while the refueling probe was still connected.

Power was fortunate to avoid a fire, but he was called in to have the probe removed and to serve a penalty for the infraction. While he would eventually recover to finish eighth after falling to 25th, the miscue effectively ended his shot at winning the Indy 500. It would also mark the first of a number of uncharacteristic errors that took the 3-car Penske operation out of the hunt.

“As a team, we made too many mistakes today," admitted Power. "We had our first stop go wrong. I went long, and then we had a wheel problem in another. You can’t win this race when you keep dropping to the back. We had a bloody fast car. The Verizon car was chopping through the field. It was one of those days. We had a fast car. I think we could have hung with Dario no problem. It’s the lesson of this place. You can’t make mistakes. You have to nail everything on a day like today, and that’s how you win this thing. I was exhausted. Honestly, even halfway, I was like, ‘Man, this race is tough.' I couldn’t wait to get out. I was drained. I was just glad to get out of the car at the end there.”

Returning to the track with Castroneves as his closest challenger, the strength of the No. 10 car was immediately apparent. Pulling out as much as a half-second per lap, Franchitti streaked away as Castroneves was powerless to respond. The scenario would replay itself over and over again as Franchitti would build a lead somewhere between six and nine seconds, would pit, and would then rebuild that margin until the next stop.
Mike Conway suffered injuries to his left leg in a violent crash on Lap 199 that caused the Indy 500 to end under caution. (LAT)

A stall by Castroneves on during his pit stop just prior to Lap 150 would drop the Brazilian down the running order, and with teammate Ryan Briscoe crashing hard on Lap 147 on cold tires after his own pit stop, the Team Penske steamroller came to a halt.

Penske gambled late in the race, leaving Castroneves out when the leaders made their final pit stop. Helio never saw the yellow he needed to stretch his fuel tank, and was forced to pit for a splash of ethanol with ten laps to go. He would finish ninth. The pit lane dramas that robbed Target Chip Ganassi of the win they were in the running for in 2009 seemed to find Team Penske in 2010.

“It was a very hot day," said Castroneves. "Congrats to Dario. What an awesome car he had. Ganassi did an incredible job to put him up there. It was the car to beat today. We tried. Unfortunately, silly mistakes put us in the back. I’m very disappointed. I’m more disappointed with the mistake. Certainly, I am very upset for my guys. They did an incredible job the whole month long. They should walk out of here with their heads high.”

Dan Wheldon made his annual appearance at the sharp end of the Indy 500 results, taking a smart second while heavily conserving fuel in the final laps -- just as Franchitti was forced to do. After a forgettable period between the 2009 Indy 500 and today's Indy 500, Wheldon registered a veteran drive and made the most of the opportunity that was presented to him. The Englishman came on strong in the final stage of the race, sitting in seventh just past Lap 150. With all of the last-minute pit stops and the last lap crash, Wheldon earned a strong pay day for the National Guard Panther Racing entry.

"Second two years in a row is not good," said Wheldon. "I have to make sure I improve that one more spot next year. It was a good race. I think everybody at Panther Racing did a phenomenal job. I perhaps should not have been so disciplined. Back in the day, I probably would have ignored some of the instructions I got on those last five laps. As I've got older, I think I'm a bit better behaved."

Andretti Autosport redeemed themselves during the Indy 500 after suffering through a brutal Month of May with strong runs from all of their drivers, barring John Andretti who crashed on his own on Lap 62. Tony Kanaan was the story of the day, charging from last place to second while looking like he had a shot at a runner-up finish. Kanaan kept his foot buried in the throttle in his charge to the front, but when it came to make it to the finish, the 2004 IndyCar Series champion had to pit for a few gallons of fuel to make it to the finish.

The stop proved costly, leaving TK in 11th at the checkered flag.

“I hope I made it exciting out there," said Kanaan. "I promised them a good start, and I think I did that. I have been in many positions for this race, and I don’t think the fastest car wins all the time. I think we had a shot for a win. This whole team for the work they did today deserved a top-three today. I had to come in and get fuel and go out and go as fast as I could. The strategies could have worked both ways. We took a gamble. When it comes to a fuel strategy race, I’m not a big fan of it. It could have gone the other way. We could have gotten the lead and won the race, and we could brag about it for the rest of my life. I support my guys all the way. Let’s learn from it. I think this team is more together than ever.”

While Kanaan's charge failed to deliver the finish he desired, the same can't be said for Danica Patrick. Starting from 23rd, Patrick hovered in the teens for most of the race, but as attrition trimmed the field and as she kept pushing, the turbulent Go Daddy-sponsored driver put in a heady drive to finish sixth. After a stormy month of off-track attention, this was just the kind of result Patrick needed.

Andretti's Ryan Hunter-Reay was poised for a top-10 finish, but he was credited with a finish of 18th after being hit by Dreyer & Reinbold's Mike Conway on the final lap. Conway launched himself off of RHR's left rear tire, catapulting the Dad's Rootbeer car into the catch fencing, shredding the car and leaving Conway with a broken left leg with injuries centered around his ankle. Conway, who led for 15 laps in the final phase of the race due to being on an alternate fuel strategy, would be classified in 19th.

The big winner for Michael Andretti came with his son's finish in third place. While Marco never had the measure of the Ganassi or Penske cars, the second-generation driver drove with maturity throughout the race, even heeding the calls to slow down and save fuel at the end of the race. Marco would be happiest if all 17 rounds of the IZOD IndyCar Series championship were held at Indy.

Just behind Andretti was Dale Coyne Racing's Alex Lloyd, who drove from 26th to fourth. Initially credited with third place, the boy Scouts of America-sponsored car was moved back to fourth after it was determined Lloyd, along with Scott Dixon and Danica Patrick, had passed Andretti under the yellow flag for the Conway/Hunter-Reay accident. Lloyd crept forward all day, and if such a thing is possible, snuck up on his finishing positions. He passed a number of cars during the race and also made the most of the race's high attrition. Regardless of how he got to fourth, it was just the boost the team -- and Lloyd -- needed.

If Franchitti's day was picture perfect, teammate Scott Dixon had the lion's share of difficulties to overcome. The 2008 Indy 500 winner saw the left front wheel come off at the Kiwi's second pit stop, dropping him back to 22nd. The efforts of dixon and team manager/strategist Mike Hull to get Dixon up to fifth was nothing short of miraculous.

Conway failed to deliver on his promising run, but his teammate, Justin Wilson, salvaged the day for Dreyer & Reinbold with a fighting seventh for the Z-Line Designs-sponsored entry. Wilson led 11 laps.

Alex Tagliani's amazing Indy 500 efforts tapered off slightly as he fell back to 10th after starting fifth. Tags was slowed slightly during the pit stop where Dixon lost his left front wheel, as the B&W-sponsored car had to wait for the Target car to stop before exiting his pit stall. they surely wanted more, but it was a solid first effort for the rookie team.

Graham Rahal's day was filled with multiple trips from the front to the back of the field. A handling imbalance to start the race saw the Quick Trim driver sink from seventh to 26th, where he fought his way forward after fixing the car at the first pit stop. A black flag for blocking Dan Wheldon put paid to his run, serving a drive-though penalty his father argued with the series officials over. A long pit stop towards the end of the race took away some of the spots he'd earned back, and he was forced to settle for 12th.

Mario Romancini came home the top rookie in 13th, followed closely by rookie Simona De Silvestro. Tomas Scheckter benefited from an opportune pit stop that came just as a yellow flag fell to move forward in the field. He'd lead five laps on the way to 15th place.

Like Rahal, Townsend Bell looked strong for most of the day but was forced to serve a black flag penalty for his own blocking maneuver, leaving him in 16th.

Ed Carpenter was a major factor early in the race, but suffered bad luck when he was forced to pit for enough fuel to keep running under yellow while the pits were closed after Vitor Meira's crash on Lap 105. What could have been a top-5 turned into 17th.

Takuma Sato was a passenger to two crashes immediately in front of him during his first Indy 500. The Japanese driver was smooth all days long, and avoided making any mistakes on the way to 20th.

Ana Beatriz finished where she started -- 21st -- after falling far back in the opening laps. Bertrand Baguette was slowed after one of his mirrors fell off, and layer when he had an extended pit stop. Up until that point, the Belgian had driven within himself and looked like a finish in the mid-teens was in order, but finished 22nd. Baguette was the final car running at the finish.

Sebastian Saavedra suffered a nearly identical crash to the one he suffered last Sunday, ending his day on Lap 159 in 23rd place. Sato was the lone bright spot for KV Racing -- EJ Viso retired on Lap 139 and Mario Moraes hit the wall on Lap 17. Combined with Paul Tracy's DNS, it was a forgettable month for the normally proud team.

Sarah Fisher's frustrating month continued as the contacted the wall and retired on Lap 125 in 26th. Meira's crash left him in 27th, Hideki Mutoh's possessed Newman Haas car was retired on Lap 76 leaving him in 28th, and Rafa Matos pancaked his de Ferran Dragon Dallara after running as high as third. The Brazilian finished 29th. In 2009, he completed 173 laps before crashing. In 2010, he got as far as 72 laps.

Bruno Junqueira ended his day with a solo spin after trying to catch his B&W FAZZT Race Team car as it slid up the track. the 2002 polesitter finished 32nd. Davey Hamilton was credited with 33rd, completing zero laps.

Like Montoya's mastery of the 200 Indy 500, Franchitti's ownership of the 2010 event won't go down as a classic in terms of thrilling passes or a photo finish. It was brutally hot, far too many drivers crashed, and the race generally lacked a rhythm.

But in-between the yellow flags, Dario Franchitti ruled the 94th running of the Greatest Spectacle on Earth. He drove around the outside of will Power in Turn 1, passed Castroneves before the end of Lap 1, and never looked back. The chronology of the speed and distance he put between Castroneves -- or whomever was in second place -- will be one of the primary things people remember about the race in years to come.

In an era where running 1/10th faster than the rest is considered a major advantage, Franchitti and his Target Chip Ganassi team turned that into a half-second advantage on most laps during the race.

It was a flawless performance -- one that wasn't easy -- but having left everything he had on the racetrack today, Franchitti was deserving of everything he earned. This one will be hard for him to top.

1. (3) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
2. (18) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
3. (16) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
4. (26) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
5. (6) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
6. (23) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
7. (11) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
8. (2) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
9. (1) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
10. (5) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
11. (33) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
12. (7) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
13. (27) Mario Romancini, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
14. (22) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
15. (20) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
16. (10) Townsend Bell, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
17. (8) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
18. (17) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 198, Contact
19. (15) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 198, Contact
20. (31) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running
21. (21) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 196, Running
22. (24) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 183, Running
23. (32) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 159, Contact
24. (4) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 147, Contact
25. (19) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 139, Contact
26. (29) Sarah Fisher, Dallara-Honda, 125, Contact
27. (30) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 105, Contact
28. (9) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 76, Handling
29. (12) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 72, Contact
30. (28) John Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 62, Contact
31. (13) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 17, Contact
32. (25) Bruno Junqueira, Dallara-Honda, 7, Contact
33. (14) Davey Hamilton, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact

Race Statistics

Winners average speed: 161.623
Time of Race: 03:05:37.0131
Margin of victory: Under caution
Cautions: 9 for 44 laps
Lead changes: 13 among 8 drivers
Lap Leaders: Franchitti 1-30, Power 31-35, Franchitti 36, Briscoe 37-38, Franchitti 39-108, Scheckter 109-113, Franchitti 114-142, M. Andretti 143, Briscoe 144-146, Franchitti 147-162, Conway 163-177, Wilson 178-188, Castroneves 189-191, Franchitti 192-200.
Points: Power 227, Franchitti 216, Dixon 203, Castroneves 199, Hunter-Reay 175, Wilson 167, Briscoe 155, Kanaan 151, Wheldon 142, M. Andretti 134.


Welcome to SPEED.com's play-by-play for the 2010 Indianapolis 500.

4:19 p.m. ET Franchitti, Wheldon, Lloyd, Dixon, Patrick, Andretti, Wilson, Power, Castroneves, Tagliani.

4:17 White flag. Big crash by Ryan Hunter-Reay and Mike Conway. The race belongs to Franchitti, now a two-time Indy 500 winner.

4:17 Franchitti in slow motion on Lap 198 trying to save fuel. This is painful to watch.

4:16 Lap 197 4.99 for Dario over Wheldon.

4:15 Kanaan pits for a splash. The dream is over.

4:14 Big traffic slowing Franchitti.

4:13 TK 1.63 behind Dario.

4:12 Lap 192, Dario, Kanaan, Wheldon.

4:12 Helio pits from the lead. Dario P1.

4:11 Graham Rahal pits. Long stop. Huge drop.

4:11 Helio just ran a 219.1 to Dario's 218.8. Very close.

4:10 Justin Wilson pits. Lead to Helio on Lap 189.

4:08 Franchitti completed laps of 215 and 213 to save fuel. He's cruising.

4:05 Franchitti looks to be saving fuel. Rahal is hounding Castroneves for P2.

4:04 180 laps down. Kanaan passes Andretti who appears to have moved over in order to draft and save fuel.

4:02 Conway pits on Lap 177. Lead to Wilson.

4:01 Andretti now ahead of Kanaan. Dixon up to P10. Power in P17

4:00 175 laps down. Conway, Wilson, Helio, Rahal and Dario.

3:59 Conway is quick, but he's also running on fumes. He'll be pitting soon.

3:59 Kanaan falling back. 4.1 seconds behind Franchitti, the first of the cars to pit, who runs in P5.

3:56 Franchitti 1.7 seconds behind the leader, Conway, on Lap 168.

3:54 Green flag on Lap 166.

3:52 Power pits to change the left front tire, falling to P18. Dreyer & Reinbold gamble, keeping Conways and Wilson out, as does Team Penske with Castroneves and Rahal with Graham. The four are P1-4.

3:50 Everyone pits. Clean stop. Dario leads Marco, TK, Wheldon, Power, Scheckter and Dixon.

3:49 Patrick up to P9.

3:47 One pit stop is needed to make it to the end. Based on the length of the clean-up, this could push the stop close to the fuel window. Nobody wants to do a splash-and-go with a few laps left.

3:46 Sebastian Saavedra hits the wall exiting Turn 1. Rear of the car is trashed. Day done. He's fine and waving to the crowd. Sato missed yet another crash. He's down to seven lives.

3:46 2.3 on Lap 160.

3:45 Townsend Bell black flagged for blocking RHR. About to serve his penalty.

3:45 2.03 on Lap 159.

3:44 1.73 gap on Lap 158.

3:44 Lap 157, 1.44 gap from Dario to TK.

3:43 Green flag. Huge jump by Dario. TK passes Marco into Turn 1.

3:42 Franchitti has led 133 laps so far.

3:41 Lap 155. Green coming soon. Carpenter up to P14 after his unexpected pit stop. De Silvestro in P15, the top roookie.

3:39 Dan Wheldon up to P7 from P18. Conway in P10. Tagliani back in P11. Alex Lloyd in P13.

3:37 Andretti Autosport sits in P2 (Marco), P3 (Kanaan), P6 (RHR) and P12 (Patrick).

3:33 Lap 150, Franchitti leads Marco Andretti, Tony Kanaan, Tomas Scheckter, and Townsend Bell under the yellow.

3:28 The remaining Team Penske cars are P9 and P15.

3:27 Ryan Briscoe in the turn 4 wall hard after leaving the pits. Yellow flag. Right side of the car is flat. Game over.

3:24 Helio stalls on his pit stop. Will Power runs long in his pit box and needs to be pushed back before Team Penske can refill. what is up with Team Penske today?

3:23 Dario and TK pit on Lap 143. Clean stops for Dario, slow stop for TK.

3:22 9.6 seconds on Lap 142. This is a command performance. Dario runs a 221 to TK's 219.

3:21 8.9 seconds on Lap 139

3:20 Team Penske now P5, P6 and P9. Bizarre.

3:19 7.69 seconds on Lap 137. Sarah Fisher is out after brushing the Turn 4 wall.

3:18 Dario struggling in traffic. gap down to 6.7 seconds.

3:14 Marco Andretti to P4, passing Helio.

3:14 7.2 on Lap 129.

3:13 6.7 on Lap 128.

3:12 Townsend Bell gets Will Power for P8.

3:12 5.5 second gap from Dario to TK on Lap 126.

3:11 4.9 on Lap 125.

3:11 Issues for Sarah Fisher.

3:10 Dixon is up to P11.

3:10 Scheckter is holding in P3.

3:09 4.59 on Lap 122.

3:08 Where are the Penske cars?

3:08 3.95 on Lap 121. Marco Andretti is up to P6. Impressive.

3:07 3.43 on Lap 120. This is getting silly.

3:07 2.94 on lap 119. Wow again.

3:06 2.51 on Lap 118.

3:06 2.08 on Lap 117. Wow.

3:05 1.66 seconds on Lap 116. Franchitti is checking out again.

3:05 Lap 115 and the lead is 1.2 seconds from Dario to TK.

3:04 Dario holds .9 over TK.

3:03 Kanaan gets by Scheckter for P2. Absolutely amazing.

3:02 Dario passes Scheckter on Lap 113 for the lead.

3:01 Green flag. Sato assessed a black flag for pitting while the pits were closed. Kanaan gets by Helio for P3.

3:01 Patrick's Indy 500 experience is starting to show. P12.

3:00 Scheckter leads, having pitted just as the yellow came out.

2:58 Dario out first. Kanaan picks up a spot to. Dixon gains four spots.

2:57 Lap 108, pits finally open.

2:56 Takuma Sato P11!

2:54 Ed Carpenter pits for a splash and go while the pits are closed. This will hurt as he pitted from P5.

2:52 Tagliani back to P13. Danica Patrick up to P13.

2:51 Lap 105, yellow flag for Vitor Meira running wide on the exit of turn 2. Right side suspension damage. Day done. Rahal and Scheckter were in the pits when the yellow came out and completed their stops. Scheckter is P19 and Rahal is P22.

2:50 Lap 104 and Dario's lead is now .82 seconds over Helio.

2:49 Hideki Mutoh has retired due to handling woes.

2:49 Rahal runs a 220. P2-4 run 219s.

2:47 Lap 100 and the leaders seem to be satisfied running at the same pace, saving fuel. It took one hour and seventeen minutes to complete the first 100 laps. Franchtti led.

2:46 Briscoe is settled into P3. Dixon is up to P18.

2:45 Lap 96 and it's .53.

2:44 Dario's lead is shrinking -- .62 -- with Rahal slowing him.

2:43 Lap 94 and Rahal proving to be tough for Franchitti to pass.

2:42 Lap 92 Power up to P8.

2:38 Gap from Dario to Helio is 1.03 seconds on Lap 87.

2:38 Leaders catching Rahal. About to go a lap down.

2:37 Power up to P10

2:37 Dario with a .63 second lead on Lap 85.

2:37 Scheckter P6.

2:36 Rahal pitting to serve black flag penalty for pushing Dan Wheldon into the grass.

2:35 Dario, Helio, Briscoe and Carpenter on Lap 82.

2:34 Castroneves is sticking close -- .18 behind.

2:33 Lap 79 green flag.

2:32 Power is back up to P14 after his own pits dramas.

2:30 Scott Dixon back to P22 after hit drama in the pits. Dan Wheldon up to 10th from 18th. Tony Kanaan in Fifth after starting 33rd.

2:26 Rahal up to P8. He's gone from P7 to P26 to P8 Five cautions so far.

2:22 Yellow flag on Lap 73. Matos in the wall hard. Spun on the exit of Turn 1. Appeared to turn in late and hard.

2:21 Lap 72, green flag. No changes for Franchitti. Carpenter to fourth.

2:20 big movers during the pit stops -- Kanaan up to fourth. Carpenter in fifth, Hunter-Reay in sixth. Rahal up to eighth. Tagliani back to 11th.

2:17 Dixon and Matos pit to serve stop-and-go penalties.

2:14 The left rear comes off of Rafa Matos leaving his pit box and Scott Dixon's left front comes off. Both cars are stuck on pit lane. Matos' car spun around while Dixie stops pointing forward. Matos hit the inside wall after spinning and says the car doesn't feel right.

2:12 Bertrand Baguette leads a lap while the leaders pit.

2:09 John Andretti clouts the wall, bringing out the yellow. Right side damage on the exit of T2. He's fine, but the car is done.

2:08 the Dario rocket is building speed -- 4.5 second lead on Lap 63. This is silly.

2:07 3.8 seconds from P1 to P2 on Lap 62. Franchitti is gone.

2:06 Ana Beatriz has fallen back to P28. De Silvestro is in P17, Patrick is in 19th and Fisher is P22.

2:05 2.9 second lead now for Dario on Lap 58. he's led 51 so far.

2:03 2.49 second lead from Dario to Helio, but the Scot is catching traffic. Ambient is 94 degrees F, with track temperature 128 degrees F.

2:02 Rahal back up to 16th. Hunter-Reay leads the AA effort in 10th. Scheckter holding station in ninth.

2:01 The addition of extra front wing on the first stop appears to be just what Franchitti needed. He's checking out.

2:00 Franchitti running 223s to Helio's 221.5s.

1:59 Lap 50. 1.7 second gap from Dario to Helio. Matos 5.7 seconds behind the leader.

1:57 Andretti Autosport's looking good -- P10, 11 and 12.

1:56 Ed Carpenter, P5! Rafa Matos, P3!

1:55 Power serves his drive-thru penalty, emerging 25th. Lead of .9 for Dario over Helio.

1:54 Dario has a huge gap back to Helio, with two cars separating them.

1:50 After watching Ganassi Racing falter in the pits in 2009, Team Penske is the first to blink in 2010 by sending Power too soon. Not the driver's fault in this instance.

1:49 Yellow flag for debris on the front straight.

1:47 Franchitti and Power follow on Lap 40. Dario beats Power out of the pits. Power pulls away with the fuel probe stuck in the car. He'll have to pit to have it removed.

1:46 Helio pits on lap 36.

1:45 Lots of pit stops starting for the mid-fielders.

1:45 Castroneves is 4.1 seconds behind Power on lap 35.

1:43 Will Power gets by Franchitti in traffic on Lap 31. Dario led the first 30 laps.

1:42 Ryan Hunter-Reay is up to 11th from 17th. Ed Carpenter is holding steady in ninth. Hideki Mutoh pits. Still very slow.

1:41 Lap 29 -- Franchitti laps Sarah Fisher.

1:39 Helio 2.3 seconds behind Dario. Kanaan back behind Marco Andretti.

1:37 Dario and Power pulling away from Helio on every lap.

1:37 Graham Rahal from seventh back to P26. Ouch. Vitor Meira from 30th up to P18.

1:36 Franchitti is settling into a pace between .5-.6 ahead of Power.

1:35 Lap 20 -- Kanaan passes Marco Andretti. Just one car to go in the Andretti Autosport stable.

1:34 Mario Moraes pits for an extended stop. Right rear upper wishbone is bent from wall contact. the wrong Mario Moraes showed up today.

1:33 A big gap from Dario/Power/Helio to Tagliani in fourth, 2.1 seconds arrears.

1:32 Simona De Silvestro passed Ana Beatriz to lead the women.

1:32 Will Power is hunting down Dario. .8 to .5 to .2 gap.

1:31 Franchitti on the march. Rafa Matos up to an impressive P5.

1:30 Green flag. Dario leads with Will Power in second.

1:28 Tony Kanaan is up to P17, ahead of teammates Danica Patrick and John Andretti.

1:26 Tomas Scheckter is the biggest mover so far, up to 8th from 20th.

1:23 Bruno Junqueira crashes off of Turn 2. A short day for the second FAZZT Race Team car. Two cautions by Lap 9. Takuma Sato barely avoids. Junqueira is OK.

1:22 Dario holds a lead of .67.

1:20 Back to green. Rahal is sinking like a rock.

1:18 Sebastian Saavedra and Takuma Sato pit. Tony Kanaan is up to 25th place.

1:15 Franchitti gassed it past Castroneves before reaching the start/finish and holds P1. He looks racey.

1:13 Jack Nicholson throws the green flag. Castroneves leads into Turn 1. Great move by Dario Franchitti to take P2. Davey Hamilton spins off of T2, crashes on the inside, driver's left. He emerges unscathed. Yellow flag on Lap 1.

1:07 Cars roll off from pre-grid.

1:06 Mari Hulman-George gives the command of "Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines."

1:04 Jim Neighbors sings "Back Home Again in Indiana." Who could ask for more.

Play! SPEED Fantasy Racing Cup Edition - Spring Series
MPruett's avatar

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marshall Pruett

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR
Advertising | Jobs | Feedback | FAQ | Terms of Use | NEW Privacy Policy | Ad Choices | Site Map
Fox Sports | FUEL TV | FX Network | National Geographic | IGN | AskMen
The Motor Sports Authority, SPEED and associated logos are registered trademarks of Speed Channel Inc.
All Rights Reserved © Speed Channel, Inc. 2012

All external links will open in a new browser window. SPEED.com does not endorse external sites.