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IndyCar
INDYCAR: Helio Wins Fuel Strategy Fight
After languishing in the middle of the pack for the majority of the race, Helio Castroneves' fuel gamble pays off with a big win in Kentucky.
Dave Lewandowski  | http://www.indycar.com  |  Posted September 04, 2010  
Whether it was dumb luck or brilliant strategy on the part of Team Penske's Tim Cindric, however you categorize it, Helio Castroneves earned the win while the leaders had to pit for a splash of fuel. (LAT)
Helio Castroneves’ No. 3 Team Penske car had just enough ethanol in the tank to pull into Victory Circle at Kentucky Speedway.

Just enough was good enough to take a surprising victory in the Kentucky Indy 300. It was surprising because a pit lane miscommunication on Lap 89 forced race strategist Tim Cindric to bring Castroneves back in three later on the final opportunity to pit under caution. Surprising because with 35 laps left Castroneves was running 10th. Surprising because he had to hit fuel mileage numbers while still trying to make up ground with cars traveling 217 mph-plus.

The victory in the 200th Indy Racing League event caught the three-time Indianapolis 500 champion off-guard.

“You have to remember it is 200 laps,” said Castroneves, who jokingly referred to this as his third victory (black flagged in the final laps at Edmonton) of the season.

Because he pitted on Lap 147 -- two laps later than the lead pack thanks to previous off-sequence stop, he was able to out-fuel the front-runners -- most of whom needed a splash in the final five laps.

“Unfortunately, we had an issue with our pit stop, but we started to make ground and head to the front,” he said. “I tried to stay steady and saving fuel. All of a sudden, (Cindric) says ‘Try to make this number.’ I was like, ‘That's going to be impossible, man.’ He was already thinking to make a number that would be very difficult. But when we pitted the last time, he just said you've got to make this number because we have nothing to lose, and it’s definitely going to pay off.

“I remember in 2008 here I ran out of fuel and finished in second (to Scott Dixon). This time it paid off for Team Penske. We were loose in the beginning, but at the end it was meant to be.”

Officially, it was win No. 2 for Castroneves, who overtook teammate Ryan Briscoe for fourth in the championship standings with two races left.

Pole sitter Ed Carpenter finished second at the track for the second year in a row and Panther/Vision Racing teammate Dan Wheldon was third.

“The whole Panther racing team has done a phenomenal job to be able to bring the two cars to these last two races,” said Wheldon, who led a field-high 93 laps and finished second to Dario Franchitti a week earlier at Chicagoland Speedway. “Having Ed on board is a fantastic addition and we have a great relationship. The race went very well and the No. 4 boys did a fantastic job in the pits.

“The ending was unfortunate. I am bummed that the race didn’t turn out different, but it will motivate us for the last two races.”

Tony Kanaan charged from 26th in the 27-car field to fourth and Franchitti was fifth.

“I promised my fans on Twitter that I was going to pass 11 cars on the first lap and I only got 10, so I want to apologize to all of my followers that I couldn’t do it,” Kanaan said. “But it was a great race. I worked with Marco (Andretti) and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) so well. Congratulations to Helio, but I don’t really like strategy races. I think Dan deserved this one, but it is what it is.”

Franchitti closed the IZOD IndyCar Series championship points gap on Will Power, who finished eighth, to 17. Twin Ring Motegi, where Power hasn’t competed and Franchitti has finished second and third his past two visits, is up next (Sept. 19). The finale is Oct. 2 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

“The Verizon car was great out front,” said Power, who started on the front row and led 83 laps. “I had a little understeer back in traffic. Really, my night was quite good, although after my last stop I think I hit some oil from an earlier incident between Turns 3 and 4. I pushed up straight towards the wall; I was very close to hitting it.

“Congratulations to Helio and Team Penske for bringing home the victory. We have our work cut out for us for the championship, but we still have the lead and onward we go.”

Marco Andretti earned a second consecutive top 10, with Scott Dixon following in seventh. Danica Patrick finished ninth and Bertrand Baguette posted his season best in 10th. Paul Tracy, competing at the track for the first time, was 10th with 10 laps left. But he was one of the fuel-starved and pitted on Lap 194. He finished 12th, one position behind Dreyer & Reinbold Racing teammate Justin Wilson.

"That was a lot of work for a ninth-place finish,” said Patrick, who posted her sixth top 10 of the season. “I had a good car all night and was running with the lead pack the entire time. Right before the final pit stop I was in the top six so I thought it would end up playing out that way. My GoDaddy guys did a great job tonight and I really appreciate all their hard work."

Results Saturday of the Kentucky Indy 300 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.48-mile Kentucky Speedway, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):

1. (8) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
2. (1) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
3. (3) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
4. (26) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
5. (11) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
6. (15) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
7. (4) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
8. (2) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
9. (17) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 200, Running
10. (6) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
11. (16) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
12. (23) Paul Tracy, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
13. (18) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
14. (10) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
15. (13) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
16. (20) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
17. (5) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 199, Running
18. (7) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 198, Running
19. (24) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 195, Running
20. (25) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 195, Running
21. (27) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 174, Mechanical
22. (21) Sarah Fisher, Dallara-Honda, 134, Mechanical
23. (12) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 79, Contact
24. (9) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 79, Contact
25. (19) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 78, Contact
26. (22) E.J. Viso, Dallara-Honda, 45, Mechanical
27. (14) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact

Race Statistics

Winner's average speed: 174.402
Time of Race: 01:41:50.0059
Margin of victory: 13.1597 seconds
Cautions: 2 for 23 laps
Lead changes: 11 among 7 races
Lap Leaders: Carpenter 1-10, Wheldon 11-53, Power 54-55, Briscoe 56, Tracy 57-60, Power 61 - 141, Wheldon 142-143, Dixon 144, Castroneves 145-147, Wheldon 148 - 195, Carpenter 196, Castroneves 197-200.
Point Standings: Power 552, Franchitti 535, Dixon 469, Castroneves 448, Briscoe 418, Hunter-Reay 404, Kanaan 392, Andretti 347, Wheldon 346, Wilson 335.

Visit the official site of the IZOD IndyCar Series at www.indycar.com for additional news, results and more.


Click here for more 2012 IndyCar chassis and engine news.


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