No Magic For Power In Round 11 Of 17 At Mid-Ohio

Scott Dixon preparing for warm-up session on race day. Dixon went on to win the Honda 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Image Credit: Dan Helrigel via IZOD IndyCar Series



No Magic For Power In Round 11 Of 17 At Mid-Ohio



The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, Round 11 of 17 delivered a fatal blow to Will Power's chances at getting his first IndyCar Series (ICS) season championship. The Verizon Penske Racing Dallara driver, who was on track to get the ICS championship last year up until the final race of the season when Dario Franchitti was able to eclipse Power's season points total, was looking to climb back into the challenge at 38 points behind and a perfect track for his talents, was caught out twice in pit stop strategy by full course cautions.



"We were making great fuel mileage and we were going to go a lap or two longer than the leaders on the second stop, which would have put us in great position to challenge for the race lead in the last stint," said Power of the Lap 58 incident involving contact between the cars of Graham Rahal and Danica Patrick. "Basically, today we suffered for doing a great job of driving a smart race. We just got caught out by that last yellow flag.”



Will Power as he is being followed by Ryan Hunter-Reay at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series



This dropped Power to P16 and allowed Target Chip Ganassi team-mates to duke it out for the win with Scott Dixon passing Dario Franchitti on a restart to eventually take the win. It may have been doubtful if Will Power had anything for the Scott Dixon Dallara because of how well the driver and car had been hooked up all weekend long (fastest Lap - 1:09.1271 / 76), but to finish so far down in the order with a competitive car (set 2nd fastest lap late in the race - 1:09.2376 / 85), placed a stake through the heart (a loss of 24 points against Franchitti - at 62 points behind) of Will Power's chances for a ICS season championship. In fact, with the points Scott Dixon gained with his win (he is now just 29 points behind Power with six races left), Will Power may not even become a repeat "bridesmaid" (runner-up) at season's end in 2011.



The Penske Racing fleet of Dallara cars had a terrible outing at Mid-Ohio. After qualifying Ryan Briscoe at P2, Will Power at P4, and Helio Castroneves at P15, the three drivers end up with Power at P14, Briscoe at P16 and Castroneves at P19.



Newman-Haas's Oriol Servia runs nearly side-by-side with replacement driver for Dreyer & Reinbold's Simon Pagenaud. at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Image Credit: Chris Jones via IZOD IndyCar Series



KV Racing Technology ended up having a fair showing with two of their three cars placing in the top five. Takuma Sato missed the podium for the second time this year, repeating his finishing position at the street course in St. Petersburg at P4 (qualified P9) followed by Tony Kanaan at P5 (qualified P16) ... a good outing for E.J. Viso who finished the race running, and came in just behind Will Power at P15 after qualifying in P12.



Last note: Justin Wilson had an off in turn one and compressed his back but at this point, it does not look like he will need surgery as Vitor Meira required when he suffered a similar injury. He was replaced by former ChampCar World Series driver and ALMS Champion, Simon Pagenaud, in the Dreyer & Reinbold #22 Roll Coater Dallara and delivered a steady performance coming in ahead of Power at P13 after taking the Green Flag at P18.



Said Pagenaud after the race, “Considering that I was thrown into the car yesterday morning, I think that it was a good weekend. Obviously qualifying was a bit of a roller coaster for me with getting in the car quickly and trying to do my best. We started at the back in 18th position. It’s difficult to pass here, so we finished 13th. We had a really good racecar, but it’s just frustrating because I didn’t have the chance to run by myself and show the pace of the car. I think that the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing / Roll Coater car was one of the fastest out there today. We just needed to qualify up front and we would have been okay. All in all, considering the bad luck that the team had all weekend, the team should be glad about that. Bia did a great job and we should all be proud. We will see what happens next.”



Round 12 of 17 sends the teams off to the oval at New Hampshire Motor Speedway where the race is set to be run August 14, broadcast at 3:30pm ET on Versus.



... notes from The EDJE





[Article first published as No Magic for Power in Round 11 of 17 at Mid-Ohio on Technorati]

IndyCar: On The 10th Day, 10th Month ... #10 Car Wins It All

Dario Franchitti on the stage with the 2009 IndyCar Series championship trophy. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

IndyCar: On The 10th Day, 10th Month ... #10 Car Wins It All

After securing the pole position for the Firestone Indy 300, Dario Franchitti wins his second overall championship in the IndyCar Series (ICS) in the Indy Racing League's final race of the 2009 season at Homestead-Maimi Speedway.

In a race that turned out to be the first caution-free race in IndyCar Series history leading to the second-fastest in IndyCar history resulted into an oxymoron, of sorts ... a win result due to excellent fuel management by the Tatget Chip Ganassi team and it's driver Dario Franchitti who entered the race third in the points behind Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske) and Target teammate Scott Dixon.

Eventual 2009 ICS Rookie-Of-The-Year, Raphael Matos (Luzco Dragon Racing), sits on the wall before first practice session at Homestead-Maimi Speedway. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

This excerpted and edited from Autosport.com -

Franchitti surprised to win 2009 title
By Matt Beer - Autosport.com, Sunday, October 11th 2009, 11:23 GMT

Dario Franchitti said he never expected to come straight back in and win the 2009 championship when he agreed to return to the IndyCar Series this year.

The Scot had left the championship for NASCAR after winning the 2007 title, but when Ganassi had to close Franchitti's Sprint Cup operation due to a lack of finance, he accepted an invitation to switch to the team's IndyCar arm instead.

Last night at Homestead Franchitti clinched his second championship by winning a three-way fight with his team-mate Scott Dixon and Penske's Ryan Briscoe, who he beat to victory in the deciding race by stretching his fuel mileage to avoid a fourth stop while his rivals battled flat-out and had to pit again late on.

"I didn't think I'd win five races and a championship in my first year back," said Franchitti. "I knew driving for team Target [Ganassi], I'd have good equipment, just a question of could I get back into it and compete at a level that I had already.

"Scott is a better driver than he was in '07, and Ryan came in [at the front] every single week, as well as other people who made appearances and won races, but it just seemed that Scott and Ryan every week were tough competition.

"From winning in the second race at Long Beach, I knew we could get it done."

He said the second title was more satisfying than the first as there had still been separate Champ Car and IndyCar championships in 2007.

"In '07 there was a lot of satisfaction in getting that one done," said Franchitti. "I think what makes it sweeter [in '09] is we've got everybody together, and you've got a more balanced schedule, as well.
----
He added that he was now thoroughly settled in the IndyCar Series, but still thinks he gained from his abortive NASCAR move.
----
"I learned things as a driver. To drive in stock car, I got out of my comfort zone, and I learned a lot of new things, and there are things that I can apply to IndyCar. That's made me a better driver, I think.

"I'm absolutely where I should be. I should be in IndyCars. That is what I grew up to do, race in the IndyCar Series."
Reference Here>>

It is common knowledge that racing drivers are a superstitious lot, and heading into the Firestone Indy 300 one number was particularly convergent for the 2009 ICS contender Dario Franchitti: He would be racing his No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Dallara Honda on Oct. 10th in search of Target Chip Ganassi’s 10th win of the season.

And in Miami, he performed to a Perfect 10.

Graham Rahal: Top 2009 season placing Transition Player (former CCWS team and/or driver) in the Indy Racing League

Overall ICS 2009 Championship Standings (** denotes a CCWS Transition Player)

Pos - Driver - Points
1. Dario Franchitti 616
2. Scott Dixon 605
3. Ryan Briscoe 604
4. Helio Castroneves 433
5. Danica Patrick 393
6. Tony Kanaan 386
7. Graham Rahal 385**
8. Marco Andretti 380
9. Justin Wilson 354**
10. Dan Wheldon 354
11. Hideki Mutoh 353
12. Ed Carpenter 321
13. Raphael Matos 312
14. Mario Moraes 304**
15. Ryan Hunter-Reay 98
16. Robert Doornbos 283**
17. Mike Conway 261
18. E.J. Viso 248**
19. Will Power 215**
20. Tomas Scheckter 195
21. Oriol Servia 115**
22. Alex Tagliani 114**
23. Paul Tracy 113**
24. Milka Duno 113
25. Sarah Fisher 89
26. Jaques Lazier 77
27. Richard Antinucci 63
28. Vitor Meira 62
29. Stanton Barrett 62
30. Alex Lloyd 41
31. Darren Manning 38
32. Townsend Bell 32**
33. A.J. Foyt IV 26
34. Scott Sharp 16
35. Nelson Philippe 16**
36. Kosuke Matsuura 13
37. John Andretti 12
38. Franck Montagny 12**
39. Roger Yasukawa 12
40. Davey Hamilton 10
(ht: Motorsport.com)

... notes from The EDJE

Indy Toronto - Play By Play via Tweet By Tweet

Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon share a moment before tackling the streets of Toronto ... Scott for the first time - Dario, not so much since he has raced and won here in CART. Image Credit Andy Sallee (2009)

Indy Toronto - Play By Play via Tweet By Tweet

Honda Indy Toronto - Toronto Street Circuit - Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Race 10 of 17 in IndyCar Series - Laps: 85 - Track length: 1.75 miles - Race length: 148.75 miles

This set up excerpted and edited from Autosport.com -A double pole winner at Toronto in his Champ Car days, Dario Franchitti posted a best time of 1m01.0249s to emerge comfortably fastest in the Fast Six session, beating Will Power in the third Penske Dallara-Honda by more than two tenths of a second.

With Graham Rahal, Alex Tagliani and Mike Conway rounding out the top six, names like Helio Castroneves, Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon were conspicuously absent from the sharp end of the grid.
----
This set up excerpted and edited from Fresno Beehive - IndyCar makes its first foray into Toronto this week for the inaugural Honda Indy Toronto, the 10th event on the 2009 IndyCar Series championship schedule.

The last time racing took place in Toronto was for the Champ Car Series back in 2007, as Will Power finished ahead of Neel Jani to capture the checkered flag. Power finished seventh in his other Toronto start.

The Champ Car Series had raced in Toronto since 1986, when Bobby Rahal captured the first of 22 events. Michael Andretti owned the streets of Toronto, winning the race seven times. Paul Tracy and Al Unser Jr were two-time champions. Tracy had 11 top-10 finishes in his 16 races in Toronto.

Several current drivers have had modest success in Toronto. Dario Franchitti competed in six CART races, winning two poles and capturing the race in 1999. Alex Tagliani raced eight times in Toronto and posted seven top-10 finishes.

The racing begins and everyone on the track is serious about a good result. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

The following play by play gleaned from Twitter "Tweets", Comments from IndyCar Timing & Scoring, and The EDJE direct entry -

FuriousWedgeThat was a relatively normal command to start engines considering it was Gene Simmons... nice Honda shout out too #indycar

kvracingKV Racing are doing there warm up laps, Moraes is P13 and Tracy P15. Green Flag next

VisionRacingCars are on track and lining up for start. Green flag coming up.

MyNameIsIRLCanadian Air Force just buzzed Jack Arute's tower.

13:17:44 GMT-0400 Lap 0: Will Power is off the course in Turn 1.

13:18:07 GMT-0400 Lap 0: Graham Rahal has some front wing damage.

FuriousWedgePower off course after contact with Graham; Dixon, Conway and Doornbos on the move big time! #indycar

VisionRacingDamage to rahal's car. Came into pits and out again. Ed is p19.

kvracingAfter first lap PT had a great start at moved to P8, Moraes made P12

13:20:25 GMT-0400 Lap 2: Will Power and Ryan Briscoe had flat tires.

indy44crappy start should have been waved off

13:22:29 GMT-0400 Lap 4: Dario Franchitti is looking strong as the lead goes over 2.5 seconds.

RaceDriveHow could they throw the Green Flag for the Start for Toronto IndyCar race - That ? was lined up ?

13:26:01 GMT-0400 Lap 8: Full course yellow for contact in Turn 3 between Dan Wheldon and Richard Antinucci.

VisionRacingI got distracted for a second and all of a sudden there are two Penskes behind Ed. I'm not in Kansas anymore am I? Oh Canada right.

TheEDJE@VisionRacing Yes Virginia .... There is a Santa Claus - Ed is in front of 2/3irds of the Penske Team #irl

13:29:50 GMT-0400 Lap 10: Some drivers mid-pack come into the pits to play strategy.

13:31:15 GMT-0400 Lap 10: Back to green flag racing!

indy44AGR rolling the dice

VisionRacingEd will be p12 for the #indycar restart @ Toronto. (BTW Penske cars had flat tires + had to pit after a ping pong game broke out on track.)

kvracingPT is P9 and Moraes P11, KVRT have decided not to come in to pits. So move to P6 and P8 respectively

13:32:32 GMT-0400 Lap 12: Full course yellow for Ed Carpenter stalled against the wall in Turn 6. He made light contact.

VisionRacingEd stuck between 6+7. Never got to go green. Had crap on his tires. No damage to car. Just a flat spot on tires.

FuriousWedgeSo we're 0 for 2 on halfway decent starts; If I'm Barnhart I'm warning Dario for the 2 previous jumps and flagging him if he does it again

13:34:04 GMT-0400 Lap 12: Pits are open.

TheEDJEI guess this puts Ed behind ALL of the Penske Team - Dang!

13:35:26 GMT-0400 Lap 13: Green flag this time by.

kvracingGreen Flag next time by. PT and Moraes are side by side for restart, P6 and P7 respectively

GREEN Flag!

FuriousWedgeConway taking looks inside Doornbos & Tracy trying to get by Conway, Doornbos using F1 style blocking but couldn't hold it off

13:37:13 GMT-0400 Lap 14: Robert Doornbos loses two places.

13:39:19 GMT-0400 Lap 16: Dario Franchitti is extending his lead.

FuriousWedge@PlanetIrldotcom theres a difference between falling asleep at the green and being brake-checked

13:40:01 GMT-0400 Lap 17: Will Power makes his way around Hideki Mutoh for P19.

PlanetIrldotcom@FuriousWedge Well they are professionals. They need to be ready for it.

MyNameIsIRLI bet Will Power is having some great battling for position right now while we watch the leaders go round and round. Guess I'll never know.

13:42:49 GMT-0400 Lap 20: Dario Franchitti is gaining around .2 seconds a lap on the field.

13:43:48 GMT-0400 Lap 21: Dario Franchitti has pushed his lead to over three seconds and continues to pull away.

VisionRacingOk. Top 5 is Dario Tag Dixon Conway Tracy. 2 Canucks, 1 Scot, 1 Kiwi and 1 Brit. It's the racing version of the Commonwealth games!

TheEDJE@VisionRacing That's the IRL - to bring American racing back to Americans! Well, at least we have some North Americans #irl

FuriousWedgeMoraes now around Doornbos, we don't need to see that though... am curious as to where Doornbos' speed has gone, he's dropping every few

13:47:25 GMT-0400 Lap 24: Robert Doornbos has switched to the primary tire.

13:47:58 GMT-0400 Lap 25: Local yellow in Turn 8 for Ed Carpenter off course.

VisionRacingLap 25 of 85. Dario still leads. Leaders will start to pit. Ed is a lap down but can make it up here. He radioed in that he is losing grip.

FuriousWedgeHoly $&*@ Marty Reid Paul Tracy does not look at all like any other car in the field, he was 3 spots ahead of Doornbos, how do to F that up?

13:49:21 GMT-0400 Lap 26: Dario Franchitti and Marco Andretti nearly touched out of the pits.

VisionRacingEd feeling a bit sheepish. Well at least we're getting a bit of TV time right. Engineer Jeff Britton tells Ed to settle down.

Paul Tracy would have made a good showing if he were not so aggressive with Helio Castroneves toward the end. For many parts of the race ... it was led by the two Canadian Transition Player drivers of Alex Tagliani, Conquest Racing and Paul driving for KV racing Technology. Image Credit Andy Sallee (2009)

13:50:23 GMT-0400 Lap 27: Paul Tracy is putting pressure on Mike Conway for P3.

kart58Tag in the lead! Tag in the lead! *happy dance*

13:50:41 GMT-0400 Lap 27: Paul Tracy gets by Mike Conway to take P3 going into Turn 3.

indy44Tag P1 nice,Dixon,Tracy,Conway,Moraes

TheEDJEThe Canadians want to own this first race of the IRL in Toronto! #irl

PlanetIrldotcomPT in P3. no, no, no. *headdesk*

13:53:22 GMT-0400 Lap 30: Paul Tracy is putting the pressure on Tagliani for P1.

TheEDJEThere is going to be a punchout trackside - sound familiar? #irl

13:54:46 GMT-0400 Lap 31: Scott Dixon is working Graham Rahal hard for P13.

VisionRacingCanadians are 1-2 when was the last time that happened? 2003? Never mind. .

Tagliani and Tracy in the pits together!

13:55:35 GMT-0400 Lap 32: Paul Tracy switches to red tires.

13:56:57 GMT-0400 Lap 33: Mike Conway make contact with the wall to blow his tire.

kvracingPT is in for tires and fuel. Moraes is now running P1 and PT is P10

13:57:44 GMT-0400 Lap 34: Alex Tagliani gives up the lead to take his first pit stop.

VisionRacingPT is on friggin' fire. He's putting on a drifting show on out there on the streets of Toronto. He IS the show right now.

TheEDJEPT is taking the IRL to temporary street course school! #irl

13:58:51 GMT-0400 Lap 35: Mario Moraes gives up the lead to pit.

kvracingMoraes just pitted from P1, fuel and black tires. Now PT is P7 after his stop and MM P11

tracksideonlineTracy is making a statement. It's called "I should be in a full-time ride."

Mike Conway retires after hitting the wall by himself. Meanwhile, back up front ...

14:02:03 GMT-0400 Lap 38: Helio Castroneves is closing in on Tomas Scheckter for the lead.

MyNameIsIRLTomas Scheckter leads on a street course?? Maybe there's something to that MonaVie stuff after all.

14:04:30 GMT-0400 Lap 40: Helio Castroneves has cut the lead to under .5 seconds.

14:05:15 GMT-0400 Lap 41: Tomas Scheckter comes into the pits, giving Helio Castroneves the lead.

RacingNationBTW, the Will Power car is based on Al Unser's cars circa 1983-1987, he usually had the blue trim, Mears had yellow with red trim.

14:06:27 GMT-0400 Lap 42: Will Power slid through his marks in the pits.

FuriousWedge"I get my red and wiht mixed up" umm Reid, just get up and walk out of the booth now, let Welch fill in, he knows his stuff; "

TheEDJEMarty Reid is a baffooooooone!

VisionRacingI'd qualify this as a pretty entertaining action packed street fight on wheels. Wouldn't you?! Top5 is Scheckter Helio Power Wilson RHR

tracksideonlineThere's a great battle between Kanaan, Power, and Viso while ABC watches the leaders trundle around.

14:09:14 GMT-0400 Lap 44: Due to various pit strategies, Helio Castroneves has a five second lead.

kvracingPit window is opening up again for other cars. MM and PT did great fuel saving so staying out longer and moving up grid. PT is P4 & MM is P8

MyNameIsIRL"We've learned that Richard Antinucci's car has been taken behind the wall". Sounds like they're going to put it down. About time.

14:13:07 GMT-0400 Lap 48: Helio Castroneves gives up the lead for what could be his last stop of the race. He takes a set of red tires.

VisionRacingGet your popcorn ready. Tag + Tracy battle up front coming up... Ed coming in to pit next lap.

tracksideonlineWilson pits. They must think they can make it 35 laps on a tank of fuel. Castroneves is trying the same thing from one lap further.

14:15:41 GMT-0400 Lap 50: Tony Kanaan is in the pits to get some sticker red tires.

TheEDJEAlex Tagliani, Conquest racing leads the field again with Paul Tracy, KV Racing Technology 2.2 sec. in tow. #irl

kvracingPT is now P2 and MM is P4 now that everyone has pitted. Lap 51 of 85.

TheEDJEGotta' love the CCWS "Transition Player" influence in this race!

tracksideonlineHelio's 15 seconds behind Tagliani, but looks as though he will try to go 37 laps on this tank of fuel and reds. Hmm

14:21:33 GMT-0400 Lap 56: Paul Tracy switches from black tires to sticker

MyNameIsIRLDario is all up on Moraes and...they cut away. Is there a rule that we're not allowed to see any actual passing?

indy44That would be a shocker,if Tracy and Tagliani are battling for the win at the end

14:21:33 GMT-0400 Lap 56: Paul Tracy switches from black tires to sticker reds.

14:23:50 GMT-0400 Lap 58: Full course yellow for contact between Graham Rahal and Ed Carpenter.

indy44YELLOW for Rahal

TheEDJERahal's fault #irl

VisionRacingYeah that was our car...airborne. And Rahal in the wall. Ed says car feels okay. He's staying out.

FuriousWedgeI love how ABC is so quick to blame Ed Carpenter for not seeing Graham make a very ill advised move where there was no space for it

14:26:34 GMT-0400 Lap 59: Pits are open.

PlanetIrldotcom@VisionRacing How? He was in the air! As in not on the earth!

FuriousWedgeWhy does it seem like ABC is still not paying attention to the fact that Helio is in a prime position for this race!?

TheEDJE@FuriousWedge - I'm hip, there is finally a story to tell in an IRL race, and ABC is asleep! #irl

14:30:42 GMT-0400 Lap 61: Back to green flag racing!

kvracingPT pitted just in time and remains P3, not so lucky with MM, he is P13 after having to pit on yellow. Both cars on red tires, lap 63 of 85

tracksideonlineMutoh getting inhaled on the restart.

14:32:27 GMT-0400 Lap 63: Paul Tracy got a little loose going into the turn.

indy44I'm expecting one more yellow coming up in a couple laps,drivers are going all Banzai

14:33:14 GMT-0400 Lap 64: Dario Franchitti takes the lead out of Turn 1.

indy44Tell em Jimmy [Vasser],like I said put on Dario's glass slipper

14:34:12 GMT-0400 Lap 65: Paul Tracy is looking to move into P2 and is all over Helio Castroneves.

14:34:58 GMT-0400 Lap 65: Full course yellow for contact in Turn 4 between Paul Tracy and Helio Castroneves.

MyNameIsIRLOMG! Of all the guys to take out PT it had to be Helio!

indy44Helio and Tracy dance into the concrete

chunter16Vintage Paul Tracy. They both deserve the damage though.

FuriousWedgeTracy's fault-Helio's fault? little of both but Helio was definitely blocking Tracy up until that turn Dario was getting away cause of Helio

TheEDJEREPLAY - Helio takes Tracy OUT ... In the wall! #irl

Crowd reaction to Helio Castroneves as he gets out of his Dallara, these stands are located just across the track from the Penske pits. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

14:38:28 GMT-0400 Lap 67: Pits are open.

kvracingCrowd booing Helio on the replay for taking @paultracy3 out. He now finishes race P18 after trying for P2 :(

Helio Castroneves hears the crowd reaction to the racing incident that took out Paul Tracy. The crowd was not happy. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2009)

VisionRacingIf we have to replace a tow link, they'll have to shut the motor off. Coming in.

indy44Nice comments by Tracy, I was expecting something totally different

GREEN Flag - LAP 71

14:44:39 GMT-0400 Lap 71: Will Power moves into P3 after making a great move on Justin Wilson.

14:45:50 GMT-0400 Lap 72: Local yellow in Turn 3 as EJ Viso and Mario Moraes lock up the brakes going into the turn.

PlanetIrldotcomGet off the track and let the real drivers fight it out. Do not charge into a corner that late. You got what you deserved. Now, where was I?

14:46:43 GMT-0400 Lap 73: EJ Viso is restarted and returns to the race.

MyNameIsIRLThey need to be playing the theme from "Jaws" whenever Power is shown today. He's been devouring people all day.

YELLOW Flag

chunter16Everyone trying too hard at the end of the straight

14:48:39 GMT-0400 Lap 75: Mario Moraes continues on as Scheckter is in the tires and Tagliani is restarted.

14:49:23 GMT-0400 Lap 75: Pits are open.

indy44Right now I would suspect Barnhardt coughing up blood and mic blown on his headset,LMAO

14:50:53 GMT-0400 Lap 76: Mario Moraes gets a new front wing and returns to the race.

TheEDJEWell, this certainly isn't oval racing! #irl

kvracing8 laps to go, Moraes is now P10

14:53:51 GMT-0400 Lap 77: Back to green flag racing!

14:54:20 GMT-0400 Lap 78: Dario Franchitti gets a great restart and pulls away.

FuriousWedgeWave off the f'n start Barnhart that was absolutely ridiculous, f'n embarrasing #indycar

MyNameIsIRLMarty Reid just confused Tagliani's white car with Viso's grey car. Can we get a sobriety test in the broadcast booth?

indy44Officials scared of a crash on restart,so they allow this garbage

tracksideonlineReally? We need to play ask the analyst with six laps to go? Try again, ABC.

14:56:10 GMT-0400 Lap 80: Scott Dixon is looking strong as he is all over Will Power.

So it is Briscoe, being led by Franchitti and being followed by teammate Will Power then followed by Scott Dixon. More Ganassi, Penske, Penske, Ganassi racing. At least this wasn't an oval.

14:59:09 GMT-0400 Lap 82: Will Power and the train behind him have caught up to Ryan Briscoe.

PlanetIrldotcom@openpaddock You don't come from that far back and stick your nose in. But it is PT so sticking his nose where it doesn't belong is normal.

Dario Franchitti shows everyone that he had been here before - wins going away from the field at Toronto. Image Credit Andy Sallee (2009)

15:00:21 GMT-0400 Lap 84: White flag. Dario Franchitti leads Ryan Briscoe by 1.6048 seconds.

indy44I still don't like the call by officials to let Dario pit,BS!!!!

PlanetIrldotcomEveryone get your mute buttons ready. ASLEY JUDD ALERT!!!!

15:01:16 GMT-0400 Lap 85: Dario Franchitti wins the Honda Indy Toronto!

MyNameIsIRLGanassi, Penske, Pesnke, Ganassi. Then universal underdog Justin Wilson.

RacingNationDario Wins! Dario dominates today. Cue Ashley.

kvracingMoraes #5 Azul - Votorantim - KV racing technology car finished 11th, he drove a great race, did a lot of overtaking

indy44Will Power best of the rest,good job!

How hte IndyCar Series field fared (** denotes Transition Player)

Pos - Driver - Team - Gap
1. Dario Franchitti Ganassi 1h43m47.1408
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 1.6745s
3. Will Power Penske + 2.1355s**
4. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 2.4803s
5. Justin Wilson Coyne + 2.9230s**
6. Danica Patrick Andretti Green + 6.4095s
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Foyt + 7.1837s
8. Marco Andretti Andretti Green + 8.2552s
9. Alex Tagliani Conquest + 13.4745s**
10. Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon + 16.0983s
11. Mario Moraes KV + 19.0141s
12. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green + 1 lap
13. EJ Viso HVM + 1 lap**
14. Dan Wheldon Panther + 1 lap
15. Ed Carpenter Vision + 3 laps

Retirements:

Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold 74 laps
Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 70 laps
Helio Castroneves Penske 65 laps
Paul Tracy KV 65 laps**
Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 57 laps**
Richard Antinucci 3G 41 laps
Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold 32 laps
Robert Doornbos Newman/Haas/Lanigan 26 laps**
----
The next race on the IndyCar Series schedule is the Rexall Edmonton Indy, July 26th at Edmonton City Centre Airport. Scott Dixon is the defending champion of the 2008 Rexall Edmonton Indy.

... notes from The EDJE

Additional Video & Photo Assets

Transition Player, Will Power, Takes INDY LB Pole

Rick Mears (center profile with black cap) stands as "Captain" of the Will Power, Penske Racing, Verizon Wireless sponsored pit operation. Will Power takes the pole for the first ever IRL Long Beach Grand Prix ... Will was last year's ChampCar Long Beach Grand Prix winner. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Transition Player, Will Power, Takes INDY LB Pole

Dario Franchitti, Justin Wilson***, Raphael Matos, EJ Viso***, Scott Dixon and Will Power*** battled for the pole in the Firestone Fast Six after advancing out of the second round. Three Transition Players (***) make the Firestone Fast Six for sunday's race ... now, that's parity!

How they fared ...

Will Power will defend his Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach title from the pole on Sunday after running the fastest lap in the Firestone Fast Six final round of qualifying this afternoon.

Power, driving the "NEW" Vorizon Wireless No. 12 Team Penske machine (with the pit crew managed by Rick Mears) after Helio Castroneves returned to the No. 3 this morning, ran a lap of 1:09.7107 (101.631 m.p.h.) to defeat Dario Franchitti for the top spot.

Row 2 will feature rookie driver Raphael Matos and E.J. Viso, who earned his best starting position in IndyCar Series competition. The third row will see Justin Wilson on the inside and defending series champion Scott Dixon on the outside.

By comparison, last year, Justin Wilson captured the pole position in his ChampCar DP01 with a time of 1:06.6020 (105.898 m.p.h.).

... notes from The EDJE

INDY Long Beach - Dallara's First Practice Sessions

Hot Wheels IndyCar Dallara - Hot Wheels take to the track at Long Beach the first time in unification of North American Open Wheel Automobile Racing. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

INDY Long Beach - Dallara's First Practice Sessions

The sound of the Dallara Honda engines filled the air and bounced/reverberated off of the buildings in downtown Long Beach for the first time today.

Here is a sample of the experience with updates to follow.

At the end of the first practice session, three of the top five lap speeds were registered by Transition Players from the former ChampCar World Series!

Top Five As Follows (** denotes Transition Player):

Dario Franchetti - 1:11.1915
Ryan Briscoe - 1:11.5385
Mario Moraes** - 1:116395
Will Power** - 1:11.6512
Graham Rahal** - 1:11.6777

All covered by less than a half of a second on the clock!

Dallara Logo painted on the side of the manufacturer's transport truck. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Well, it's back to the track for the 2:00 PM PT session #2.

----

Second practice leaderboard. Screen Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

The second practice ended and the Transition players did not fare as well as expected. It was the general consensus around the track that local knowledge would win out given all other things being equal. Guess again.

Penske Racing has a manufacturer's knowledge, a ChampCar ex-patriot as one of it's drivers, and a former home field advantage to take into account as the team has placed last year's winner Will Power in the lead speed position with Ryan Briscoe taking station at P9 - This just in ... Helio Castroneves, the two-time Indianapolis 500 champion, was just acquitted by a Florida jury of six counts of tax evasion and he will drive the #3 Dallara platform.

Chip Ganassi, team owner of the cars driven by ICS Champions Scott Dixon (2008) and Dario Frachetti (2007). Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009)

Closely following Will Power and Penske (who will be assigned a third Dallara sponsored by Verizon Wireless and it will carry the #12) is Target Chip Ganassi's Scott Dixon in P2 and his teammate, Dario Franchetti notching in at P6.

Positions 3, 4, 5 are held by relative rookies to the track with Luczo Dragon Racing's Raphael Matos, Panther's Dan Weldon, and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Mike Conway.

This leaves the Transition Players (after Will Power who has to take on an untested chassis) struggling along at positions 10 - Graham Rahal, 11 - EJ Viso, 12 - Justin Wilson, 14 - Robert Doornbos, 15 - Mario Moraes, and finally, 17 - Alex Tagliani.

A slow, sad day for the merged ChampCar crowd and the people who follow their fortunes.

... notes from The EDJE

Sad T-Points End To Open Wheel Unification

Justin Wilson misses out on capturing the IRL's Bombardier Rookie of the Year for the 2008 IndyCar Series season championship by six points. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Sad T-Points End To Open Wheel Unification

Qualification for the Chicagoland oval race typified the fortunes of the teams transitioning into the IRL in the last points paying race for the championship of the 2008 IRL season.

Not one driver from a former ChampCar World Series team made it into the top ten on the grid. This represents the beginning to a sad end to the first year performance of transition team drivers during this unification year of open wheel racing in North America.

This excerpted from autosport.com -

Briscoe beats Dixon to Chicago pole
Saturday, September 6th 2008, 21:38 GMT

Ryan Briscoe helped his Penske teammate Helio Castroneves' chances of winning the IRL IndyCar Series title by beating points leader Scott Dixon to pole position for the championship decider at Chicagoland.

Ganassi driver Dixon, who had dominated practice, held provisional pole for most of the session, resisting strong challenges from the Andretti Green cars in particular.

But Briscoe, the last driver to take to the track, set a four lap average of 215.818mph to snatch pole away from Dixon, out-pacing the Kiwi by just over a tenth of a second.

Detroit winner Justin Wilson (Newman/Haas/Lanigan) struggled on the 1.5-mile oval and only qualified 22nd.

Ryan Briscoe will start in position P1 on the grid for PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Pos Driver Team Speed

1. Ryan Briscoe Penske 215.818
2. Scott Dixon Ganassi 215.553
3. Danica Patrick Andretti Green 215.548
4. Helio Castroneves Penske 215.372
5. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 215.368
6. Marco Andretti Andretti Green 215.064
7. Dan Wheldon Ganassi 214.967
8. Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon 214.855
9. Vitor Meira Panther 214.796
10. Marty Roth Roth 214.794
11. Will Power KV 214.583
12. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green 214.444
13. Oriol Servia KV 214.441
14. Ed Carpenter Vision 213.875
15. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 213.523
16. AJ Foyt IV Vision 213.485
17. Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman 213.430
18. Jaime Camara Conquest 213.417
19. Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher 213.389
20. Alex Tagliani Conquest 213.305
21. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold 212.857
22. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan 212.753
23. Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold 212.682
24. Darren Manning Foyt 212.406
25. Franck Perera Foyt 212.126
26. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne 212.040
27. EJ Viso HVM 211.996
28. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne 211.451

T-Team Tally In Qualifications

Will Power grids in position P11 for the final points paying race of the season. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Pos Driver Team Speed

11. Will Power KV 214.583
13. Oriol Servia KV 214.441
15. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 213.523
18. Jaime Camara Conquest 213.417
20. Alex Tagliani Conquest 213.305
22. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan 212.753
26. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne 212.040
27. EJ Viso HVM 211.996
28. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne 211.451
Reference Here>>

Missing from the line-up is Pacific Coast Motorsports who have bowed out after entering the season late, showed good improvement but wanted to spend this time to build for a stronger campaign next year.

15:46:25 GMT-0400 All cars are away from the grid for the pace laps. Green flag is expected on the third time by.

Start waived off due to spacing, Briscoe slowed the field way down – too slow.

Green Flag!

Three wide racing gets the heart pumping at the start. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

LAP 1
The cars charge three wide into the first corner

LAP 3
Tony Kanaan is trying to pass Briscoe on the high side. Castroneves is already up to P21 from P28

LAP 5
Castroneves is moves up to P18 from P28

LAP 11
Helio Castroneves is up to P13 from P28

LAP 14
Dan Wheldon looks to take P5 from Danica Patrick

LAP 15
Marco Andretti gets moved back to P13 as Castroneves passes by for P12

LAP 25
Castroneves gets moved back to P11 as Rahal passes by to regain P10

LAP 32 of 200
It’s Briscoe, Kanaan, Dixon, Carpenter, Weldon, Patrick, Meira, Foyt IV, Hunter-Reay, and Castroneves in positions 1-10

LAP 37
Yellow Flag - Ed Carpenter smashes into the wall on Turn 2 – ON FIRE

LAP 38
In the pits – All cars take on fuel, tires, get adjustments, and try to advance position

LAP 39
After the first round of pitstops Tony Kanaan appears to have won the race off of pit lane with Dixon in tow - Castroneves moving past Hunter-Reay. It’s Kanaan, Dixon, Briscoe, Weldon, Patrick, Meira, Foyt IV, Castroneves, Hunter-Reay, and Viso in positions 1-10

LAP 50
Green Green Green- Restart underway – Castroneves moves up another spot making that 20 positions in 50 laps

LAP 53
Positions 9-13 running almost on top of each other – Hunter-Reay, Viso, Power, Rahal, and Scheckter

LAP 57
Double pass on Weldon and Patrick by Castroneves to P4 … right behind Dixon

LAP 63
T-Team Driver, Jaime Camara of Conquest Racing is done for the day

LAP 64
Jaime Camara appears to have his issues resolved as he rejoins the race

LAP 67
Helio Castroneves passes Dixon to P3. Dixon shows maturity by not contesting the position

LAP 74
Yellow Flag – Full Course Caution – Vitor Meira of Panther Racing hits the wall in turn two. Vitor received an email earlier in the day telling him that he will not be racing for Panther Racing next season … he is expected to be replaced by Dan Weldon currently at Target Chip Ganassi Racing … who is expected to be replaced by IRL 2007 Series Champion, Dario Franchitti – and so goes the silly season here in the last points paying race for the IndyCar Series 2008 Championship

LAP 84
Green Flag – Helio Castroneves leads the field after a great pitstop. Behind him It’s Briscoe, Kanaan, Dixon, Weldon, Foyt IV, Patrick, Power, Viso, and Rahal in positions 1-10

LAP 92
1.1 seconds separates the top nine cars

LAP 93
Three abreast at 213 mph with Castroneves on the bottom, Ryan Briscoe in the middle, and Dan Weldon on top – Dixon drops to seventh

LAP 95
Mario Moraes of Dale Coyne Racing and EJ Viso of HVM Racing are in the top nine. Moraes is 19 years old with little oval experience has moved up from next to last P27 to P5

LAP 108
Over halfway and the Yellow Flag comes out for debris on the track. Dixon runs at P10 and this race is beginning to slip away. If the race were to end right now, Dixon would only win by two points (down 28 from 30) for a $1,000,000 season championship bonus

Sarah Fisher in her new Dollar General livery races along side, three wide, with Marco Andretti and T-Team driver, nineteen year-old Mario Moraes in the Sonny's BBQ sponsored Dale Coyne Dallara. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

LAP 109
Buddy Rice of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing gets tapped while in pit lane by Graham Rahal of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and is unable to continue in the race

LAP 113
Rahal in pits to replace mirror – penalized to restart from the back of the pack

LAP 117
Green Flag – Helio Castroneves leads the field after a great pitstop. Behind him It’s Briscoe, Weldon, Kanaan, Viso, Foyt IV, Patrick, Dixon, Power, Moraes, and Wilson in positions 1-11

LAP 118
Yellow Flag – Sara Fisher in the Dollar General Fisher Racing car hits the wall in turn #4 hard. She has stopped in the grass. Sarah Fisher is out of the car, but is limping to the safety vehicle

LAP 119
Where season points leader Scott Dixon is running right now … he would win by four points. If Castroneves were to get the bonus points for leading the most laps – Dixon would still win by one point

LAP 125
Green Flag – 75 laps to go. Justin Wilson passes Scott Dixon and pushes him back to ninth

LAP 127
Weldon drops back one position from P3 to P4 moving Kanaan up

LAP 128
Dixon is able to make some passes and is now up to P6 after passing Patrick

LAP 132
Kanaan passes Castroneves – not good for Helio … and Dixon up to P4

LAP 136
Announcers speculate if Dixon is applying the same strategy Dario Franchitti employed last year where Dixon Pressures Castroneves to use up more fuel and have him run out at the end – the same way Dixon ran out last year giving Franchitti the win and the championship

LAP 137
EJ Viso’s tire deflates and sends the car into the wall from P8

LAP 140
Leaders in the pits – Dixon may have a problem in that he looses a few positions because a tire got away from a pit crew member causing Dixon to hold a little longer

LAP 144
Milka Duno stays out to get some camera time for her sponsor CITGO Petroleum - Green Flag – Helio Castroneves is second after a great pitstop. Behind him It’s Briscoe, Weldon, Patrick, Kanaan, Dixon, Moraes, Hunter-Reay and Andretti in positions 1-10

LAP 158
The top eight have opened up a 1.8 second lead on the field

LAP 163
Hideki Mutoh is slow on the apron near Turn #1

LAP 167
Dixon is holding station at P4 – if he finishes there, he wins the series championship for 2008 by nine points.

LAP 168
Hideki Mutoh is in for an extended pit stop. This could cost him Bombardier Rookie of the Year

LAP 177
It’s Weldon, Castroneves, Briscoe, Dixon, Kanaan, Moraes, Hunter-Reay, Patrick, Foyt IV, and Manning in P1 through P10

Helio Castroneves and teammate Ryan Briscoe get a nudge at over 200 miles per hour while running ... three wide. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

LAP 182
Mario Moraes of Dale Coyne Racing scrapes the wall and brings out a Yellow Flag. Mario out – Castroneves has the bonus points (3) for most laps led

LAP 184
Pits are open and the leaders come in – this could turn the race if there is a problem for either Castroneves or Dixon

LAP 185
Dixon picks up three positions and passes Briscoe and Castroneves out of the pits – only about 13 to 14 laps of racing to the end

LAP 189
11 laps left and it’s Green Green Green RESTART! – Graham Rahal gets into the wall from P18 – Yellow Flag

LAP 194
Six laps to go, after two wave offs due to Helio trying to get a jump - they are going to the end

LAP 195
Castroneves is all over leader, Scott Dixon’s rear wing

LAP 199
Two laps remaining and it is side by side

LAP 200
On the bottom Dixon out stretches Castroneves for his seventeenth race win by one one-thousandth of a second. The video evidence would suggest that Castroneves noses out Dixon – we’re waiting for the announcement

It’s official!

Scott Dixon is the 2008 IndyCar Series Champion and is second to Helio Castroneves in this race here today in the closest finish ever in an open wheel motorsports race … still at margin of one one-thousandth of a second flying along at 213 miles per hour. Image Credit: indycar.com

Photo finish
By indycar.com staff

JOLIET, Ill. - Helio Castroneves made a exciting dash to the front of the pack - going from worst to first in 77 laps - but Scott Dixon did what was necessary to wrap up his second IndyCar Series championship.

Dixon, who needed an eighth place in the PEAK Antifreeze & Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway to clinch, finished second in the 200-lap race -- by 0.0033 of a second to Castroneves in the second-closest finish in IndyCar Series history. The closest finish is 0.0024 of a second in 2002.

Another IndyCar Series championship-deciding race came down to the final turn of the final lap at Chicagoland Speedway. This time, Scott Dixon came out on top. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

IndyCar Series champion celebrates with all of the members of his Target Chip Ganassi team. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

Dixon won by 17 points. Castroneves' teammate, Ryan Briscoe, finished third (0.0778 of a second behind) and Tony Kanaan was fourth. Will Power finished fifth and Dan Wheldon was sixth.
Reference Here>>

The highest finishing Transition Team driver is Will Power of KV Racing Technology.

So, it is a sad T-Team points end to this open wheel unification season at the end. Justin Wilson and Will Power both had a chance to take the lead in the rookie of the points but came up short.

Oriol Servia, Will Power's KV Racing Technology teammate was the highest ranking T-Team driver, but since he raced at the Indianapolis 500 in a previous season, he did not qualify as a rookie.

Bombardier Rookie of the Year

Rank. Name – PTS. Behind Leader

1. Hideki Mutoh - 346 Leader – and a rookie driver for an established IRL team
2. Justin Wilson -6
3. Will Power -15
4. Graham Rahal - -58
5. E.J. Viso -60
6. Mario Moraes -102
7. Enrique Bernoldi -126
8. Jaime Camara -172
9. Mario Dominguez -234

Overall 2008 Championship Points Standings

Rank. Name – POINTS – PTS. Behind Leader
(T-Team in CCWS orange)

1. Scott Dixon - 646 Leader
2. Helio Castroneves - 629 -17
3. Tony Kanaan - 513 -133
4. Dan Wheldon - 492 -154
5. Ryan Briscoe - 447 -199
6. Danica Patrick - 379 -267
7. Marco Andretti - 363 -283
8. Ryan Hunter-Reay - 360 -286
9. Oriol Servia - 358 -288
10. Hideki Mutoh - 346 -300
11. Justin Wilson - 340 -306
12. Will Power - 331 -315
13. Vitor Meira - 324 -322
14. Darren Manning - 323 -323
15. Ed Carpenter - 320 -326
16. Buddy Rice - 306 -340
17. Graham Rahal - 288 -358
18. E.J. Viso - 286 -360
19. A.J. Foyt IV - 280 -366
20. Bruno Junqueira - 256 -390
21. Mario Moraes - 244 -402
22. Enrique Bernoldi - 220 -426
23. Jaime Camara - 174 -472
24. Marty Roth - 166 -480
25. Milka Duno - 140 -506
26. Townsend Bell - 117 -529
27. Mario Dominguez - 112 -534
28. Jay Howard - 72 -574
29. Franck Perera - 71 -575
30. John Andretti - 71 -575
31. Tomas Scheckter - 66 -580
32. Sarah Fisher - 37 -609
33. Paul Tracy - 32 -614 - honorable mention
34. Alex Tagliani - 30 -616 - honorable mention
35. Roger Yasukawa - 16 -630
36. Davey Hamilton - 16 -630
37. Buddy Lazier - 13 -633
38. Alex Lloyd - 10 -636
39. Jeff Simmons - 10 -636

... notes from The EDJE

T-Time At The Detroit Grand Prix In Belle Isle

Justin Wilson claimed his first win in the IRL IndyCar Series in Detroit after Helio Castroneves was awarded to relinquish the lead by race control having allegedly blocked the Newman/Haas/Lanigan driver. /// Until the controversial late call by the officials, Castroneves looked set to take his third win at the Detroit street course and carve into title rival Scott Dixon's championship lead. With Dixon only finishing fifth, Castroneves has still reduced his deficit, but the title is now Dixon's to lose at Chicagoland next week. Image Credit: autosport.com

T-Time At The Detroit Grand Prix In Belle Isle

On a very tight street course and a former staple on the Champ Car Series, the race featured three of the "Transition Team" drivers in the final “Firestone Fast Six” shootout in the knockout qualifying format used for street/road courses.

At the end of the 12 minute session where the drivers are ranked by the fastest time they are able to post, Justin Wilson (NHL Racing) and Oriol Servia (KVRT) filled the second row in positions 2 and 3 on the grid. Graham Rahal, Wilson’s teammate was not able to improve beyond position #6.

Originally, the Detroit GP was held around the Renaissance Center downtown and the track was hard on both car and driver. The racing surface was very rough and included a railroad crossing! The circuit was also very narrow with concrete barriers surrounding the track with little run-off room. This resulted in a high level of attrition. By 1989, F1 had had enough and terminated the Detroit GP, but CART stepped in and raced at the current location, but not the current configuration, on Belle Isle. Michael Andretti won the pole of that innaugural race at Belle Isle, but at the end of the day it was Emerson Fittipaldi, winner of that year's Indianapolis 500, who emerged victorious. Belle Isle was also the location of Helio Castroneves first major open-wheel victory, finishing first in both the 2000 and 2001 GPs. 2001 was the last year for the CART races at Belle Isle, and racing didn't return until Roger Penske organized a complete revamping of the circuit in 2007. The area was made much more accessable and many of the fan areas and paddock areas were paved to avoid the mudpits that the paddock had become in previous years. Image Credit: IndyCar Garage

This excerpted from autosport.com -

Dixon beats Castroneves to pole
By Matt Beer Saturday, August 30th 2008, 17:07 GMT

Pos Driver Team Time:
1. Scott Dixon Ganassi 1:12.2861
2. Helio Castroneves Penske 1:12.7649
3. Oriol Servia KV 1:12.9618
4. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan 1:13.0530
5. Ryan Briscoe Penske 1:13.1004
6. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan 1:13.6464
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman 1:12.9511
8. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 1:13.2339
9. EJ Viso HVM 1:13.5354
10. Danica Patrick Andretti Green 1:13.9158
11. Dan Wheldon Ganassi 1:13.9267
12. Will Power KV no time
13. Marco Andretti Andretti Green 1:14.1623
14. Vitor Meira Panther 1:13.6678
15. Darren Manning Foyt 1:14.2619
16. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green 1:13.9010
17. AJ Foyt IV Vision 1:14.3486
18. Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold 1:15.0969
19. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne 1:14.4841
20. Ed Carpenter Vision 1:15.3061
21. Alex Tagliani Conquest 1:16.6407
22. Jaime Camara Conquest 1:16.7047
23. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold 1:19.0865
24. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne 1:22.3955
25. Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon no time
Reference Here>>

Lap Notation of the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone:

Green Flag – The race starts on Belle Isle.

LAP 1
A clean start until Milka Duno tries to chop down on Bruno Junquiera, touches tires and is spun out of turn #3.

LAP 2
Officials rule the Bruno was guilty of avoidable contact and sent to the back of the grid. Thomas Schechter pulls in and un-straps to get out of the car – reports of a broken driveshaft.

LAP 3
Four cars at the back of the field peel off and top off on fuel.

LAP 4
Green Flag re-start – Dixon leads Castroneves, Servia, Wilson, Briscoe, Rahal, and Kanaan.

LAP 6
Dixon and Castroneves pull away from the field and have a two second cushion.

LAP 10
The lead has grown to seven seconds. If the race were to end this way, Dixon would capture the season points' championship over Castroneves.

LAP 12
The lead is now over 10 seconds from P2 to P3.

LAP 13
Dan Weldon pits early in order to put in place a different fueling strategy.

LAP 15
Bruno Junqueira has made the biggest move up the field so far moving six spots from 24th to 18th.

LAP 16
Everyone is holding station in the top seven positions mentioned before. The rest of the T-Team drivers are running Viso in 9th, Power in 10th, Moraes in 17th, Junqueira in 18th,

LAP 17
#34 Jamie Camara takes out #10 Dan Wheldon going into turn 9. Weldon is penalized for unavoidable contact for tapping Jamie Camara in the corner.

LAP 20
The field pits with Dixon in but Castroneves stays out to counter the strategy of Dixon. Most of the leading positions stay out.

LAP 21
Green Flag restart – Dixon back in position #18 behind Buddy Rice.

LAP 22
Dixon moves past Rice and now sets up behind Alex Tagliani in position #16.

LAP 23
All of the cars are bunched up after the restart, very tight single file racing.

LAP 24
Castroneves is turning two laps a second faster than Dixon who is stuck back in the field; Helio has a sixteen second advantage and growing.

LAP 25
Dixon gets passed by Ed Carpenter for P15. The lead pack of #3 Castroneves, #5 Servia, #02 Wilson, #11 Kanaan, and #17 Hunter-Reay have checked out from P6 #33 EJ Viso.

LAP 27
Castroneves and the leaders are expected to pit in four laps.

LAP 28
Race in the race has EJ Viso is just ahead of Will Power as the highest T-Team points leaders for rookie-of-the-year, if Power passes Viso, he will take the points lead.

LAP 29
Dixon down 27 seconds to leader Castroneves.

LAP 32
Servia, Kanaan and others pit … Castroneves solders on.

LAP 33
Wilson and Castroneves pit.

LAP 34
Danica Patrick and Darren Manning get together and further down the track EJ Viso taps the wall … all three cars are out.

LAP 35
These incidents move Dixon up to P5. Helio, Justin Wilson were able to maintain P1 and P2 respectively … followed by Servia and Kanaan in P3 and P4.

LAP 36
Danica Patrick was able to come in and get restarted and rejoins the field.

LAP 38
Green Flag restart – If the race were to end right now, Dixons championship points' lead would be cut to just 20 from 43.

LAP 39
Hideki Mutoh’s car is off the pace and is getting passed and drops four positions to P15.

LAP 41
Castroneves and Wilson pull out a 2 second lead over Oriol Servia in P3. Junqueira is now up 12 positions to P12 from P24 where he started the race.

LAP 42
Bruno Junqueira of Dale Coyne Racing is now up to P10.

LAP 43
#3 Castroneves and #02 Wilson have checked out and opened a 5 second lead over P3 #5 Servia.

Justin Wilson of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing prepares to run at the Detoit Grand Prix on Belle Isle. Image Credit: Andy Sallee (2008)

LAP 45
The Race is half way over and #3 Helio Castroneves has been in control for most of the race.

LAP 49
Castroneves has pulled away from Justin Wilson by a margin of three seconds.

LAP 52
Castroneves now leads Wilson in P1 by 5.4 seconds and Dixon in P5 by 16.3 seconds.

LAP 53
Rahal pits, giving Junqueira P8 up 16 positions from his start.

LAP 54
Power has contact with Ryan Hunter-Reay while battling for position and damages both cars. Dixon dives into the pits. Will Power stays out a couple of more laps while his wing flaps around

LAP 55
With Dixon pitting, Junqueira to P6. Wilson pits from P2.

LAP 56
Briscoe pits to leave room in the pit box for the expected pit in for Castroneves.
Dixon is 43 seconds behind Helio.

LAP 58
Helio Castroneves takes what he hopes to be his last pit stop. Servia was able to get past and this leaves Dixon 33 seconds behind P2 Castroneves.
This should be good to go till the end.

LAP 59
Servia comes in while P1 and comes out in P4 behind Kanaan.

LAP 63
Dixon short fueled at his last pit stop and has to throttle back in order to make it to the end. Dixon is behind Servia in position 5 and if the race ends now there will be a 20 point margin and the championship goes to Chicagoland Speedway.

LAP 65
Fourth Full Course Yellow of the race for #10 Dan Wheldon and #19 Mario Moraes in turn 8.

LAP 67
Pits open but none of the leaders come in.

LAP 68
Castroneves captures the three bonus points for leading the most laps in the race.

LAP 69
Green Flag restart and it is a sprint to the end of the race. Dixon is quagmired in P5 and still has to conserve fuel.

LAP 71
Wilson makes a move for the lead and gets blocked – Officials rule that Helio has to give up the position and drop to P2.

LAP 72
Castroneves begins to move out, gets space and does not let Wilson by.

LAP 73
Castroneves complies with the IRL ruling and gives up the lead to Justin Wilson. The Penske team states that the delay was tactical.

LAP 76
#02 Wilson is in control and it's his race to lose. With 14 laps to go P1 thru P3 have checked out from P4.

LAP 78
Race Control: This is now a 2 hour timed race. This means that the race will be shortened from its scheduled 90 laps.

LAP 84
Rahal pits for fuel. With under 4 minutes left in the race is #02 Justin Wilson's race to lose.

LAP 87
#02 Justin Wilson wins the Detroit Indy Grand Prix presented by Firestone. He is the ninth different driver to win this year and the 41st to win an IRL race. Hats off to Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

After Wilson was P2 Castroneves, P3 Tony Kanaan, P4 Oriol Servia, P5 Dixon, P6 Ryan Hunter-Reay, P7 Bruno Junqueira … from P24, P8 Will Power, P9 Ryan Briscoe, and P10 AJ Foyte IV.

Justin Wilson sends additional congratulations to team owner Paul Newman. His dedication of this race to Paul is poignant in that team owner Paul Newman is suffering from cancer and the situation looks terminal.

The Championship moves on to the penultimate race of the season in Chicago (the final race is set for the streets of Queensland, Australia – Nikon Indy 300 - Sunday, October 26 aired at 10:30 p.m. ET, Oct. 25 ESPN).

Castroneves finishes the race 30 points behind Scott Dixon which means that all Dixon has to do is finish eighth at the PEAK Chicagoland Indy 300 next weekend (Qualifying: Sat, September 6 - Race: Sun, September 7).

This excerpted from autosport.com -

Wilson takes first IRL win in Detroit
By Matt Beer - Sunday, August 31st 2008, 21:44 GMT

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan 87 laps
2. Helio Castroneves Penske + 4.4058
3. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green + 17.6815
4. Oriol Servia KV + 26.5468
5. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 27.7185
6. Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman + 28.2688
7. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne + 28.6815
8. Will Power KV + 28.8776
9. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 35.5244
10. AJ Foyt IV Vision + 38.1040
11. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green + 38.3811
12. Darren Manning Foyt + 44.4662
13. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 47.8028
14. Ed Carpenter Vision +1:01.2770
15. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne + 1 lap
16. Danica Patrick Andretti Green + 1 lap
17. Vitor Meira Panther + 4 laps
18. Marco Andretti Andretti Green + 6 laps
19. Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold + 11 laps
20. Dan Wheldon Ganassi + 23 laps
21. Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon + 31 laps
22. Alex Tagliani Conquest + 33 laps
23. Milka Duno Dreyer & Reinbold + 41 laps
24. EJ Viso HVM + 55 laps
25. Jaime Camara Conquest + 71 laps
Reference Here>>

... notes from The EDJE