Publicat in: April 20, 2009, Vizualizari: 66
The Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Adding a victory in the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach had special significance to Dario Franchitti.
Franchitti, who started second in the Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, held off pole sitter Will Power by 3.3182 seconds in the 85-lap race. It was Franchitti's first road/street victory in the IndyCar Series and his ninth overall. "I got lots of Champ Car street and road course wins, but I haven't had one in the IndyCar Series so to finally get one feels good for all kinds of reasons," said Franchitti, who gave TCGR its 25th victory in the series, his wife actress Ashley Judd a special birthday present. "After everything we went through last year (in a truncated NASCAR program) and then Chip Ganassi coming up and saying, 'Hey, do you want to drive my Indy car?' Having finished second to his cars here twice I said to him last night, 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em' and here we are."
Franchitti was the beneficiary of two full-course cautions just after he made pit stops on Laps 16 and 53. While nine cars had to pit under caution on Lap 55, Franchitti inherited the lead and retained it for the remaining laps. There were six lead changes among six drivers.
Andretti Green Racing teammates Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick followed, with teammate Marco Andretti placing sixth. Dan Wheldon, driving the National Guard Panther car, was fifth. Kanaan posted his 11th consecutive top-10 finish, the longest active streak in the IndyCar Series, in his 100th start. Patrick, who a year earlier became the first female to win a closed-course auto race, made the biggest move in the race - from 22nd. Her Motorola crew, with Michael Andretti as her race strategist, followed similar pit strategy (and fortune) as Franchitti (Laps 16 and 51).
Power, whose weekend included switching to a different car for qualifying after the return of Helio Castroneves to the series, recorded his best IndyCar Series finish. Castroneves, who had two 30-minute sessions of practice and two rounds of qualifying under his belt before taking the green flag, finished seventh in his season debut. Ryan Briscoe, who won the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, finished 13th.
3mmm
photo 1: The Long Beach podium
photo 2: Dario Franchitti in action
photo 3: Long Beach is the most famous street racing course in the USA
The Indianapolis 500, 24 Hours At Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Adding a victory in the 35th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach had special significance to Dario Franchitti. Franchitti, who started second in the Target Chip Ganassi Racing car, held off pole sitter Will Power by 3.3182 seconds in the 85-lap race. It was Franchitti's first road/street victory in the IndyCar Series and his ninth overall. "I got lots of Champ Car street and road course wins, but I haven't had one in the IndyCar Series so to finally get one feels good for all kinds of reasons," said Franchitti, who gave TCGR its 25th victory in the series, his wife actress Ashley Judd a special birthday present. "After everything we went through last year (in a truncated NASCAR program) and then Chip Ganassi coming up and saying, 'Hey, do you want to drive my Indy car?' Having finished second to his cars here twice I said to him last night, 'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em' and here we are."
Franchitti was the beneficiary of two full-course cautions just after he made pit stops on Laps 16 and 53. While nine cars had to pit under caution on Lap 55, Franchitti inherited the lead and retained it for the remaining laps. There were six lead changes among six drivers.
Andretti Green Racing teammates Tony Kanaan and Danica Patrick followed, with teammate Marco Andretti placing sixth. Dan Wheldon, driving the National Guard Panther car, was fifth. Kanaan posted his 11th consecutive top-10 finish, the longest active streak in the IndyCar Series, in his 100th start. Patrick, who a year earlier became the first female to win a closed-course auto race, made the biggest move in the race - from 22nd. Her Motorola crew, with Michael Andretti as her race strategist, followed similar pit strategy (and fortune) as Franchitti (Laps 16 and 51).
Power, whose weekend included switching to a different car for qualifying after the return of Helio Castroneves to the series, recorded his best IndyCar Series finish. Castroneves, who had two 30-minute sessions of practice and two rounds of qualifying under his belt before taking the green flag, finished seventh in his season debut. Ryan Briscoe, who won the season opener on the streets of St. Petersburg, finished 13th.
3mmm
photo 1: The Long Beach podium
photo 2: Dario Franchitti in action
photo 3: Long Beach is the most famous street racing course in the USA
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