Franchitti wins the Honda Indy Toronto
TORONTO — Dario Franchitti is back in the IndyCar Series, the IndyCar Series is back in Toronto, and they both had a big day Sunday.
Franchitti won from the pole on a spectacularly sunny Sunday at the Honda Indy Toronto, the return of open-wheel racing to Exhibition Place and Lake Shore Boulevard after a one-year absence.
Franchitti, who won on the 11-turn, 1.755-mile street course in a Champ Car event a decade ago, won his third race of this season and regained the IndyCar points lead. This is Franchitti's first season back in an open-wheel car — he drives for Target Chip Ganassi Racing — after spending a frustrating year in NASCAR.
"It's been 10 years since my first one and it feels good," said Franchitti. "I spent a lot of years chasing the Target cars here and finishing behind. I have to thank Chip. He gave me the opportunity to come back here and drive these cars."
Franchitti was the points leader prior to being bumped by Scott Dixon after last week's race at Watkins Glen. Franchitti now has 347 points and a two-point advantage on Dixon.
Franchitti led 45 of the 85 laps and was not challenged during the final 21. He took off on a restart with seven laps to go and beat Ryan Briscoe by 1.6745 seconds. It is the fifth second-place finish for Briscoe in his last six races; he is third in points and trails Franchitti by 13.
Will Power, who won the 2007 Champ Car race here and just signed with Team Penske, finished third in the the 23-car field. Next were Dixon, Watkins Glen winner Justin Wilson and Danica Patrick.
On lap 58, Franchitti came to the pits for his second and final stop and was fortunate to make it in just before a full-course yellow flew due to Graham Rahal's spin in Turn Three after contact with Ed Carpenter. IndyCar timing and scoring showed Franchitti would maintain a position in front of Paul Tracy but behind Helio Castroneves.
"When it went to a full-course yellow, I was a third of my way down pit lane, which really helped us get back up towards the front," said Franchitti. "I beat Paul to the line [entering pit lane]. That definitely helped."
The race went green for lap 62 with Castroneves leading but on some old tires. Three laps later, Franchitti made a slick back-and-forth move to pass him in Turn Two.
The result of the pit stop and the resulting pass of Castroneves also kept Franchitti distanced from what was the most talked-about incident of a race which had five caution flags for 15 laps.
Tracy, the native of nearby Scarborough and a huge hometown favorite, quickly raced his way to the top five despite starting 15th. He was hungry for Castroneves' No. 2 spot and roared along side him on the lengthy backstretch on Lake Shore Blvd. Tracy tried a pass to the inside in Turns Three and Four, but the two cars made contact, forcing Castroneves' No. 3 Penske car to destroy much of Tracy's No. 15 when it slammed it into the inside wall between Turns Four and Five.
The incident ended the day for both drivers. As Castroneves took off his driving gear in the pits, he was showered with boos by the Canadian crowd.
"We were doing everything we could, and there was no need [to wreck Tracy]," said Castroneves, his familiar smile never leaving his face despite the crowd reaction. "I hear [the fans]. I understand the frustration of the fans -- it's just racing. I totally respect 'PT' and he's a fun guy to race."
While the incident was explosive, the reaction of the drivers was resigned, even from Tracy, nicknamed "The Thrill from West Hill." The two met briefly in the pit area and offered a disappointed hand shake and a pat on the back.
"It's hard to say," said Tracy. "We were racing really hard and he was trying to coast in the backstraight. He gave me some room, and we touched. I'm not going to say he did it on purpose — it was just a racing incident. ... It's a sad way to end the day, but I guess that's why they call me 'The Thrill,' right?"
While attendance is not released, Kevin Savoree of Andretti Green Racing — which ran the event through as Andretti Green Canada — raved about the return to Toronto.
"We have a five-year plan to rebuild this car race," said Savoree. "As far as the on-track product today, it was fantastic. There was something for everyone.
"We have lot of confidence that fans will be back next year, and that's what we'll focus on. Honda has a policy of reflection — we'll do that, we'll reflect on the event, and we'll make it bigger and better next year. We accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish for 2009 event."
The IndyCar Series remains in Canada for its next stop, July 26 at Edmonton.
Check out some sights and sounds of race day in Toronto at the Sports, Ink blog.
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