Filed under: IRL
Dario Franchitti stole the IndyCar race at Chicagoland Speedway from a host of tough competitors with a bold, no-tire pit stop during the final round of pit stops in the waning laps of the race.
Franchitti went from eighth to first on the strength of the fuel-only stop and managed to stay in front the rest of the way.
Franchitti crossed the finish line less than a car length ahead of
Dan Wheldon in a tight pack that was so relentlessly tight all night, a number of drivers complained it was no fun racing like that.
Marco Andretti was third, followed by
Ryan Hunter-Reay and
Tony Kanaan.
"We struggled all night in traffic," Franchitti said. "Whoever made that call -- that was the call that won us the race tonight. They pulled my ass out of the first again tonight."
Meanwhile, points leader
Will Power failed to get his car fully fueled on the last stop, forcing a green flag stop for another gallon with just a few laps to go, sending him plummeting in the standings.
It also opened up the IndyCar points championship battle, with Power now leading by only 23 points over Franchitti with three races to go. He had a rather comfortable 59-point lead going into this race.
"Unfortunately, we didn't get all the fuel in," Power said. "Man, this is going to make it tough in the championship. We've got to eliminate mistakes like that. I was looking so good there before that last stop."
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