Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix Debrief

Bill Patterson paints a victory portrait of Scott Dixon in Victory Lane following his win in the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway, Image Credit: Richard Dowdy - VICS

Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix Debrief

NOTES:

Qualifications - Smashing and setting a record - Previous record of 183.599 at PIR held by Arie Luyendyk (March 23, 1996).

Helio Castroneves, the 40-year-old Brazilian shattered the track record - set 20 years ago by Arie Luyendyk (183.599 mph) - by touring the historic one-mile oval in a stunning two-lap average of 192.324 mph to win the pole in his REV Group Team Penske Dallara-Chevrolet.

Helio becomes the first driver to officially lap any one-mile oval faster than 190 mph - this would actually be a World Record mark as in a Guinness Book type of World Record.
[Reference Here]

Chevy vs Honda results post Quals. (revisited later as a post race review) -  Chevy had all top 10 positions on the grid.

At Race tire failures - First, Helio Castroneves, after leading out strongly, has a tire go down – Lap 40 - and it is diagnosed as a cut tire (outside front right - inside breach).

Second, also from the lead with as many laps on the tires as Helio, Juan Pablo Montoya's tire goes down – Lap 96 - it is the same tire position (outside front right - inside breach). The report on this one, however similar, is insisted to be from a different cause. Little explanation beyond this was given but the announcers speculated that since both cars were from Team Penske, that the camber may have been a bit over adjusted causing this tire failure to happen.

Chopping while driving - Charlie Kimball, and Tony Kanaan seemed bent on "protecting" their line with semi-aggressive squeeze downs to the line ... some without any on-track penalty. Kimball pays with a spin on Lap 134 but Newgarden suffers.

Restarts and Honda (RHR and Rahal):
• Outstanding start, re-starts highlight Hunter-Reay’s run - A likely top-three finish for Hunter-Reay was stymied by caution flags that twice waved just after he had completed scheduled pit stops, dropping him well back in the field each time as his competitors took advantage of the yellows to make their own stops. The poorly-timed cautions negated an aggressive race start for Hunter-Reay that saw the Andretti Autosport driver gain five positions in the opening lap. Hunter-Reay continued to fight back throughout the 250-lap contest, making multiple passes for position on each succeeding re-start and surviving a late-race brush with the wall to finish 10th.

• Rahal makes largest gain of the night to finish fifth - Rahal also had a strong race start and climbed through the field during the first half of the race, moving from 19th on the starting grid to sixth by the race’s Lap 125 mid-point. Rahal was able to both conserve fuel and maintain position through the remainder of the contest to net a fifth-place finish.

• Ill-timed caution flags cost Hunter-Reay, Andretti and Rossi - Two other Andretti Autosport drivers, Marco Andretti and rookie Alexander Rossi, also had likely top-10 finishes taken away by the same caution flags that hindered Hunter-Reay. Andretti dropped off the lead lap as a result of the second caution on Lap 120, to finish 13th, while Rossi was forced to make a stop for a cut tire while the pits were closed during a Lap 197 caution, resulting in a drive-through penalty and 14th-place finish.
[Reference Here]

Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan enter Turn 3 during the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway. Image Credit: Chris Owens - VICS

At end - Debris and Yellow Flags ... not! Ryan Hunter-Reay brushes the wall and leaves carbon-fiber on the front stretch on Lap 240 ... 10 laps from the end-of-race. Yellow Flag finally flown on Lap 248 as Alexander Rossi brushes the wall - Race ends on a Yellow White / Yellow Checkered Flag.

Bravo to Scott Dixon for his 39 Win and first-time win at Phoenix International Raceway. His win ties him for 4th on the all-time American Open Wheel win list with Al Unser. Next target on the list is Michael Andretti at 42 wins. When Dixon was at 38 wins, he had 19 Oval and 19 Street/Road course ... going into Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach ... he is going to have to win to balance this all up again!

Chevy vs Honda results post Race - Graham Rahal wasn’t able to reach the podium but did break into the top 5 with a P5. No Honda engine cars led any laps and only two drivers were able to break into the top 10 at race end - Rahal P5 and RHR P10. Only 4 Honda cars were able to finish the race on the lead lap. In 2016 and 2 races, Honda cars have been in front of the field for 18 of the 360 laps competed.

Attendance: 
Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan Sperber said he was on "cloud 9" after Saturday night's intense 250-lap Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix that attracted a crowd estimated just shy of 20,000.

It was successful enough to all-but ensure the series will be back at the Avondale oval in 2017, but likely will drop to late April, possibly Saturday night, April 29. That's because the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four will be at University of Phoenix Stadium early in the month, and Easter next year is April 16.
[Reference Here]

The podium of Scott Dixon, Simon Pagenaud, and Will Power following the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix at Phoenix International Raceway. Image Credit: Chris Owens - VICS

DESERT DIAMOND WEST VALLEY PHOENIX GRAND PRIX POST-RACE NOTES:

• Dixon has won an Indy car race in 12 consecutive seasons. It is a Indy car record.
• This is the 101st Indy car victory for cars owned by Chip Ganassi. It is the first-ever win for Chip Ganassi Racing at Phoenix International Raceway across all series that race here.
• Simon Pagenaud finished second. It is his 14th career podium finish and second-consecutive second-place finish. Pagenaud leads the Verizon IndyCar Series point standings for the first time in his career.
• Will Power finished third in his first start of the season.
• Tony Kanaan finished fourth, his fourth top-five finish in as many starts at PIR.
• Graham Rahal finished fifth, his season-best finish.

DESERT DIAMOND WEST VALLEY PHOENIX GRAND PRIX POST-RACE QUICK QUOTE:
SCOTT DIXON (No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet): “The biggest thing was just maintaining and trying to keep pace with whoever was in front and behind us and trying to figure out what we needed to make the car better. We tried to put ourselves in position to be there in the end. I can’t give enough credit to Team Target. They did amazing job. The pit stops were flawless and the strategy let us stretch out the fuel when we needed to and we were able to put some good cars a lap down early on. It was a good race and a good start for a return to Phoenix.”
About tying Al Unser for fourth on the all-time wins list: “It’s mind-boggling. I love doing what I do. I just feel privileged and lucky to one be driving in INDYCAR and two for a team like Chip Ganassi Racing. It’s amazing to be part of this team.”

UNOFFICIAL VERIZON INDYCAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1. Simon Pagenaud         83
2. Scott Dixon                 79
3. Juan Pablo Montoya    74
4. Ryan Hunter-Reay       56
5. Tony Kanaan              54
6. Helio Castroneves        53
7. Graham Rahal             44
8. Mikhail Aleshin           43
9. Takuma Sato              42
10. Max Chilton (R)          39

UNOFFICIAL SUNOCO ROOKIE OF THE YEAR POINT STANDINGS
1. Max Chilton                39
2. Alexander Rossi           34
3. Conor Daly                  32
4. Spencer Pigot               16

NEXT UP: The majority of the series will participate in a test at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Wednesday, April 6.

Round 3 of the Verizon IndyCar Series season will be the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, April 15-17.
(ht: VICS)

... notes from The EDJE


TAGS: Verizon IndyCar Series, Phoenix International Raceway, Scott Dixon, Target, Chip Ganassi Racing, TCGR, Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske, Helio Castroneves, Will Power, The EDJE, Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix

Edmonton INDY - Play By Play Via Tweet By Tweet

Race Start: Will Power, Team Penske leads the field to the Checkered Flag at the Rexall Edmonton INDY at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. Image Credit: Covy Moore (2009)

Edmonton INDY - Play By Play Via Tweet By Tweet

The Edmonton INDY is in the middle of a three-year contract to bring the race to Edmonton. It would be a shame to see this Canadian venue go by the way of, say, Vancouver. Edmonton has been one of the better temporary courses ever set up and is similar to the type of race that another defunct venue had in Cleveland Burke Lakefront airport.

Edmonton INDY is the 11th race of the IndyCar Series 2009 season and it has been another tough year for the fortunes of the Transition Players with only one consistent highlight ... flashes of brilliance from Will Power, Justin Wilson, Graham Rahal, and Paul Tracy but little in the way of consistency.

Will Power, driving for Penske Racing, has been a consistent performer but due to contract issues with Penske ... has not been able to actually race consistently with only five appearances in races so far this season. Image Credit: Covy Moore (2009)

Order given to have drivers to the cars!

This excerpted and edited from Twitter, IndyCar Live Timing and Scoring, and various digital resources -

IndyCarNationDrivers introductions have begun at Edmonton City Centre Airport. Second of four Snowbirds flybys will be 15 minutes.
FuriousWedgewhat a concept, VS giving more coverage & explanation to the Dario-PT pit order issue than ABC did, and ABC were the ones covering that race
CrashGladysOh man, my Helio 'I love Canada' bit just cut out... hopefully it wasn't my DVR! I was wanting to hear that bit... #indycar

15:44:58 GMT-0600 Lap 0: All cars are away from the grid for the pack laps. Green flag 2nd time by.

15:48:55 GMT-0600 Lap 0: Mario Moraes has some damage after going off course.

IndyCarPRLap 1: #5 Moraes is off course in Turn 5 with damage to the car. #24 Conway off course in Turn 14.

Will Power leads the way on the first lap

luczodragonRear suspension was bent in the turn, he's coming in

15:53:36 GMT-0600 Lap 5: The lead has dropped to around one second.

VisionRacing10 laps in + Will Power is leader. Red car. Red car. Red car. (Normally) Red Car. But OH CANADA!! PT is P6 + looking to get in the mix!

16:00:00 GMT-0600 Lap 11: Will Power has a comfortable lead, but isn't pulling away.

Top five Will Power , Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon, and Dario Franchitti - go figure. The good news is that Paul Tracy is on Dario's rear wing in sixth.

16:01:22 GMT-0600 Lap 12: Will Power just had his fastest lap of the race.

IndyCarPRLap 12: #12 Power leads #6 Briscoe by 1.5258 seconds.

Matos got his car fixed and is heading out on the track 14 laps down!

16:07:15 GMT-0600 Lap 18: Tomas Scheckter is back out after a pit stop. He appeared to have no damage.

VisionRacingI gotta say, the Luczo Dragon crew helmets and mirrored googles are awesome looking. Very Star Wars looking.
DRRIndyCarTomas reports rear suspension damage. Car looks ok.
VisionRacingEngineer Jeff Britton on radio: " Keep after it. You're catching him!" Refering to Ed hunting down Antinucci. Ed reporting understeer in 9.
IndyCarNationLap 17: #12 Power leads #6 Briscoe by 2.7540 seconds. Lap 20: #12 Power leads #6 Briscoe by 3.4230 seconds
pressdogdoes power pull over at the end to "accidentally" let Briscoe by since he's in the championship hunt?
lesleyworldTop five in Edmonton IndyCar race are all Penske and Ganassi. Ooo, how exciting! {YAWN}

16:10:44 GMT-0600 Lap 21: A battle for P10 is developing between Justin Wilson and EJ Viso.

16:11:49 GMT-0600 Lap 22: Richard Antinucci is in the pits for an extended stop.

pressdogfestival of lock step
VisionRacing8 laps to pitstop. Vision crew will try to get Ed a spot in the pits.
PlanetIrldotcom@pressdog Lockstep would be a compliment. That means they're close!

16:13:40 GMT-0600 Lap 24: The lead of Will Power is increasing with each lap.
----
16:16:46 GMT-0600 Lap 27: The lead of Will Power has stabilized around four seconds.

DRRIndyCarFuriously working to repair the 24 http://yfrog.com/7gzg1zj
VisionRacingEd coming in this lap. Turn and a half front wingm taking reds off and putting black firestones on. And fuel of course.
luczodragonMoraes, Conway, Scheckter are now behind us. Shooting for 98 next
kvracingTracy now 6th after 29 laps. Still on red tires, not pitted yet. Race order, Power, Briscoe, Castroneves, Dixon, Franchitti, Tracy

16:20:27 GMT-0600 Lap 30: The lead cars are working their way through lapped traffic.
----
FuriousWedgedid Dixon just go over a speed bump coming out of the pits, he got some serious air!

Marco Andretti, Andretti Green Racing with the center of the city of Edmonton in the background. Image Credit: Covy Moore (2009)

Marco26WebDan's in - so Marco has a chance to make up some time on the track before his own stop.
luczodragonLeaders all coming in to pit, 61 laps left

Rahal and Doornbos pit - Tony Kanaan's car is on FIRE!
----
16:27:12 GMT-0600 Lap 36: The fire was in the cockpit of Kanaan's car, but it appears he is uninjured.
16:28:19 GMT-0600 Lap 37: Ryan Briscoe is working on the lead of Will Power as it continues to come down.

lesleyworldScary pit fire for Tony Kanaan, but great to see all of the other team's crews running out immediately to help.
VisionRacing@tonyKanaan waving to fans on his way to medical. He's okay. VERY wet. But okay.
IndyCarNationLap 33: Leader #12 Power and #6 Briscoe and #9 Dixon pit for four black tires and fuel. New leader is #3
IndyCarPRLap 34: Leader #3 Castroneves on pit lane for four black tires and fuel. #11 Kanaan exits pits with a fire on-board.

16:31:35 GMT-0600 Lap 40: Dan Wheldon off course and continue in Turn 3.
16:33:42 GMT-0600 Lap 42: Will Power is looking strong as his lead stays around 2.5 seconds.

DRRIndyCarBoth our cars seem to be back running smoothly.
FuriousWedgeScary fire for Tony Kanaan with fuel splashing into the cockpit. he just can't catch a break at all this season
CrashGladysDamn I thought I was live with you all on the race, but you kept tweeting about a fire... just saw it... holy cow! Glad everyone is OK...
VisionRacingEd is P17 w/ Mutoh + Wheldon ahead. @ryanracing is P11. Elsewhere... Power leads (understatement!) Followed by parade of red cars + PT.
FuriousWedgemany kudos to all the indycar drivers this weekend for not taking out that Budweiser sign

16:35:42 GMT-0600 Lap 44: Helio Castroneves is running laps quicker than Will Power as the gap continues to go down.

We are nearly half of the way through, we've had off track excursions, bumping, scrapes, and fires but NO YELLOW FLAGS!

IndyCarNationLap 45: #12 Power leads #3 Castroneves by .6861 of a second.
luczodragonPitting on lap 46
PlanetIrldotcom@toomuchracing Not much to talk about. Will Power is dominating. No action. a Penske Parade
TheEDJE@PlanetIrldotcom - Parades are fun ... if you are a trombone player! #irl #ics #indycar
IndyCarNationLap 50: Working heavy traffic, #12 Power leads #3 Castroneves by .6265 of a second.
VisionRacingNext stop Vision crew will go to red Firestone tires. (Yes 4 tires. This is not NASCAR) Full tank of Ethanol. No wing adjustments.
kvracingPT just gone faster, now done 63.3452 on lap 52. Still P6, got 42 laps to go

16:44:32 GMT-0600 Lap 52: Will Power has had the strongest car all day.

FuriousWedgeIf Will is content to follow Danica & Marco, 2-8th will catch up by the pit stops #indycar
IndyRacingNewsKiss His Bricks: Jimmie Johnson Wins The Allstate 400 at The Brickyard: Bleacher Report On the restart second pl.. http://bit.ly/Q91Fn
pressdogProbably won't be any real racing here until after last pit stops. Wake me up when that starts.

16:51:37 GMT-0600 Lap 59: Will Power has every lap that he has been on the track and not in the pits.

pressdogmarco inhalation!
PlanetIrldotcom"If WP is so awesome, how come he can't pass a backmarker on a track that 150 feet wide? " lol, nice one
kvracingPT pitting again for red tires and fuel. Lap 61 or 95. Hitting a little bit of traffic but everything is good.

16:55:43 GMT-0600 Lap 63: Will Power gives up the race lead for what should be his last pit stop.

IndyCarPRLap 61: #10 Franchitti to pit lane for four black tires and fuel. #15 Tracy pits for four red tires and fuel.
DRRIndyCarGetting ready for a routine stop with Mike.
kvracingPaul just briefly went across the grass, but back on track

16:57:06 GMT-0600 Lap 64: Ryan Briscoe takes a pair of scuffed red tires.

lesleyworldAh, that's good, the cameraman couldn't figure out which one was Paul Tracy. And now Jon can't figure out where the cars are on the track.

16:59:13 GMT-0600 Lap 66: Ryan Briscoe gets around Dixon for P2.
17:00:10 GMT-0600 Lap 66: Helio Castroneves is the next driver to look at getting around Scott Dixon.
----
VisionRacingPower in lead. P2 Dixon locked up his front brakes. Briscoe gets past Dixon. Mixes up order... Red car. red car. red car. Oh wait nevermind.
pressdogthat was it, kids. the excitement for the day, baring air strike. thanks for watchin.
mariomoraesindyHave a team mate like this for what ? better dont have any one ..
mariomoraesindypra que que serve o companheiro de equipe ? pra ajudar no desenvolvimento nao ? O MEU SOH TEM FUDIDO TUDO .... pqp
pressdogpower +6.7 wings back in the delta
IndyCarPRLap 62: #12 Power and #3 Castroneves on pit lane for four black tires and fuel. New leader is #6 Briscoe.
IndyCarPRLap 63: #6 Briscoe on pit lane for four red tires and fuel. New leader is #9 Dixon.
IndyCarPRLap 64: Leader #9 Dixon on pit lane for four black tires and fuel. #12 Power beats #9 Dixon into Turn 1
IndyCarPRLap 70: #12 Power leads #6 Briscoe 6.5675 seconds
TheEDJE70 Laps and still no full course caution YELLOW - #irl #ics #indycar
FilipCleerenBriscoe has more trouble with backmarkers than with Helio and Dixon...

17:07:10 GMT-0600 Lap 73: Scott Dixon uses lapped traffic to get by Helio Castroneves for P2.

Marco26WebL73: Lead cars make a strong move on Marco and he takes a trip across grass to avoid trouble. Lapped up to fourth, but holding P10.
FuriousWedgeUmm Jon & Robbie, you guys missed the fact that Dixon got by Briscoe as well
IndyCarPRLap 73: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon 8.8424 seconds. I missed where Dixon passed Helio.

Briscoe has dropped positions from 2nd to 4th - Scuff Reds are not working out for him.

17:11:02 GMT-0600 Lap 77: Ryan Hunter-Reay has some rear wing damage and is trying to make it to the pits.

VisionRacing20 laps to go in Edmonton. Power leads, Reds follow, PT chases. Nearly everyone else is at least a lap down.
----
luczodragonHunter-Reay spins and hits wall rear end first, we'll see what that does for him
VisionRacingRT @IndyCarPR: #14 made contact with the retaining wall in Turn 10
toomuchracingI don't like this idea of having back-to-back-to-back race weekends in IndyCar. How's a guy supposed to catch up?!

17:14:16 GMT-0600 Lap 80: The gaps between the top five are opening up.
17:15:49 GMT-0600 Lap 81: Dixon is getting slowed down by Ed Carpenter and Helio looks to try and pounce.

IndyCarNationLap 80: #12 Power leads #9 Dixon 4.5154
VisionRacingPower still in control in Edmonton #indycar race. We're going back to the Menards day-glo yellow next week. Yellow cars rule! ;)
IndyCarPRMedical update from Dr. Michael Olinger: Tony Kanaan has been checked and released from the infield care center.
VisionRacingRHR @ryanracing is back on track with new rear wing.

17:17:42 GMT-0600 Lap 83: Helio is within a couple car lengths of Dixon.
17:19:28 GMT-0600 Lap 84: Helio uses a nice split move on Carpenter to take P2 from Dixon.

FuriousWedgeWhat a great move by Helio, that effectively saves the point chase for both Briscoe & Dario who were about to lose some good ground to Scott
luczodragonDespite the early set back Rafa has kept racing.
pressdogum. ok, why didn't Ed just go about 10 feet wide in that huge area and let the two contenders go?

17:21:09 GMT-0600 Lap 86: Helio Castroneves used the lapped traffic to open the gap up to nearly one second.

IndyCarPRLap 85: #12 Power leads #3 Castroneves by 6.8821 seconds. @h3lio made a nice move to pass @ScottDixon9 and lap car of @edcarpenter20
luczodragon9 laps left, we may go entire race without full course yellow

KV Racing Technology's Paul Tracy locks up his tires as he approaches Newman/Haas/Lanigan's Bobby D, Robert Doornbos at the Rexall Edmonton INDY held at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. Image Credit: Covy Moore (2009)

FuriousWedge@pressdog because that would have been boring, he knew you were bored and wanted to give you something to tweet about
luczodragonWill Power is going unchallenged. Could be wire to wire win
Marco26WebMarco flying again - just a few hundredths off his fastest lap of the day. DP matches it though.
PlanetIrldotcomNEW AWARD "The Marty Roth Award for excellence in Chicanery" - Awarded to the driver that best exemplifies Marty's ability to get in the way

17:23:13 GMT-0600 Lap 88: Most of the drivers are really spread out around the course.
17:25:10 GMT-0600 Lap 90: With five laps remaining, it is Will Power's race to lose.

pressdogthis plays right into my idea to have the Lights cars on the track at the same time to provide some picks for when we are all are sleepy.
luczodragonHunter-Reay made it back out 8 laps down, just ahead of Rafa. Thought we might sneak up one more spot. Nice effort by his crew
FuriousWedgeyou know what would make this race fun, put some sweet jumps out in the grass; Wheldon would be ready for the X-games by now

17:27:06 GMT-0600 Lap 92: Raphael Matos goes off course and continues in Turn 3.
17:29:06 GMT-0600 Lap 93: Full course yellow for Tomas Scheckter

Full Course YELLOW with the WHITE Flag displayed at the same time.

17:30:39 GMT-0600 Lap 94: Will Power wins the Rexall Edmonton Indy!

Podium: Will Power, Team Penske celebrates his win of the Rexall Edmonton INDY at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. He brought it home on a YELLOW/WHITE Flag final lap. Image Credit: Covy Moore (2009)

TheEDJEWill Power's yellow Penske car with the wire to wire run gives a new meaning to the phrase ... Full Course Yellow! #irl #ics #indycar
IndyCarPRLap 95: CHECKERED: Will Power wins the Rexall Edmonton Indy.
FuriousWedgeHad Briscoe not had his little issue he could have just notched up his 5th 2nd in 6 races, still a Top 5 keeps him in the hunt #indycar
pressdogbeen fun, kids. ups to @kevinlee23 today. awesome job. Anyone miss Arute? Didn't think so.
PlanetIrldotcom@pressdog I missed his orange nuclear tan. Kevin shoudl have tried it.
kart58And good job to the Penske rent-a-crew :-) #indycar
VisionRacingCongrats to Will Power + crew. 20 car was okay on reds. Ran good times on last stint. Gotta take some positives home with us. P16
PippaMannCongratulations to Will Power and his guys! Great job!
Marco26WebSo after the Penske and Ganassi top four, the race is on for 5th place in the championship. DP - 5th/285pts, MA up one place to 6th/259pts
DRRIndyCarWe finished both cars. Days like today, that's all you can hope for! Congrats to our good friend Will Power on a much-deserved win!
END OF UPDATES

How the drivers fared (** denotes Transition Player)

Pos Driver Team Gap
1. Will Power Penske**
2. Helio Castroneves Penske + 1.0936s
3. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 1.3213s
4. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 1.8266s
5. Dario Franchitti Ganassi + 4.4652s
6. Paul Tracy KV + 6.3941s**
7. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 26.5700s**
8. Justin Wilson Coyne + 26.9169s**
9. Robert Doornbos Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 1 lap**
10. Marco Andretti Andretti Green + 1 lap
11. Danica Patrick Andretti Green + 1 lap
12. EJ Viso HVM + 1 lap**
13. Alex Tagliani Conquest + 1 lap**
14. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green + 1 lap
15. Dan Wheldon Panther + 1 lap
16. Ed Carpenter Vision + 2 laps
17. Ryan Hunter-Reay Foyt + 8 laps
18. Raphael Matos Luczo Dragon + 10 laps
19. Tomas Scheckter Dreyer & Reinbold + 22 laps
20. Mike Conway Dreyer & Reinbold + 32 laps

Retirements/not classified:

Tony Kanaan Andretti Green 34 laps
Richard Antinucci 3G 20 laps
Mario Moraes KV 0 laps**

Paul Tracy, KV Racing Technology at the Rexall Edmonton INDY at the Edmonton City Centre Airport. Image Credit: Covy Moore (2009)

So, five of the top ten positions in Edmonton were occupied by Transition Players, those drivers that have been merged into the IRL from the ChampCar World Series allowing only one Andretti Green Racing driver (Michael's son, Marco) to crack the top ten on a temporary race circuit.

Will Power as Transition Player, notches his first win for the Team Penske organization ... they should give him MORE races to ride in.

Paul Tracy was the first driver not in a car fielded by Team Penske or Target Chip Ganassi, driving for KV Racing Technology ... another Transition Player without a ride for the near future - what in the heck is going on inside the thinking of the management of the IRL?

Jus' askin'!

... notes from The EDJE

Dario Franchitti Survives To Land A Championship

Scotland's Dario Franchitti during practice for the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 08 Sept at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Franchitti, locked in a battle for the IndyCar Series crown, earned pole position Saturday for the season-ending race. Today, he won the race and the championship on the last lap. Image Credit: AFP/Getty Images/Gavin Lawrence

Dario Franchitti Survives To Land A Championship

In what has to be one of the tightest races in a points championship battled out over 17 races, Dario Franchitti outlasts Scott Dixon on the final lap with enough fuel to scoot past for the outright win and the points championship at Chicagoland Speedway.

Starting the race with only a three point lead over Dixon, Franchitti had to be at least in front of Scott Dixon in order to grab the Indy Racing League championship for 2007 but that was not to be. The whole race Dario not only trailed Scott Dixon of the Target/Chip Ganassi Team, but Dixon's teammate Dan Weldon, along with Helio Castorneves, and Sam Hornish Jr. of Team Penske.

AGR teammates Dario Franchitti and Danica Patrick chat prior to driver introductions. - Image Credit: Chris Jones

In the final laps, Dario Franchitti's Andretti/Green Racing teammate, Danica Patrick entered the pit lane for a final splash of fuel and spun, stalling her car. This brought out a yellow caution flag and slowed the field down allowing the race cars to save fuel. Before the caution flag came out, both Dixon and Franchitti were probably going to have to come in for fuel as well but with the cars slowed ... they used alot less fuel setting up a shootout run to the end with two laps to go.

Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti battle for the lead at Chicagoland. - Image Credit: Jim Haines

Both Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti rolled the dice (by staying out on the track). The green flag drops and on the next to the last turn before the finish line, the checkered flag that would end the race and the season ... Dixon's car sputtered and ran out of fuel. Franchitti poped to the right to miss rear-ending Dixon's car and sped forward to the wave of the checkered flag.

In a season that that featured Dario's car going airborne and flipping in racing accidents with Dario going uninjured through two consecutive races, this year's Indy 500 winner, Dario Franchitti and Andretti/Green Racing proved to be the most deserving of champions for 2007 by earning the championship through the air and on the track.

What a great season and a great racing series.

Dario Franchitti 2007 Championship Photo with team oner Michael Andretti, and Dario's wife, Ashley Judd - Image Credit: Jim Haines

Final ten laps excerpted from the “Commentary” section of the Live Timing & Scoring at the Indy Racing League website –

Dario Franchitti wins the race and championship as Scott Dixon runs out of fuel!
2007-09-09 17:51:50
Lap 199: White flag. #9 Scott Dixon leads #27 Dario Franchitti by 0.0605 sec.
2007-09-09 17:51:17
Lap 198: Dario makes it two wide for the lead.
2007-09-09 17:50:52
Lap 198: A two lap shoot-out for the championship!
2007-09-09 17:50:29
Lap 197: One lap until back to green.
2007-09-09 17:48:49
Lap 196: Dan Wheldon may have lost his gearbox.
2007-09-09 17:48:37
Lap 195: Pits are open.
2007-09-09 17:47:58
Lap 194: Yellow for #7 Danica Patrick spun at pit-in.
2007-09-09 17:47:13
Lap 193: Wheldon is slow in T2. He may be out of fuel.
2007-09-09 17:46:40
Lap 193: #10 Dan Wheldon leads #9 Scott Dixon by 0.1337 sec.
2007-09-09 17:46:25
Lap 192: Marty Roth is slow on the backstretch.
2007-09-09 17:46:11
Lap 192: #10 Dan Wheldon leads #9 Scott Dixon by 0.1896 sec.
2007-09-09 17:46:00
Lap 190: Dan Wheldon takes back the lead.
2007-09-09 17:45:23
Lap 190: Top 5: #9 Dixon, #10 Wheldon, #27 Franchitti, #7 Patrick, #8 Sharp.
2007-09-09 17:45:12
Reference Here (Commentary is live only - direct reference may not be available)>>

Dario celebrating the Chicagoland victory and 2007 Indy Car Championship - Click cursor on photo to send Dario and AGR a message of congratulations! - Image and Link Credit: Indy Racing League

NOTES:

Dario Franchitti finishes the season with 637 points to Scott Dixon's 624 points to capture the title.

Dario's 637 total points this season is a record for the series. The previous high was 628 by Dan Wheldon in the 2007 season. This is Dario's first IndyCar Series Championship. He becomes the third consecutive Indianapolis 500 winner to go on to win the IndyCar Series Championship in the same season.

This is the third IndyCar Series Championship for Andretti Green Racing. The team won the title in 2004 with Tony Kanaan, 2005 with Dan Wheldon. Andretti Green Racing becomes the first team to win three IndyCar Series Championships.

Team Menard, A.J. Foyt Racing and Panther Racing have each won two championships.

The margin for the championship was 13 points. It's the seventh time in 12 seasons that the IndyCar Series Championship point margin has been 20 points or less ...


… notes from The EDJE.

(ht: MAXINE)