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IRL: Helio Castroneves wins at Sonoma

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Khatir Soltani
Team Penske's Helio Castroneves has put himself back into contention for the IRL championship as he won the Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy Grand Prix at Infineon Raceway. It was the Brazilian first win in more than 29 races.

Since series leader Scott Dixon finished 12th, that win is more than ever important as Castroneves is now trailing by 43 points instead of the 78 prior to the race.

Ryan Briscoe finished second to make it another Penske 1-2. Tony Kanaan who was on a strategy to save fuel completed the event in fourth.

Following Kanaan was Ganassi's Dan Wheldon. Danica Patrick finished fifth, Viso sixth and Vitor Meira seventh. Graham Rahal, Justin Wilson and Mario Moraes rounded out the top ten.

The IndyCar Series resumes next weekend with the Belle Isle Detroit Grand Prix. The Chicagoland season finale is set for September 7.

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Helio Castroneves Penske 1:50:15.8282
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 5.2926
3. Tony Kanaan Andretti Green + 16.6032
4. Dan Wheldon Ganassi + 17.7720
5. Danica Patrick Andretti Green + 25.8458
6. E.J. Viso HVM + 29.3472
7. Vitor Meira Panther + 29.9895
8. Graham Rahal Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 40.4577
9. Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan + 42.0357
10. Mario Moraes Dale Coyne + 50.0106
11. Buddy Rice Dreyer & Reinbold + 55.0361
12. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 55.7145
13. Hideki Mutoh Andretti Green + 56.3186
14. Marco Andretti Andretti Green + 57.5400
15. Oriol Servia KV + 58.3690
16. Mario Dominguez Pacific Coast + 1:00.7387
17. Bruno Junqueira Dale Coyne + 1:00.9454
18. Ryan Hunter-Reay Rahal Letterman + 1:00.9466
19. Townsend Bell Dreyer & Reinbold + 1 lap
20. A.J. Foyt IV Vision + 1 lap
21. Enrique Bernoldi Conquest + 1 lap
22. Darren Manning Foyt + 1 lap
23. Ed Carpenter Vision + 2 laps
24. Jaime Camara Conquest + 2 laps
25. Will Power KV + 3 laps
26. Marty Roth Roth + 4 laps
27. Tomas Scheckter Luczo Dragon + 24 laps
Khatir Soltani
Khatir Soltani
Automotive expert
As a car enthusiast, he tests and compares vehicles from different categories through the eyes of the consumer, ensuring relevant and objective reviews.
  • Over 6 years experience as a car reviewer
  • Over 50 test drives in the last year
  • Involved in discussions with virtually every auto manufacturer in Canada