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IRL: Tony Kanaan finally wins after two-year hiatus

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Khatir Soltani
Tony Kanaan (Andretti Autosport) ended a two-year winning drought and finished on top at the Iowa Speedway to go home with a win, a first since June 2008.

Penske's Helio Castroneves finished second while series leading drivers Dario Franchitti (Ganassi) was cheated out of a podium after he experienced gearbox problems at the end of the race. Teammate Scott Dixon and series’ leader Will Power (Penske) both faded after fighting for the lead.

EJ Viso (KV Racing) finished a career-best third - making up for KV Racing's disappointment when his team-mate Takuma Sato crashed out of the same spot.


Tony Kanaan wins at the Iowa Speedway - photo indycar.com


Pole sitter Power's run up front ended on lap 33 when the handling on his car went awry and quickly started tumbling down the order. Marco Andretti (Andretti Autosport) took up the lead, but 10 laps later he ran into the same problems as Power and also went down the field.

Takuma Sato (KV Racing) got up to speed and passed both Ryan Hunter-Reay (Andretti) and Dixon to take third. But, unfortunately, he had only just got there when he understeered into the wall while lapping Alex Lloyd's Dale Coyne car.

After the final pitstop, Kanaan fell to third, quick Penske pit work got Castroneves up to second behind Franchitti - which became the lead when the Ganassi Dallara's gearbox malfunctioned 43 laps from the end.

That set up a final shoot-out between Castroneves and Kanaan. When Castroneves held on through a close call as they lapped Kanaan's team-mate Andretti, it looked like he had secured enough breathing space to claim the win.

But with 10 laps to go Kanaan mounted a final surge and slipped through on the inside and then charged away to finally end his victory drought.


Iowa Corn 250 results
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Tony Kanaan Andretti 1h42m12.4036s
2. Helio Castroneves Penske + 4.2030s
3. EJ Viso KV + 5.2538s
4. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 9.0536s
5. Will Power Penske + 9.5902s
6. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 15.2683s
7. Vitor Meira Foyt + 16.8703s
8. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti + 1 lap
9. Graham Rahal Dreyer & Reinbold + 1 lap
10. Danica Patrick Andretti + 1 lap
11. Dan Wheldon Panther + 1 lap
12. Alex Tagliani Fazzt + 2 laps
13. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne + 2 laps
14. Raphael Matos De Ferran Dragon + 3 laps
15. Marco Andretti Andretti + 6 laps
16. Mario Romancini Conquest + 6 laps
17. Bertrand Baguette Conquest + 13 laps


Retirements:
Dario Franchitti Ganassi 212 laps
Takuma Sato KV 177 laps
Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas 131 laps
Simona de Silvestro HVM 128 laps
Sarah Fisher Sarah Fisher 92 laps
Milka Duno Dale Coyne 31 laps
Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold 0 laps
Mario Moraes KV 0 laps


IRL Standings – After Round 8 of 17
Pos. Driver Points
1. Will Power 274
2. Scott Dixon 263
3. Dario Franchitti 260
4. Helio Castroneves 251
5. Ryan Briscoe 240


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