After leading from pole position, Will Power (Penske) took a dominant victory at the Watkins Glen road course today and extended his IndyCar Series points lead.
Power was followed by his team-mate Ryan Briscoe who was able to pass Ganassi’s Dario Franchitti on the final lap of the race.
Right from the onset, the Ganassi duo formed by Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon was all over the place and soon challenged the Penske trio.
Franchitti was able to overtake Helio Castroneves on lap 4 while his team-mate Dixon, who was trying to do likewise two laps later, contact was made, smashing the Ganassi car's front wing and giving Castroneves a puncture.
At mid-race, Raphael Matos (de Ferran Dragon) passed Franchitti for third just after a restart but the reigning champion got back ahead at the final stops.
At this point Ryan Briscoe was leading but not for long as Power pounced on the restart lap after a caution caused by Simona de Silvestro crashing heavily.
The points leader pulled away after that, leaving Briscoe to squabble with Franchitti, who also got ahead to claim second a couple of laps later. He could not shake the Australian off though, with Briscoe slicing past into second at the start of the last lap and ensuring a Penske one-two.
Matos came home an excellent fourth, ahead of the equally impressive Mario Moraes (KV).
IRL WatkinsGlen - Results
Pos Driver Team Gap
1. Will Power Penske 60 laps
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 1.2181s
3. Dario Franchitti Ganassi + 1.4573s
4. Raphael Matos De Ferran Dragon + 5.3454s
5. Mario Moraes KV + 9.3229s
6. Dan Wheldon Panther + 9.7523s
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti + 10.5003s
8. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 12.0546s
9. Helio Castroneves Penske + 12.9834s
10. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold + 13.5635s
11. EJ Viso KV + 18.7591s
12. Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas + 20.2279s
13. Marco Andretti Andretti + 26.6965s
14. Paul Tracy Dreyer & Reinbold + 27.7310s
15. Takuma Sato KV + 28.8774s
16. Adam Caroll AFS/Andretti + 29.3624s
17. Alex Tagliani Fazzt + 35.3753s
18. Bertrand Baguette Conquest + 36.5350s
19. Vitor Meira Foyt + 36.9869s
20. Danica Patrick Andretti + 38.2675s
21. Tony Kanaan Andretti + 38.6700s
22. Mario Romancini Conquest + 1 lap
23. Milka Duno Dale Coyne + 3 laps
Retirements
Simona de Silvestro HVM 38 laps
Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne 22 laps
IZOD IndyCar Standings – After round 9 of 17
Pos. Driver Points
1. Will Power 327
2. Dario Franchitti 295
3. Scott Dixon 287
4. Ryan Briscoe 280
5. H. Castroneves 273
Power was followed by his team-mate Ryan Briscoe who was able to pass Ganassi’s Dario Franchitti on the final lap of the race.
 |
| Will Power leads the way at the start of the 2010 Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen in Watkins Glen, NY. (photo: Philippe Champoux/Auto123.com) |
Right from the onset, the Ganassi duo formed by Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon was all over the place and soon challenged the Penske trio.
Franchitti was able to overtake Helio Castroneves on lap 4 while his team-mate Dixon, who was trying to do likewise two laps later, contact was made, smashing the Ganassi car's front wing and giving Castroneves a puncture.
At mid-race, Raphael Matos (de Ferran Dragon) passed Franchitti for third just after a restart but the reigning champion got back ahead at the final stops.
At this point Ryan Briscoe was leading but not for long as Power pounced on the restart lap after a caution caused by Simona de Silvestro crashing heavily.
The points leader pulled away after that, leaving Briscoe to squabble with Franchitti, who also got ahead to claim second a couple of laps later. He could not shake the Australian off though, with Briscoe slicing past into second at the start of the last lap and ensuring a Penske one-two.
Matos came home an excellent fourth, ahead of the equally impressive Mario Moraes (KV).
IRL WatkinsGlen - Results
Pos Driver Team Gap
1. Will Power Penske 60 laps
2. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 1.2181s
3. Dario Franchitti Ganassi + 1.4573s
4. Raphael Matos De Ferran Dragon + 5.3454s
5. Mario Moraes KV + 9.3229s
6. Dan Wheldon Panther + 9.7523s
7. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti + 10.5003s
8. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 12.0546s
9. Helio Castroneves Penske + 12.9834s
10. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold + 13.5635s
11. EJ Viso KV + 18.7591s
12. Hideki Mutoh Newman/Haas + 20.2279s
13. Marco Andretti Andretti + 26.6965s
14. Paul Tracy Dreyer & Reinbold + 27.7310s
15. Takuma Sato KV + 28.8774s
16. Adam Caroll AFS/Andretti + 29.3624s
17. Alex Tagliani Fazzt + 35.3753s
18. Bertrand Baguette Conquest + 36.5350s
19. Vitor Meira Foyt + 36.9869s
20. Danica Patrick Andretti + 38.2675s
21. Tony Kanaan Andretti + 38.6700s
22. Mario Romancini Conquest + 1 lap
23. Milka Duno Dale Coyne + 3 laps
Retirements
Simona de Silvestro HVM 38 laps
Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne 22 laps
IZOD IndyCar Standings – After round 9 of 17
Pos. Driver Points
1. Will Power 327
2. Dario Franchitti 295
3. Scott Dixon 287
4. Ryan Briscoe 280
5. H. Castroneves 273
Article Gallery