Canadian Club driver Dario Franchitti finished seventh at the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 Saturday at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
After running as high as third, a fueling problem during the first pit stop sent Franchitti back in the field where the Canadian Club car did not run well. Franchitti struggled with the car throughout the night despite running in the top 10 the entire race. Franchitti’s seventh place was the second-highest finish for Andretti Green Racing. Teammate Tony Kanaan took the checkered flag in fifth.
Dan Wheldon earned the victory with teammate Scott Dixon and Team Penske’s Sam Hornish Jr. rounding out the top three.
The IndyCar Series returns to action next week at the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 1. The event will be televised live by ESPN, beginning at 2:30 p. m. (EDT).
Dario Franchitti, #27 Canadian Club Dallara/Honda/Firestone:
“I am very disappointed. It was a very difficult night in the Canadian Club car. I started off and I felt like we were in very good shape. I moved my way to the front and then we had a little problem with the fuel cell in the first stint. That put us back in traffic a little bit and then we really struggled. As soon as there was a car in front of us we just didn’t have the grip. We struggled all night with grip and both with understeer and oversteer. I just fought my way as hard as I could to the finish. “
John Anderson, Team Manager, #27 Canadian Club Dallara/Honda/Firestone:
“We had a little bit of a hiccup midway through. I think we had something in the fuel receptacle and that put us back in the pack there. We just didn’t seem to get a handle on where we were in the Canadian Club car. You take a look at the Ganassi cars and Dan (Wheldon) had control of the car. It is nice to get away with some points, but I’m a bit disappointed in where we are and we have to look on to next week. ”
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