Dario Franchitti returned to victory lane in the IndyCar Series on Sunday, while Helio Castroneves returned to being himself.
Moments after watching Franchitti win the 35th edition of the Grand Prix of Long Beach, Castroneves caught himself complaining about the misfortune that kept him from finishing better than seventh in his first race since being acquitted of federal tax evasion charges.
“I’m already sounding like a (race car) driver,” he said with a blush that drew a room full of laughter.
Franchitti drove like he had never left the IndyCar Series for a shot at NASCAR. He deftly juggled the need for speed and fuel conservation, managing a 3.3182-second victory over Will Power, who had been Castroneves’ stand-in during the trial.
Twice the 2007 Indianapolis 500 and series champion pitted just ahead of full-course cautions for spins by rookie Mike Conway, allowing him to be in front of other challengers. He did the rest.
In victory lane, Franchitti conceded that this was one of the most cherished wins of his career.
“This is what it’s all about,” he said. “A unified series.” Indystar
“For both of us, that was very tough to swallow because we’re used to such success,” Franchitti said Sunday after giving Ganassi his fifth victory in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, but first since 1999.
“Chip lost an awful lot of money last year, I lost my drive and a bunch of people lost their jobs. So I don’t think it was easy on anybody.”
“That was a lot of fun,” said Franchitti, who dedicated his ninth IndyCar victory to actress wife Ashley Judd, who celebrated her 41st birthday watching the race from the Target Chip Ganassi Racing pits.
Judd said, “With about 25 laps to go, I got really nervous and I said to myself, ‘This is the Target Chip Ganassi team. Winning is what they do.’ So I was able to calm down a little. I’m just so happy for him.”
Tony Kanaan, another former IndyCar champion, was third, followed by Danica Patrick, getting her best ever finish on a road or street course, former series champion Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti.
Dixon, who finished 16th at St. Petersburg, continued to struggle, finishing 15th here. He was involved in three separate accidents, bumped E.J. Viso into one of the concrete barriers that line the wall, getting caught up in a chain-reaction collision that damaged several cars and put Justin Wilson out of the race and getting hit from behind by St. Petersburg winner Ryan Briscoe during a caution period.
“It was just a bad day,” Dixon said. “I love the road courses but we’ve just had a rough time. It’s just fantastic that Dario had a great finish for the team. We’re looking forward to Kansas (next Sunday).” The Associated Press
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