Helio Castroneves won for the first time on a road/street course race since August 2008, taking the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union at Barber Motorsports Park.
The three-time Indianapolis 500 winner inherited the lead when Marco Andretti had to pit for fuel eight laps from the end of the 90-lap race. Castroneves held off Scott Dixon by .5703 of a second, then thanked the spectators for attending the inaugural Indy Grand Prix of Alabama with his trademark celebratory fence climb in Turn 9. Dario Franchitti, the reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion, finished third.
Castroneves also denied teammate Will Power of a series-record third consecutive victory to start the season. Power, the polesitter who had to pit for the final time on Lap 63 (dropping him to seventh), advanced to fourth and retains the championship points lead by 32 over Castroneves (104). Franchitti is third (94) as the series heads to the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18.
HELIO CASTRONEVES (No. 3 Team Penske, winner Indy Grand Prix of Alabama):
“I felt like the Team Penske car was better than Marco’s but, unfortunately, I just couldn’t pass him. I was just patient and waiting for an opportunity, and well, I guess we were able to be smart enough to save a lot of fuel. Towards the end, we just had a yellow flag. I didn’t ask for that. Especially when you have Scott Dixon and those guys behind you. So I just decided to make sure I did not give any opportunities for those guys, and that’s what I did. I knew what the car was capable of doing. Sometimes you’ve got to count with a little luck. So today was a great day for Team Penske, and especially the No. 3 guys.”
Results Sunday of the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
2. (5) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
3. (7) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
4. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
5. (4) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
6. (9) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
7. (11) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
8. (8) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
9. (2) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
10. (21) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
11. (23) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
12. (14) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
13. (12) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
14. (18) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
15. (17) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
16. (10) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
17. (15) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
18. (20) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
19. (19) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
20. (25) Bertrand Baguette, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
21. (13) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
22. (22) Mario Romancini, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
23. (16) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
24. (24) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 86, Running
25. (6) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 68, Running
Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 106.436
Time of Race: 1:56:41.3928
Margin of victory: .5703 of a secon
Cautions: 2 for 5 laps
Lead changes: 7 among 3 drivers
Lap Leaders:Power 1-12, Castroneves 13-15, Andretti 16-28, Castroneves 29-31, Andretti 32-56, Castroneves 57-61, Andretti 62-81, Castroneves 82-90.
Point Standings: Power 136, Castroneves 104, Franchitti 94, Wilson 85, Dixon 80, Briscoe 79, Hunter-Reay 77, Matos 72, Kanaan 64, Meira 62.
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Helio Castroneves Holds-off Scott Dixon to Win Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
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