Dan Wheldon won the race, beating teammate Scott Dixon by more than 6 seconds. Hornish and Wheldon tied in the final point standings last year, but Hornish claimed the championship on the basis of his four race wins, including the Indianapolis 500.
On Saturday, Hornish made several runs at Wheldon, but couldn’t chase him down.
“I could stay with Dan, but as soon we got that gap, I couldn’t quite get there in time, ” Hornish said. “It’s unfortunate for the Team Penske crew. “
Castroneves, the two-time Indy 500 winner who finished just two points behind Hornish and Wheldon in the 2006 standings, scored valuable points with his ninth-place finish.
“We didn’t finish where we wanted today, but points are points, ” Castroneves said. “We definitely have some room for improvement, and now we just have to work hard and focus on the rest of the season. It’s a long year, and I think we can certainly learn from this race and come back strong. “
The season resumes next weekend with the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
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