There are multiple advantages to starting on the front row on IZOD IndyCar Series road/street course. In the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, one was avoiding the six-car pile-up in Turn 1 of the first lap.
Dario Franchitti and pole sitter Will Power were among those who kept their cars’ noses clean at the start and subsequent side-by-side restarts through 100 laps on the 1.8-mile, 14-turn street circuit by the bay, and that’s the way they completed the season opener.
Franchitti made a strong start in his bid for a third consecutive series championship (only two others in Indy car history have accomplished it) by running away from Power and the remnants of the 24-car field to win for the first time at St. Pete.
Power, the 2010 championship runner-up and Mario Andretti Road Course Championship Award winner, was 7.1612 seconds back. Tony Kanaan, who had four practice sessions in the No. 82 GEICO KV Racing Technology-Lotus car, finished third and second-year racer Simona de Silvestro finished a career-best fourth in the No. 78 Nuclear Clean Air Energy/HVM Racing car.
Results Sunday of the Honda Grand Prix of St Petersburg IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.8-mile St. Petersburg Street Circuit, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (2) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
2. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
3. (8) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
4. (17) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
5. (11) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
6. (10) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
7. (16) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
8. (13) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
9. (15) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
10. (6) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
11. (24) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
12. (19) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 100, Running
13. (25) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 98, Running
14. (20) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 98, Running
15. (22) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 97, Running
16. (3) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 96, Running
17. (12) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 96, Running
18. (5) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 95, Running
19. (21) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 94, Running
20. (9) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 85, Running
21. (14) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 58, Handling
22. (23) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 38, Contact
23. (4) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 1, Contact
24. (7) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact
Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 89.260
Time of Race: 2:00:59.6886
Margin of victory: 7.1612 seconds
Cautions: 5 for 13 laps
Lead changes: 3 among 2 drivers
Lap Leaders:Power 1-4, Franchitti 5-70, Power 71-72, Franchit ti 73 - 100.
Point Standings: Franchitti 52, Power 41, Kanaan 35, De Silvestro 32, Sato 30, Tagliani 28, Matos 26, Meira 24, Servia 22, Wilson 20.
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