Conway dominates at Detroit

Mike Conway went from watching to winning IndyCar events in a week, less than a year after backing out of an oval race and wondering when he’d get another shot.

The British driver dominated the first of two races at the Detroit Grand Prix, finishing nearly 13 seconds ahead of defending series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay on Saturday.

Conway’s margin of victory set a race record, beating the 12.2-second cushion 1999 winner Dario Franchitti had over Paul Tracy, and making team owner Dale Coyne seem as if he’s the smartest guy in the Motor City by picking the idle Conway to drive one of the team’s two cars.

Conway’s only other IndyCar win was at Long Beach in 2011.

Justin Wilson finished third and was thrilled for Conway, his Dale Coyne Racing teammate, for winning just four days after finalizing a deal to race in Detroit.

Scott Dixon finished fourth and Helio Castroneves was fifth.

Conway won his first career pole for today’s second Detroit Grand Prix race earlier in the day with a lap of 1:18.0977 on Belle Isle’s 2.36-mile street course.

Pit stops

AJ Allmendinger is set to drive in two NASCAR Nationwide Series road races for Penske Racing. He has been running a part-time schedule with Penske’s IndyCar program. Allmendinger is scheduled to drive the July 22 Road America race in Elkhart Lake, Wis., and the Aug. 17 road course race in Lexington, Ohio. He has driven a limited NASCAR schedule since being suspended for a failed drug test last year. … Joey Logano led the final 34 laps to win the Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway. … IndyCar has rescinded the $10,000 in-race fines levied against Graham Rahal and James Jakes from the Indianapolis 500. … Max Angelelli and Jordan Taylor teamed to win the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series at Belle Isle to take the Daytona Prototype season lead.