Franchitti dominates at Long Beach

Dario Franchitti used fuel strategy and a very fast car Sunday to win the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Franchitti said he felt as if the seaside circuit in downtown Long Beach, Calif., owed him after finishing second to Alex Zanardi and Juan Pablo Montoya during his days in the now-defunct CART series. But he dominated this time, beating runner-up Will Power, the pole-winner, by 3.318 seconds – half of the final straightaway.

“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.

Helio Castroneves, back in his Team Penske car Saturday after being acquitted of federal tax evasion charges, started eighth and finished seventh.

Tony Kanaan, another former champion, was third, followed by Danica Patrick, getting her best finish on a road or street course, former series champion Dan Wheldon and Marco Andretti.

Formula One

Sebastian Vettel won the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai, giving Red Bull its first race win.

Racing in a steady downpour, Vettel beat teammate Mark Webber by 10.9 seconds. Points leader Jenson Button of Brawn GP finished third.

NHRA

After multiple rain delays, Morgan Lucas beat Spencer Massey in the Top Fuel final in the Summit Racing NHRA Summer Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.

Jack Beckman (Funny Car) and Eddie Krawiec (Pro Stock Motorcycle) also won their divisions in the NHRA Full Throttle Series event. The Pro Stock final was postponed because of rain, with Jeg Coughlin and Mike Edwards scheduled to race this morning.