Franchitti returns to top of IRL
Dario Franchitti’s return to IndyCar racing couldn’t have gone better. He’s the IRL champion once again.
Franchitti successfully emerged from one of the closest points races in series history Saturday, winning the season-ending Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in the first caution-free IRL race.
The 2007 champion – who skipped 2008 to explore NASCAR – held off Target Chip Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon and Penske Racing’s Ryan Briscoe.
So on the 10th day of the 10th month of the year, Franchitti’s No. 10 car reigned supreme over the IRL.
He sat back and saved fuel over much of the final 50 laps. When his two fellow contenders pitted late, the title was his.
Franchitti finished with 616 points, 11 ahead of Dixon and 12 ahead of Briscoe.
Tony Kanaan was fourth and Helio Castroneves fifth, but on this day, they were afterthoughts.
The average speed of 201.420 mph was the second quickest in IRL history, behind only the 207.151 mph at California in 2003.
Sprint Cup
Juan Pablo Montoya is well aware NASCAR veteran Mark Martin leads the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship heading into today’s 500-mile race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
It just doesn’t feel that way.
When Montoya looks at the standings, it’s not Martin’s name that jumps out but three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson, who lurks just 18 points behind Martin – and 33 points ahead of Montoya – heading into a stretch the native Californian has turned into his own personal springboard to the title.
Johnson has won three times at California, including a victory last fall that propelled him to his record-tying third consecutive championship. He’s even better at Charlotte and Martinsville, the next two stops, winning 11 times in 31 combined starts.
Johnson has been so dominant during this stretch that other drivers find themselves adjusting their expectations.
Montoya isn’t necessarily concerned about beating Johnson today so much as staying within striking distance.
“I think last week (at Kansas), this week and probably Martinsville are the three tracks I look forward to trying not to lose as many points as I can against Jimmie,” Montoya said. “The way I see it is if you can go through those three races without getting yourself out of reach of Jimmie, you’ll be fine.”
Nationwide Series
Joey Logano simply got mad after Greg Biffle put Logano in the wall in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
His father, Tom, tried to get even, and lost his NASCAR credentials in the process. Joey Logano recovered to win the 300-mile race, pulling away from Brian Vickers over the final two laps to pick up the win.
Yet while the 19-year-old exalted in Victory Lane, his father was being taken to the NASCAR hauler to talk with series director Joe Balash following a postrace confrontation with Biffle.
Tom Logano was apparently upset about the scrape between Biffle and his son on lap 50. The veteran was vying for the lead when he hinted over the radio that he was going to put the young driver in the fence.
Moments later Biffle slid up the track while passing Logano on the inside, a move that slightly damaged Logano’s No. 20 Toyota. Dave Rogers, Logano’s crew chief, called Biffle “a coward” over the radio.