The Detroit race, lap by lap

June 18
84 laps of the Belle Isle Circuit

Dry track, cloudy skies
"Gentlemen, start your engines"

The cars are on the formation lap: Green next time by.

Moreno and Andretti touch at the start, Vasser passes tracy

Lap 1 Montoya, Franchitti, Castroneves, de Ferran, da Matta, Fittipaldi, Papis, Brack, Moreno, Andretti.

Lap 2: Franchitti closes on Montoya. Tracy up to 15th from 20th on the grid. Vasser 14th.

Lap 3: Montoya leads Franchitti by 0.785s

Lap 4: The first three are pulling away from de Ferran.

Lap 5: Montoya now leads by 1.140s.

Lap 6: Montoya sets fastest lap so far, 1m16.290s.

Lap 7: Gugelmin into the pits from 20th place. The team has taken the engine cover off.

Lap 8: Montoya now leads by 1.737s from Franchitti, Castroneves, de Ferran, da Matta, Fittipaldi, Papis, Brack, Moreno, Andretti with Servia in 11th.

Lap 9: Da Matta brushes the wall, but continues.

Lap 10: Brack pits with bent suspension. He's out of the race. Andretti spins and continues without damage now in 12th place, just in front of Vasser and Tracy.

Lap 11: Castroneves 0.846 behind Franchitti. Franchitti reports understeer to his crew.

Lap 12: Montoya now leads by 3.379s from Franchitti, Castroneves, de Ferran, da Matta, Fittipaldi, Papis, Moreno, Servia and Carpentier.

Lap 14: Da Matta pulls off the track with a dead engine. He's out from fifth place.

Lap 16: Montoya reports to his crew that he's not happy with the balance of his car, despite now leading by 4.064s

Lap 17 Montoya loses time, Franchitti is now just 2.660s behind.

Lap 20: Montoya now leads by 3.353s from Franchitti, Castroneves, de Ferran, Fittipaldi, Papis, Moreno, Servia, Carpentier, Fernandez.

Lap 21: Franchitti reports rear tyres are going off. Da Matta has made it back to the pits on foot: "There was no warning, it just went. Something broke in the engine, just don't know what yet. We were going well."

Lap 22: The first pit stops are not far away.

Lap 25: Montoya now leads by 2.682s from Franchitti, Castroneves, de Ferran, Fittipaldi, Papis, Moreno, Servia, Carpentier, Fernandez.

Lap 26: Montoya approaches backmarkers.

Lap 26: Franchitti pits. New tyres have different pressures. No other changes. Rejoins behind Servia in ninth. Vasser pits.

Lap 27: Montoya and Castronneves pit, de Ferran and Tracy also.

Lap 28: Nakano spins and stalls. Andretti pits.

Lap 29: Montoya back in the lead after the stops. Castroneves up to second, Franchitti third, Fernandez fourth, yet to pit. Andretti penalty for speeding in the pits.

Lap 30: Fernandez finally pits. Montoya leads Castroneves by 5.297s, Franchitti, de Ferran, Fittipaldi, Papis, Moreno, Servia, Carpentier, Tracy and Vasser.

Lap 31: Fernandez spins at turn 8 and stalls. Full course yellow. Franchitti reports to team that he wants more front wing at the next stop. His crew says: "Anything you can do here to conserve fuel will help us at the end."

Lap 34: Green flag next time by.

Lap 35: Green flag. Lots of shuffling in the back of the pack as Servia passes Moreno for seventh and the field tries to get around Kurosawa. Blundell spins into the tyres at Turn 11 - before he took the green flag.

Lap 36: Montoya leads Castroneves by 0.663s, Franchitti, de Ferran, Fittipaldi, Papis, Servia ,Moreno, Tracy, Carpentier

Lap 37: Montoya now leads by 1.280s. Franchitti pressuring Castroneves. Blundell is back in the race in 18th.

Lap 38: Montoya now leads by 1.656s

Lap 40: No change in the top ten.

Lap 42 - half distance: Montoya leads Castroneves by 2.420s, Franchitti, de Ferran, Fittipaldi, Papis, Servia ,Moreno, Tracy, Carpentier Andretti, Vasser, Jourdain, Tagliani, Marques, Kurosawa, Fontana, Blundell, Gugelmin and Nakano. There have been four retirements: Fernandez, Garcia, da Matta and Brack.

Lap 44: Montoya gets the bonus point for most laps led. He is now 2.417 ahead of Castroneves. Carpentier, 10th, sets fastest lap of 1m16.146s

Lap 45: Tagliani passes Jourdain and Vasser to move up to 11th.

Lap 47: Franchitti reports to his crew that: "There's something wrong with the car - it keeps trying to turn right on me." The team tells him to hang on out there - the next round of pit stops are soon.

Lap 48: Franchitti drops to fifth losing places to de Ferran and Fittipaldi. Franchitti is losing 3-4 seconds a lap. Papis is right on his tail.

Lap 49: Papis passes Franchitti

Lap 50: Montoya leads Castroneves by 3.468s, de Ferran, Fittipaldi, Papis, Franchitti ,Servia ,Moreno, Tracy, Carpentier

Lap 52: Franchitti has a train of four cars on his tail, including Tracy. Franchitti reports to his crew: "I think it may be a left rear damper broken."

Lap 53 Montoya leads Castro neves by 4.441s

Lap 53 Moreno and Servia side-by-side. Tracy takes advantage and passes Moreno.

Lap 54: Franchitti's team think he may have picked up a brake duct which is jammed in the right front suspension causing his handling problems. He has two laps to his pit stop. Papis sets a new fastest lap of 1m15.814s

Lap 56: Castroneves, de Ferran and Firttipaldi nose to tail. Franchitti pits, debris removed.

Lap 57: Both Penskes pit. Tracy pits, nearly collecting de Ferran. Tracy misses his mark, and slides into one of his crewmen. De Ferran, Papis and Fittipaldi close together leaving the pits, but no contact. Tracy stalls.

Lap 58: Montoya pits. Andretti pits. Tracy's crewman has hurt an ankle.

Lap 59 Moreno, still to pit, leads Montoya, Castroneves, Fittipaldi, de Ferran, Papis, Tagliani, Servia, Carpentier, Franchitti, Andretti, Tracy. Tracy gets a penalty for a pit violation.

Lap 60: Moreno pits, rejoins

Lap 60: De Ferran and Fittipaldi crash out, Blundell also caught up in it. De Ferran ran into the back of Fittipaldi as they both tried to pass a slowing Blundell. Full course yellow. Fittipaldi is out, and he's not happy, having a word with de Ferran who stays in his cockpit... De Ferran push started and rejoins the race.

Lap 61: Montoya in the pits, the car is smoking. He's out of the race. Broken driveshaft.

Lap 62: Castroneves leads from Papis, Moreno, Servia, Carpentier, Franchitti, Andretti, Tagliani, Vasser, Tracy are the top ten under yellow.

Lap 63: Franchitti reports: "The car is handling like a pig without the brake duct, and the braking is inconsistent."

Lap 66: Green flag. Busy again. Moreno into the tyres at turn 4 having tried to pass Kurosawa, and he's out. Full course yellows.

Lap 67: Servia now runs in third place.

Lap 68: Green flag. Papis looks at Castroneves, and locks up, running wide.
He stays second.

Lap 69: Tracy excluded for causing his crew member injury.

Lap 70: Tagliani passes Andretti for sixth. Kurosawa gets in the way, and Andretti fights back. Franchitti passes Carpentier for fourth.

Lap 71: Castroneves leads Papis by 0.609s, Servia, Franchitti, Carpentier, Tagliani, Andretti, Vasser, Jourdain, de Ferran.

Lap 72: Kurosawa black flagged for failing to move out of the way for faster traffic.

Lap 74: Castroneves leads Papis by 1.271s, Servia, Franchitti, Carpentier, Tagliani, Andretti, Vasser, Jourdain, de Ferran.

Lap 75: The top five are spreading out, and are covered by 13secs.

Lap 77: Castroneves sets a 1m15.902 lap - his fastest of the day. He's not cruising!

Lap 78: Castroneves sets a 1m15.805 - a new fastest lap overall.

Lap 80: Castroneves leads Papis by 3.242s, Servia, Franchitti, Carpentier, Tagliani, Andretti, Vasser, Jourdain, de Ferran.

Lap 81: Fontana pulls off from 12th. Oil reported in turns 4 and 5.

Lap 83: Last lap - Helio gets the white flag.

Lap 84: Chequered flag. Castroneves scores his first win. He punches the air with delight, almost standing in the car as he waves to the crowd.! Papis, Servia, Franchitti, Carpentier, Tagliani, Vasser, Jourdain, de Ferran, Marques, Blundell, Kurosawa.

Victory Lane: Castroneves leaps from his car, runs across the track and climbs the spectator fence to celebrate. As he takes his helmet off he's in tears: "I did it, I did it! He cries..."

Catsroneves is the seventh different winner in seven races.