Fontana: Hornish scores dramatic win

The race featured an IRL record 39 lead changes and ending with the second-closest finish in series history. Hornish held the lead as the last lap started but Lazier drafted by and ahead of the defending series champ coming out of the second turn. The Pennzoil Panther car drafted behind Lazier and went to the outside of Turn three and made the pass, but Lazier fought back coming out of four, briefly touching his right front wheel to Hornish's left rear, but both escaped with Hornish holding a three-quarter car length advantage.

"That was a great race," said Hornish. "It was real close. Jaques gave me a heck of a run. I got by him on the next-to-the last lap, but I went into the corner and pushed it in there too far, and it started pushing. I was like, 'Oh, here we go, that's the end of it.' But I had it in the right gear, and I got down and got a good run on him."

Lazier said: "Sam and I, for some reason, just love to run side by side. We did it in Texas. We also did it in Kentucky when we first started off our careers, and we've both elevated to the good rides in the Indy Racing League. Right now things are going great. I'm proud of him. I'm very proud of my team, onward and upward from here."

Behind the frontrunning duo, a five-car battle ensued for the third spot with Gil de Ferran stalking surprising rookie Laurent Redon, de Ferran having benefited from the late-race strategy of Roger Penske, who decided not to change tyres on the final pit stop in order to give his driver some much-needed track position. The reigning CART champion came to the tail of Redon on the last turn but could not make the pass as Redon earned his first IRL podium.

Red Bull Cheever Racing team-mates Tomas Scheckter and Eddie Cheever ran up front for the first three-quarters of the race. Through the first 150 laps of the day the race appeared to be destined for a shoot-out between the two Cheever cars along with Hornish and Lazier.

The first blow was struck against the team when Scheckter slowed briefly coming out of Turn Four with an apparent engine problem, but the slowing car was not seen soon enough by rookie Hideki Noda, who plowed into the back of the Scheckter car to bring out the only crash-related caution flag of the event on Lap 164. Cheever's engine then expired soon after the restart.

For full race results, click here.