Power claims maiden oval victory
Will Power produced a commanding drive to capitalise on his grid position and take the first oval victory of his career in the second IndyCar Twin 275 race at Texas
Power, who drew grid spot three in the ballot, took the lead from polesitter Tony Kanaan (KV) on lap 41 after a lengthy battle, and then had to hold off a charging Scott Dixon over the closing laps to secure the victory.
"I've been trying to nail this for so long," the Penske driver said. "I'm so happy. It's a great race and it was good fun. It was a good battle with Tony at the start, and when it was time to go, I went."
Power finished 0.9446 seconds clear of Dixon (Ganassi), who put in a great drive to second after drawing grid slot 18. Third was Ryan Briscoe, who survived an early trip across the grass while avoiding another car, with Penske team-mate Helio Castroneves just behind him.
Race one winner Dario Franchitti did an excellent job of damage limitation in finishing seventh after starting from 28th, although the Scot remained critical of the lottery grid system being used in a points-paying race.
"We got hosed tonight, and if we lose the championship by that many points, I'll be pissed off," the Ganassi driver said.
Fears of a race blighted by caution periods proved unfounded, with the entire distance being completed under racing conditions.
Results - 114 laps:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Will Power Penske 48m08.9739s
2. Scott Dixon Ganassi + 0.9466s
3. Ryan Briscoe Penske + 4.6524s
4. Helio Castroneves Penske + 9.5738s
5. Tony Kanaan KV + 14.3723s
6. Marco Andretti Andretti + 16.9488s
7. Dario Franchitti Ganassi + 18.4374s
8. Danica Patrick Andretti + 18.5558s
9. Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti + 21.7976s
10. EJ Viso KV + 24.0923s
11. Vitor Meira Foyt + 24.6397s
12. Takuma Sato KV + 1 lap
13. Paul Tracy Dragon + 1 lap
14. Alex Tagliani Sam Schmidt + 1 lap
15. Oriol Servià Newman/Haas + 1 lap
16. Ed Carpenter Sarah Fisher + 1 lap
17. Mike Conway Andretti + 1 lap
18. JR Hildebrand Panther + 1 lap
19. James Hinchcliffe Newman/Haas + 1 lap
20. Jay Howard Sam Schmidt + 1 lap
21. Justin Wilson Dreyer & Reinbold + 1 lap
22. Ana Beatriz Dreyer & Reinbold + 1 lap
23. Charlie Kimball Ganassi + 2 laps
24. Alex Lloyd Dale Coyne + 2 laps
25. Davey Hamilton Dreyer & Reinbold + 2 laps
26. Wade Cunningham Sam Schmidt + 2 laps
27. Simona de Silvestro HVM + 3 laps
28. James Jakes Dale Coyne + 3 laps
29. Sebastian Saavedra Conquest + 3 laps
Retirements:
Graham Rahal Ganassi 104 laps
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