Franchitti wins race, Power gets Andretti Trophy
Dario Franchitti didn’t let the pressure get to him when the IndyCar racer was informed by his Target Chip Ganassi crew member that Juan Montoya, who drives on Ganassi’s NASCAR team, had won at Watkins Glen. Franchitti kept a cool handle on things and added another win under the Ganassi name when he came in first at Mid-Ohio Sunday.
“They said something like 'News flash, Montoya just won at [Watkins Glen] so it's up to you now," Franchitti recalled. "I thought 'Oh God, no pressure now.' "
With the help of two well planned pit stops Franchitti was able to overtake Will Power to earn his 25th career open-wheel victory. The win tied him with Gordon Johncock for 12th on the all-time IndyCar win list, though Franchitti admitted he wasn’t concerned with the milestone as much as he was with pleasing boss Chip Ganassi.
Sunday was the second time in three weeks that Ganassi drivers have won both the IndyCar and NASCAR race on the same day, so you can imagine how happy the boss was.
"He just works so bloody hard at it, it's nice to see him get this kind of success," said Franchitti, who was happy to have outraced Power. "The last [three races] we finished on the podium every time, but Will was always a place ahead. That wasn't in our plan. That wasn't helping us win a championship."
Ganassi was very pleased with his racers. When asked about the weekend’s results Ganassi said “That was a big weekend, probably the biggest weekend our team has ever had," and overall he thought it was "Pretty special.[Franchitti] was bulletproof on the track and the guys did a great job in the pits and got him out in the lead. That might have been the race right there."
With only five races to go before the season ends Franchitti is 41 points within Power’s lead. "We've got to put pressure on Will," Franchitti said, who put Power in second place. "For whatever reason I had better traction and was able to pass him by," Franchitti said. "It's funny, these races sometimes come down to those small moments."
Power lead from the pole for the first 25 laps at which point he and Franchitti both pitted. Franchitti was quicker getting out in mini-drag race down the pit lane that saw Franchitti take the lead by a few inches.
Third place was held by Helio Castroneves with Alex Tagliani and Scott Dixon coming in fourth and fifth place respectively. Two weeks ago Castroneves blocked Power on a restart at Edmonton, a move that resulting in a $60,000 fine and probation sentence for the remainder of the season. This time the race was relatively tame, with no passes on green for lead and no penalties for blocking.
It was also announced that Power is the recipient of the inaugural Mario Andretti Trophy, a prize awarded to the top road racer in the IndyCar Series. Even with five more road races to go before the season ends Power clinched the award after having a great season behind the wheel. “That's just fantastic," Power said. "Mario Andretti is one of the best racers of all time.”
The IndyCar Series runs next at Sonoma August 22, where Andretti will present the trophy to Power.
Last year Power was air lifted in a medical helicopter from Infineon Raceway after a serious practice crash with Nelson Philippe left him with a broken back. Since recovering and getting behind the wheel again Power has been an almost unstoppable force as he vies for his first IndyCar Series Championship title.
Powers is a worthy recipiant of the Mario Andretti Trophy, as he is not only the top driver this season, but worked hardest to get there.
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