Tony Kanaan wins the Detroit Indy Grand Prix on pit cycle decisions, as Dario Franchitti regains the points lead and Danica Patrick finishes 2nd for her best ICS finish...
There is no doubt that the Detroit Indy Grand Prix was won on pit road, but the only question was "when." Yes, TK did beat Dixon and Franchitti off pit road once, but he didn't get enough fuel and had to stop another time. That mistake probably made him the race winner, because when he stopped again, it was before Dixon and Franchitti chose to stop. Once they did come in under caution, TK became the race leader, and when Dixon beat Dario off pit road on that stop, that set the stage for the contact in turn 13 that cost Dixon his points lead. With Kanaan leading the race and Buddy Rice running 2nd and in jeopardy of running out of fuel, Scott Dixon, under intense pressure from Franchitti and having been warned to "run a straight line," chose to try Rice on the inside going into the corner. 

Dixon was "there," close enough for Buddy to see him. Buddy gave him all the room needed while still trying to make the corner, but Dixon got loose on turn-in, may have hit Rice and then spun backwards and appeared to turn into the path of Franchitti while still backing up, blocking him and causing contact. Rice was forced into the outside tire barrier, and Danica Patrick ducked to the inside of the Dixon/Franchitti crash to finish 2nd. Franchitti got pulled back away from the crash damaged Dixon car and finished the lap he was on, and the race in 6rh position, and apparently Buddy Rice got going as well to finish 7th, ahead of 8th place Dixon unofficially.

***

(The start) Pretty clean and trouble free, a big plus on this kind of course. I'll try again to figure pit windows after failing miserably last week. I expect more cautions than we had last week just because of the nature of the beast that is a temporary street circuit This race can be run on two stops with any caution segments at all, with the first stop coming as close to lap 30 as possible. 

***

(Lap 8) Mired in slow traffic and unable to pass< TCGR brought Dan Wheldon in very early, just to get him some running room. The T&S link finally caught up with the race and telecast, but right now the only changes in the running order in the top ten is Kanaan getting past has-to-be-careful Scott Dixon, and Darren Manning getting past Sam Hornish as well. The first four cars are in lockstep, with zero chance for the fastest passing the slowest. When they finally put a lap on back marker Sarah Fisher, although she was way off the pace, it was a hold-your-breath moment.  (The crowd (?) is questionable, while most grandstands 

***

(Lap 20)  Coming up to lap Dan Wheldon, which appeared to be impossible if Wheldon didn't all but stop, and that wasn't going to happen, AGR/TCGR snookered Team Penske and ducked onto pit road leaving Helio stuck behind Wheldon. Dixon had the preferred pit position at the head of the line, but Dario still drove around him on a faster stop. A lap later Sam Hornish stopped as well. Castroneves , still stuck behind Wheldon has only one hope, to make it a two-stop race if he can get to lap 28, and now we here on the TV feed that they will stop on lap 26. To be fair, Wheldon didn't hold Helio up, he was held up behind two other cars. Helio and Marco pitted and returned to the track in that order.

***

(Lap 27) Patrick pits, followed by Marco Andretti with gearbox issues, caution now out as Ed Carpenter went into a runoff area. Helio cycled out in 4th but there is the lapped car of Kosuke Matsuura ahead of Dixon, then Helio's car. On the restart Sara Fisher got caught up outside Sam Hornish and he made contact with her, turning her backwards and into the tires, as Sam nosed into the tires behind her as well. Vitor Meira was collected up by the Fisher car, and Darren Manning nudged Danica Patrick around and  she stopped rather than hit the inside wall. Manning continued on, Patrick kept the engine running, and once she was pulled clear of the wall, continued around the track without losing a lap. Buddy Rice found a hole through the pile-up. Some of these cars will be restarted and race again, more than a lap back.

***

Hornish appears to have jammed a hand in the steering wheel and doesn't look to be going to go back out. Sam claimed "Sarah let Scheckter go, but wouldn't let him." Tomas got past before the turn, then Sara turned as Sam tried to get under her, he should have realized she would turn in. The running order on the restart will be Franchitti, Kanaan, Dixon, Castroneves, Scheckter, Manning, Foyt, Sharp and Patrick. Now the TV types are talking of the possibility of a "timed race," it isn't bad enough that we have a ride-around parade, but that it isn't even progressing fast enough to beat the end of the telecast. IndyCar is looking more like CART/CCWS by the race, and we know how that story is playing out. Ryan Hunter-Reay is out of the race in 18th with clutch troubles. 

***

(Lap 47) Sharp/Patrick  contact. Danica isn't cussin' and screaming, so I suspect she knows it was her fault, but she was going for a position and made left front to right rear contact. Sharp spun  into the tires and Danica continued around. Another full-course caution. This time the leaders will pit, and now it's almost a given they won't run the full race distance. Dixon, sitting 3rd and at the head of pit road was the last car to stop, and the team put more fuel in the car than Kanaan took. TK managed to pass Franchitti and Dixon, and now they are saying they didn't get enough fuel in the car. Buddy Rice, Danica Patrick and Dan Wheldon didn't stop and Rice is leading, with Patrick 2nd and Wheldon 3rd. None of them can make it to the checkered flag, no matter when it comes. Tony Kanaan would inherit the race lead, but he will have to stop. I'm thinking that IF the race is clock-stopped, everyone that pitted during the caution other than TK will make it to the finish. In this sort of a parade, Franchitti would then beat Dixon and Scheckter to the checkered flag.

***

(Lap 56) Another caution, this one for a single-car spin by Ed Carpenter, with no contact and now it is pit decision time. Rice will pit, Danica and Wheldon won't. Then it was Kanaan and Castroneves and Foyt. This leaves Dixon and franchitti rolling the dice for the win IF Patrick, now leading Wheldon can't run to an abbreviated checkered flag, that for them won't come in time unless the race ends before lap 80.

***

(The lap 58 restart) Patrick leads her first road course lap ever. Danica is considerably faster than Wheldon who is holding back Franchitti and Dixon. Knowing she can't finish the race without stopping for fuel, perhaps she is trying to put as much distance between herself and Wheldon/Franchitti for pit stop timing purposes. Wheldon pits, so now Danica should pit next time around, as Dario will start to reel her in. Patrick into the pits right away on lap 66 for gas and tires. Lets see if she cycles ahead of Wheldon, she did get past Foyt. It turns out she did, but the caution flag came out again as Helio tried to force past Scheckter going into turn one where it wasn't EVER going to happen, and tore up two cars, Scheckter's and his. Franchitti and Dixon pitted and with favored pit position, Dixon came out of the pits in 1st place. Kanaan is now the race leader, followed by Buddy Rice again, then Scott Dixon, Danica Patrick, Foyt and Dario. At least Patrick isn't in a position to have to let Dario past YET. Franchitti got past Foyt, and then Danica DID let Dario past. Now they are talking fuel issues with Dixon, while claiming Dario has plenty.  Now it has been announced that they are on the ten-minute clock at a time when the telecast was slated to end, 6:00 p.m. in the East. Funny they can run 10-minutes long and not 15 needed to finish the race. The race ended on lap 89, but not before Scott Dixon, probably fearing pressure from Franchitti, and having already been warned about blocking, tried to force his way past Rice, who was close on fuel and holding Dixon up. Dixon was "there," close enough for Buddy to see him. Buddy gave him all the room needed while still trying to make the corner, but Dixon got loose on turn-in and spun backwards and appeared to turn into the path of Franchitti while still backing up, blocking him and causing contact. Rice was forced into the outside tire barrier, and Danica Patrick ducked to the inside of the Dixon/Franchitti crash to finish 2nd. Franchitti got pulled back away from the crash damaged Dixon car and finished the lap he was on, and the race in 6rh position, and apparently Buddy Rice got going as well to finish 7th, ahead of 8th place Dixon unofficially. Crashes and off-cycle pit stops caused by traffic-related strategy moves produced a surprising and interesting top-ten, but That's one of the few things about this "EVENT" I enjoyed. Another downside to a timed race is the lack of post race interviews, and I would loved to hear what Dario Franchitti, Scott Dixon and Buddy Rice had to say about the final lap.

indycar.com reports that Franchitti now has a 3-point lead over Dixon for the points championship, while glossing over the contact between the two drivers. Nobody could hide the confrontation between Tomas Scheckter and Helio Castroneves, who had to be separated as they exited the Care Center. Helio claims Tomas allowed Tony Kanaan to pass while closing the door on him, the same claim Sam Hornish made about Sarah Fisher. Perhaps these two drivers need to go to mind reading classes.

Pos

Driver

 

Best Time

Best Speed

Best Lap

Last Lap

1

Tony Kanaan (11)

 

1:13.8906

100.852

47

89

2

Danica Patrick (7)

 

1:14.9125

99.476

65

89

3

Dan Wheldon (10)

 

1:15.5578

98.626

62

89

4

D. Manning (14)

 

1:15.7840

98.332

8

89

5

Kosuke Matsuura (55)

 

1:16.8399

96.981

24

88

6

Dario Franchitti (27)

 

1:13.5110

101.373

65

88

7

Buddy Rice (15)

 

1:14.9325

99.450

66

87

8

Scott Dixon (9)

 

1:13.9671

100.747

47

87

9

AJ Foyt IV

 

1:15.9727

98.088

84

87

10

Ed Carpenter (20)

 

1:16.5793

97.311

15

87

11

Scott Sharp (8)

 

1:16.6533

97.217

45

82

12

Sam Hornish Jr (6)

 

1:15.9201

98.156

20

75

13

Tomas Scheckter (2)

 

1:15.0292

99.321

64

67

14

Helio Castroneves (3)

 

1:14.0702

100.607

46

67

15

Vitor Meira (4)

 

1:16.2266

97.761

13

31

16

Sarah Fisher (5)

 

1:19.4239

93.826

21

29

17

Marco Andretti (26)

 

1:15.0482

99.296

24

27

18

Ryan Hunter-Reay (17)

 

1:15.2302

99.056

20

24

The morning warm up has ended with Dan Wheldon in the tire barrier in turn 8. Just before that, 26 minutes into the session, Scott Dixon and Helio Castroneves were the cause of a full course caution when they ran into each other in turn 3. Dixon ended up in the tire barrier while Helio continued on to pit road. Dixon's car was restarted and he drove it back to the pits. There was also an early spin and light wall contact by Tomas Scheckter in turn 2. Castroneves, the pole sitter, "won" another practice session, as Ryan Hunter-Reay, AJ Foyt IV and Ed Carpenter continued to run well. After running the full session, Wheldon was only 14th on the T&S chart.

Pos

Driver

 

Best Time

Best Speed

Best Lap

Last Lap

1

Helio Castroneves (3)

 

1:13.5251

101.353

9

16

2

Scott Dixon (9)

 

1:13.6039

101.245

7

16

3

Dario Franchitti (27)

 

1:13.7341

101.066

11

14

4

Tony Kanaan (11)

 

1:13.8783

100.869

10

13

5

Tomas Scheckter (2)

 

1:14.5753

99.926

7

11

6

Marco Andretti (26)

 

1:14.7922

99.636

11

14

7

Sam Hornish Jr (6)

 

1:15.0915

99.239

8

11

8

Ryan Hunter-Reay (17)

 

1:15.1152

99.208

3

5

9

Darren Manning (14)

 

1:15.2792

98.991

9

14

10

Vitor Meira (4)

 

1:15.5416

98.648

13

14

11

Danica Patrick (7)

 

1:15.6168

98.550

10

13

12

AJ Foyt IV (22)

 

1:15.8402

98.259

8

8

13

Ed Carpenter (20)

 

1:16.1721

97.831

8

12

14

Dan Wheldon (10)

 

1:16.2192

97.771

8

13

15

Kosuke Matsuura (55)

 

1:16.2548

97.725

8

13

16

Buddy Rice (15)

 

1:16.2855

97.686

9

14

17

Scott Sharp (8)

 

1:17.3062

96.396

8

14

18

Sarah Fisher (5)

 

1:19.2465

94.036

9

13