Dario Franchitti became a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Sunday after surviving a last lap tussel with Takuma Sato for the win. Photo by Jim Haines
Dario Franchitti slipped the wreath over his head and took a healthy sip of cool milk in the 91-degree mid-afternoon heat in victory circle at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. First, however, he donned a pair of white cardboard sunglasses — a tribute to longtime friend, teammate, competitor and fellow Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon.
“Now my face on the Borg-Warner Trophy will be on either side of Dan’s,” Franchitti said of the 2011 race winner who died in October from injuries suffered in a racing accident.
Franchitti became the 10th driver with three or more 500 wins, holding off charges from Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, Takuma Sato and Tony Kanaan over the final five laps following a restart.
“I just want to dedicate this to two of Indianapolis’ finest, Dan Wheldon and Michael Wanser,” said Frachitti in victory circle. “Thanks to all of the Indianapolis fans for their tribute to Dan today. What a race. What a race. I think D-dub (Wheldon) would be proud of that one.”
Franchitti, the reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion, won under caution as Sato’s No. 15 Rahal Letterman Racing car made slight contact with the left side Franchitti’s No. 50 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car while running side-by-side for the lead on the white flag lap. The contact shot Sato’s car up the track and into the turn 1 SAFER Barrier, bringing out the yellow flag.
Takuma Sato (right) loses control while racing Dario Franchitti (left) in the final lap of the Indy 500. Photo by Mike Young
“I moved over, and I saw he was coming,” said Franchitti. “I came back over, and I moved up the track. He got loose underneath me. Kind of reminds me of Emerson (Fittipaldi) and Little Al (Unser) at the end there. This means the world. This is Indianapolis. To be on this trophy on either side of Dan, that means more than anything. The last week I’ve been studying my buddy JR’s book, Johnny Rutherford gave me his book with a wonderful inscription, and he said he hoped to welcome me to the three-time club. To be in the company of guys like that means so much. What a great race today, to be able to come from the back of the grid after being in the pit lane and being spun.”
“What an incredible weekend,” said Sato. “Not only the weekend, but also the month of May. I was going for the win. On the last restart, we jumped from seventh to fifth, then taking fourth, third, second. I kept pushing and overtaking. On the very last lap, I had a good tow from Dario. I thought I had the job done. But he kept pushing and didn’t give me enough room, so that I was well below the white line. But an outstanding job by the team. It was a very exciting race.”
Mike Conway took this wild ride after his A.J. Foyt Racing entry spun and made contact with Will Power's car. Photo by Mike Young
Franchitti led teammate Scott Dixon and Kanaan under the twin checkered flags to cap a wild race featuring the new car-engine package. There were a record 34 lead changes among 10 drivers.
A few minutes later, in victory circle, Franchitti looked to the sky as a salute to Wheldon.
A few minutes afterward, he and wife Ashley Judd were joined on the victory lap by Susie Wheldon, who earlier in the weekend accepted the Champion of Champions ring and “Baby Borg” trophy on behalf of her husband.
Kanaan, seeking his first victory in his 11th 500 Mile Race and driving the No. 11 car (“my favorite number”) for KV Racing Technology, had taken the lead on a Lap 184 restart.
Oriol Servia jumped from the 27th starting spot to finish fourth and pole sitter Ryan Briscoe was fifth. James Hinchcliffe, who started from the middle of the front row, finished sixth and Justin Wilson also had an Indy-best seventh-place finish. Charlie Kimball overcame a practice crash a week earlier to finish eighth, and Townsend Bell was ninth. Three-time winner Helio Castroneves was 10th and Rubens Barrichello was the highest finishing rookie in 11th.
Izod IndyCar Series
Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis 500 Unofficial Results – May 27, 2012
1. Dario Franchitti
The cause for this paralysis is pretty much clueless and research is still carried on to find the paralysis treatment in India. Eggs are rich in protein, cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acids and saturated fats necessary for enhanced production of testosterone. If you want to save money while buying medicines is to buy generic drugs. You can purchase Apcalis jelly over the prescription. 2. Scott Dixon
3. Tony Kanaan
4. Oriol Servia
5. Ryan Briscoe
6. James Hinchcliffe
7. Justin Wilson
8. Charlie Kimball
9. Townsend Bell
10. Helio Castroneves
11. Rubens Barrichello
12. Alex Tagliani
13. Graham Rahal
14. J.R. Hildebrand
15. James Jakes
16. Simon Pagenaud
17. Takuma Sato
18. E.J. Viso
19. Michel Jourdain
20. Sebastian Bourdais
21. Ed Carpenter
22. Katherine Legge
23. Ana Beatriz
24. Marco Andretti
25. Josef Newgarden
26. Sebastian Saavedra
27. Ryan Hunter-Reay
28. Will Power
29. Mike Conway
30. Bryan Clauson
31. Wade Cunningham
32. Simona de Silvestro
33. Jean Alesi
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