Power takes 12-point lead over Dario into season finale
Helio Castroneves was the class of the field tonight in the Indy Japan 300 at Twin Ring Motegi, leading 153 of 200 laps en route to claiming his third victory of the season and second in a row.
Castroneves beat Dario Franchitti to the stripe by 4.5746 seconds, with championship leader Will Power right behind in third position. Franchitti once again cut into Power’s advantage in the title race but only slightly as Power steadily climbed toward the front after falling as far as 10th during the race.
Power now holds a 12-point lead over Franchitti with one race left in the 2010 campaign, the Cafes do Brasil Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Oct. 2. Franchitti won at Homestead last season to seal his second IZOD IndyCar Series crown.
Ryan Briscoe was a contender on Saturday but had to settle for fourth at race’s end. Danica Patrick also came through with a strong fifth-place performance at the site of her lone IndyCar victory. Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan, Graham Rahal, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Dan Wheldon rounded out the top ten.
As for the Japanese driving contingent, the popular Takuma Sato finished 12th while Hideki Mutoh finished 14th in front of his father, Eiji, who was able to see his son race in person for the first time.
A full recap will be posted tomorrow…
