Dario Franchitti (10), of Scotland, is followed by Scott Dixon (9), of New Zealand, as they take Turn 4 during the IndyCar Series' Indy 300 auto race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)

"Heading into the final race of the 2010 IRL IZOD IndyCar Series Championship, early championship leader Will Power clung to a 12-point lead over the fast-closing Dario Franchitti. The two drivers had each been strong on ovals or road courses, but not both. Franchitti was crowned the oval champ, earning the A.J. Foyt trophy, while Power had won the road race crown, picking up the Mario Andretti trophy. Power had shown a level of dominance through the mid-season road and street races that made his title lead look insurmountable. But Franchitti racked up more points in the latest oval races as Power struggled to get good results.

When Dario Franchitti won the pole, it meant he was only 11 points behind Power heading into the race. There were a number of scenarios in which Franchitti could win, but the one he wanted to see play out was to stay at the front the whole race. That would give him an extra two points for leading the most laps and enough of a gap to second place that even if Power finished second , he couldn't beat Dario in the points race.

A couple of interesting subplots were also unfolding. For only the second time in IndyCar history, five women were in the field. One of them was in a title fight of sorts herself. Alex Lloyd, who had qualified 22nd, was leading Simona de Silvestro in the Rookie of the Year battle by 18 points. Danica Patrick was just 22 points out of the top ten. If Patrick couldn't make up the difference, it would be the first time since her rookie season that she hadn't finished in the top ten in the season points race. She qualified 11th and needed to finish well ahead of Justin Wilson to nab tenth.

From the drop of the green, the fireworks started right away. Well, technically, those were sparks coming off the cars, not fireworks; the fuel-laden cars bottoming out around the turns created quite a show. Franchitti and teammate Scott Dixon held the first two spots as points leader Power fell back a bit from his 3rd place qualifying position. As has been the case all season, Tony Kanaan was the biggest mover in the early going. The Miami resident thrilled the hometown crowd by going from 8th to 3rd in the early going.

In fact, things got interesting when TK slipped past Dixon for second. The game plan was to have Dario out front the whole time, with Scott serving as a buffer to keep the Team Penske challengers at bay. But what about Andretti Autosports' drivers? Were they going to play the part of spoiler for Franchitti. Before Kanaan could catch Dario, however, Mario Moraes brought out the first yellow of the night. No contact, just a mechanical issue that left Moraes stalled in a precarious position. That meant the drivers could make their first round of stops."

For the full article head over to Autoblog ->
IndyCar: Sparks fly as thrilling Indy 300 closes season [SPOILERS] — Autoblog


Dario Franchitti, right, of Scotland, receives a hug from his wife, Ashley Judd, after winning the IndyCar Series' season points title at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Saturday, Oct. 2, 2010. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)

 

That's fantastic! Congrats Dario! Great driving this year!