Power wins Indy Toronto

Associated Press

TORONTO

Will Power knew when to be aggressive and when to play it safe Sunday in the wreck-filled Honda Indy Toronto.

After patiently avoiding early trouble, the IndyCar leader boldly passed Justin Wilson on the outside off a restart with 14 laps left, then held off Dario Franchitti for his second straight victory and fourth of the season,

“As I predicted, it was a very wild race,” Power said. “It started on the first corner for me when I had Helio [Castroneves] and [Ryan] Hunter-Reay come cruising up the inside. I was like, ‘OK, I’ll let those guys go.’

“And then I lost a couple of more positions. But I know how this race goes.

“The key for me when I came to this race was avoiding carnage and accidents, which I know happens every year, and like I said, in the first corner, that right there could have been the finish if I’d just turned in. But I backed off.”

Power then gambled and won with the race on the line, moving past Wilson on the outside on the first turn after the fifth of sixth caution periods. Power pulled away, while Wilson spun out moments later and dropped from contention.

“The tires got a lot of pickup (rubber from other tires) and were cold and I knew everyone was going to be struggling and that there’d be a lot more chances of people making mistakes,” Power said. “And that’s what he [Wilson] did on the restart.

“I’d say it was a calculated, but risky, move to pass him on the outside because I wasn’t sure I’d make it out the other side. It was close, but sometimes you have to do that in racing if you want to win.”

All four of Power’s victories have come on street or road courses. He won two weeks ago at Watkins Glen and swept the season-opening races in Sao Paulo and St. Petersburg.

The Australian, 42 points ahead of Franchitti, is in his first full season with Team Penske after driving six races last season, highlighted by a victory in Edmonton. Before shifting to IndyCar, he won three Champ Car races, including the 2007 Toronto race on the tight and bumpy, 11-turn, 1.755-mile Exhibition Place track.

“I want to win an oval race before the year’s out,” Power said. “I’ve been knocking on the door, so I think that may come.”

Power gave Roger Penske his 150th open-wheel win and 41st in the IndyCar Series.

Power finished 1.2757 seconds ahead of Franchitti, the winner last year in Toronto.

Hunter-Reay was third, followed by Tony Kanaan, Graham Rahal, Danica Patrick, Wilson, Marco Andretti, Simona de Silvestro and Dan Wheldon.