Briscoe wins IRL race; Patrick is second

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas

Ryan Briscoe pushed the button and quickly got back in front of Danica Patrick.

All the way to Victory Lane at Texas.

Briscoe pulled away in the closing laps after briefly losing the lead to Patrick and won the IndyCar Series race at the high-banked, 1 1/2-mile track Saturday night, winning there a year after dominating only to finish second.

When Patrick rocketed past him after he emerged from the pit from his last stop, Briscoe wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t be able to get back in front.

“Absolutely not,” Briscoe said. “She had been running strong all night long.”

Patrick took her first lead of the season, but it lasted only a lap before Briscoe hit his push-to-pass button coming onto the frontstretch at the end of the 193rd of 228 laps.

“I was hoping that having gone a lap extra [before pitting] I was going to be able to put some distance,” Briscoe said. “I was able to sort of slingshot back and carry some momentum using the Honda push-to-pass button. ... If I didn’t get her there, I’m not sure I would get her at all. I knew it was going to be an important time and that’s why I was being aggressive.”

It was the fourth time in the last five races at Texas that a Roger Penske-owned car drove to Victory Lane. It was the first victory this season for Briscoe, who started the race on the pole.

A year ago, the Australian dominated at Texas, leading 160 laps and having almost a 10-second lead before two late cautions bunched up the field. That allowed his teammate, Helio Castroneves, to get ahead and win the race.

This year, Briscoe led 102 of 228 laps and finished 1.463 seconds ahead of Patrick, who followed up her sixth-place showing at the Indianapolis 500 with her best finish on an oval since her historic win at Motegi two years ago.