Franchitti takes first of dual Indycar races

Associated Press

FORT WORTH, Texas

Dario Franchitti held off teammate Scott Dixon in a 10-lap shootout Saturday night to win the first of two races at Texas in the first doubleheader in major open-wheel racing in 30 years.

Franchitti led 110 of 114 laps and finished 0.0527 seconds ahead of Dixon, with the Target Chip Ganassi teammates ahead of Will Power and polesitter Alex Tagliani.

The first race on the 11/2-mile high-banked track was on a blistering pace of more than 207 mph, which would have been the fastest in IndyCar Series history, before the Indianapolis 500-winning car driven by rookie Wade Cunningham, not Dan Wheldon, was involved in a crash to set up the final sprint. The average speed wound up 181.649 mph.

There was an abbreviated celebration between races for Franchitti’s 28th victory, which moved him into 10th place overall on the career list past Fort Worth native and three-time Indy 500 champion Johnny Rutherford. Franchitti shot the customary six-shooters in Victory Lane for his first victory at Texas, where he was twice a runner-up.

During the break between races, the starting order for the second race was determined by a blind draw. Tony Kanaan, who finished 11th in the first race, drew the pole position and Franchitti was starting 28th in the 30-car field.

The second race was not completed in time for today’s edition.

The only caution in the first race came with 22 laps remaining when rookie drivers Charlie Kimball and Cunningham made contact in the fourth turn.

Wheldon had only a one-race contract with Bryan Herta Autosport at Indy two weeks ago, when he drove to victory in the No. 98 car that was leased from Sam Schmidt Motorsports.

Because of damage to one of its other cars at Indianapolis, the Schmidt team decided to use that Indy 500 championship car at Texas for the Firestone Twin 275s. It sustained significant damage.

Cunningham went to a backup car for the second race, and drew the No. 2 starting spot.

Franchitti had built a nearly five-second lead before the crash, but was able to drive around the wreckage without any issues.