In one night where everything seemed to march bad for the equipment of Michael Andretti and Barry Green, Dario Franchitti twisted the luck in the final returns, laying way to secure his first victory of IndyCar of the season, in the Firestone Indy 200 in the track of races of Nashville.
After the mechanical problems that lowered their teammates (Tony Kanaan, Gives Wheldon and Bryan Herta), Dario Franchitti happened through the interior from the track to Patrick Carpentier to seven returns of the end. The movement of Franchitti to return to take the commando from the race, happened just after a light drizzle hurried in Nashville.
“The problem greater than I felt was rain on the viewfinder of my helmet”, said Franchitti, that will try to repeat its victory in Milwaukee the next week. “I only thought, 'If this cloud breaks and I lose this race due to rain, this is going to summarize more or less our year.”
Until that then fortune it had fallen on Patrick Carpentier, who led the test when the first drops fell on the circuit. But rain finally stopped, and the competition was reinitiated nine turns just by ahead, and Franchitti recovered the leadership that was lost in pits with an astute maneuver on the interior of the bluish car of Carpentier. The certain thing is that the car of Franchitti was remarkably quicker than the one of Carpentier, that arrived at the leadership not to only enter to pits in the last round of resupplies.
“I held the attacks of Dario in the first returns”, said Carpentier. “He was so contented. Then I saw come like a train, and I said myself: “This type really comes attacking”. It passed through the flank with much more speed, and would have been disloyal of my part to block it.”
Franchitti underwent mechanical problems Saturday, but this happened during the session of previous heating to the race. Their teammates were not as lucky as he. Herta broke a wheel in turn 75. Soon Wheldon underwent problems in the suspension during a shutdown in pits in the return 95. 20 turns later the comfortable Kanaan leader, crashed when the right front suspension of its car became broken. In the Tony incident one took to Darren Manning to all march against the wall. Both conductors were unharmed.
“Thanks to God I have four cars in the equipment”, joked Barry Green, the coowner of equipment next to Michael Andretti.
Other pilots of reputation also had to desert in the waved track of Nashville. Scheckter takings underwent the failure of their motor, whereas Vitor Meira and Alex Barron made contact with enemy in turn 177 when they disputed the third position. At that Barron moment it tried to take care of the back of his Carpentier companion.
The Danica novice Patrick seemed on the verge of making history with his first victory, after taking second e to even lead during nine returns, but she finalized seventh after a slow resupply in the final round. This fifth closing between the 10 first in campaign 2005 was his.
Sam Hornish Jr finalized second, followed of Carpentier. Scott Sharp arrived quarter, with the Brazilian Castroneves Helium fifth.
“We had a very good car and we could have battled by the victory, but we went very behind schedule to the attack”, said Hornish, that gained several positions in the last returns.

To see result of the race