Bombardier Learjet 550k at Texas Motor Speedway..2008...
Scott Dixon, driving the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car that started on the pole, led Helio Castroneves across the finish line under caution after Andretti's entanglement with the No. 17 Ethanol car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay on Lap 223 of 228. Castroneves' Team Penske teammate, Ryan Briscoe, came back from a lap down to finish third and Dan Wheldon improved seven positions to fourth in his back-up car.

SPARTA, Ky. - Helio Castroneves was trying everything to squeeze every drop of ethanol out of the No. 3 Team Penske car in the final five laps of the Meijer Indy 300 presented by Pepsi and Edy's.

Castroneves was working 50-plus laps since his last pit stop, while the string of other contenders had pitted under green between Laps 189-194. That's how Castroneves inherited the point, and he would have peddled the 1,600-pound car it into Victory Circle for the first time this season if necessary.

"You got to go. You got to go," race strategist Tim Cindric implored Castroneves over the radio as he saw Scott Dixon close from 6.1403 seconds behind to 2.1338 with two laps remaining.

Dixon, who took a splash of fuel as the leader on Lap 194, cut the gap to 0.6241 of a second as the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car crossed the start/finish line for the white flag lap.

It appeared Castroneves would be able to hang on. But as the car coughed fo fuel exiting Turn 4, Dixon went to the outside for the pass and victory by 0.5532 of a second.
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"Indy is at the top of the list, but at this point to win a race would be awesome."
-- Graham Rahal

Little did Rahal know that a month after making the statement he would be the center of attention on the Victory Lane podium and the auto racing world.

The sophomore Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing driver became the youngest winner in major open-wheel racing (19 years, 93 days) by holding off two-time defending race winner Helio Castroneves in the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. It was an historic triumph in an entertaining race on the challenging 1.8-mile, 14-turn temporary street circuit - made more so by a shower during the national anthem.
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Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe launched his 2009 IndyCar Series season in a big way by claiming a victory in the fifth-annual Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, April 5......for more about the St Petersburg Grand Prix go to....http://www.gpstpete.com/Home_Page.html

Some of the better captures from the race..I won my first pre-race access credentials at this race......Join the DownForce fan club and you can get close to the action too...to learn more, click on this link and tell them Twinpop sent you....see you there!!

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