The return of IndyCar racing started out wonderfully, but for Canadians Alex Tagliani and Paul Tracy the final result could be summed up in two words: The pits.
Dario Franchitti drove through the debris of broken cars and a controversial pit stop to win yesterday's Honda Indy Toronto. He did so at the expense of Tagliani and Tracy, who spent most of the afternoon teasing the crowd with thoughts of a 1-2 Canadian finish.
Tagliani held the lead twice for 21 laps. Tracy made another of his patented charges, never held the lead, but provided much of the excitement as open-wheel racing returned to Toronto after a two-year absence.
Track officials declined to release attendance figures but noted they had "sold out (insert beer brand here). They dipsy-doodled around questions about empty seats with all the finesse of Franchitti dodging spinning cars.
So, you figure it out, but when this thing was being run by a beer company, nobody got so fuzzy-headed they couldn't count how many people they entertained.
The strains of the national anthem had barely died when Tracy, starting 15th, made his usual charge, passing seven drivers by the fourth lap. But Toronto always is a race about survival and eight cars didn't make it to the final flag. One of them would be Tracy, who 20 laps from the end, gambled to win -- and lost all. Statistics show he placed 19th -- it just seemed better than that.
Tagliani got tangled up with 15 laps to go, leaving Tomas Scheckter throwing his racing gloves at him.
"It was just a stupid move," Scheckter said. "Way too late in the race. A non brain move."
By then, Tagliani's race was lost, too. He placed ninth.
The mayhem started early.
"There was some very aggressive stuff going on," Franchitti said. "But it is a very challenging course. It's easy to get frustrated."
Car parts littered the air on the start when Will Power cut his tire on the wing of Graham Rahal's car.
When pole-sitter Franchitti looked in his mirror, sitting behind him was Tagliani, who had moved from fifth to within a second of the lead by Lap 2.
Tracy also had a good start and, when Franchitti's pit crew stripped a lug nut on a pit stop, he managed to move into second place behind Tagliani by Lap 30.
"I thought we had it in our pockets, Tagliani said. "We were having a great run but the pit stops cost us."
He was still in front when he pitted on Lap 59. He would never get close again.
Franchitti's victory, and Tracy's demise, were set up as the leaders headed into the pits on Lap 60. Tracy was out first. But he was told by race controllers he had to allow Franchitti to pass him.
"I'm ... frustrated at the call the IRL made to make me let Dario go by," Tracy said. "I beat him out. He was in the pits I was on the track and (the IRL) gave the position to him. I've never heard of that being done before."
Officials said the electronic blend line indicated Franchitti had beaten him.
"(Tracy's) guys on the pit stand argued but he let me by. That definitely helped," said Franchitti, who after passing Tracy took the lead, on Lap 65, from Helio Castroneves.
Seconds later, Castroneves was hearing the boos for taking Tracy out.
Franchitti said he could tell Castroneves was in trouble. "He didn't seem to have any grip. He was slipping."
Tracy tried to follow Franchitti and go inside Castroneves.
"I was anxious to stay with Dario because over a long run I thought I could out-race him," Tracy said.
He never got to find out as Castroneves pinned him against the wall.
"I'm not saying it was on purpose," Tracy said. "I guess that's why they call me The Thrill."
After that, Franchitti, who led 45 of the 85 laps, could've put it on cruise control, winning by 1.67 seconds over runner-up Ryan Briscoe.
"This is one of the few street courses you could actually pass and go racing," said Power, fighting back after his opening-lap collision to finish third. "It was a lot of fun."
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TOP FINISHERS
START LAPS
FINISH POSITION DRIVER COMPLETED
1. 1 Dario Franchitti 85
2. 11 Ryan Briscoe 85
3. 2 Will Power 85
4. 8 Scott Dixon 85
5. 4 Justin Wilson 85
NOTABLES
6. 18 Danica Patrick 85
9. 5 Alex Tagliani 85
18. 10 Helio Castroneves 65
19. 15 Paul Tracy 65
