Dario Franchitti Wins the IRL Championship

SCHROTH would like to congratulate Dario Franchitti on securing the IRL Championship! We are thrilled to be a small part in his success!

from autoweek.com

Franchitti’s Ganassi Racing crew played it conservatively on fuel in the Firestone Indy 300 and inherited the lead with six laps to go when race leaders Ryan Briscoe and Scott Dixon pitted for a late splash of fuel.
Franchitti finished 4.788 seconds ahead of Briscoe to win his second title in three years. He did not contend for last year’s title as he was trying his hand at NASCAR.

Franchitti entered the race four points behind Dixon but finished 11 ahead of him. Dixon finished third in the race.

Briscoe finished 12 points behind Franchitti. Briscoe did everything he could, leading the most laps for a two-point bonus. He secured that bonus by leading lap 181; his only chance to win the title after that was to have Franchitti run out of fuel, and he did not.

“I kept saying, ‘Come on, baby, come on baby, don’t run out of fuel,’” Franchitti said. “And she didn’t.”

Franchitti benefitted from long green-flag runs that kept his fuel strategy intact. The race went 200 laps without a caution, a first in league history.

Briscoe was heartbroken.

“It was probably one of the best races I’ve ever run,” he said. “I hate that it came down to fuel.”

The average speed was 201.420 mph, making it the second-quickest finish in league history.

“I’m bloody delighted,” Franchitti said.