Power Wins Baltimore Grand Prix
BALTIMORE (Sunday, Sept. 4, 2011) — Will Power started from the pole in the inaugural Baltimore Grand Prix, led the most laps and cruised to his IZOD IndyCar Series season record-tying sixth victory.
“That was the toughest race I’ve done all year,” Power said. “I’m just exhausted, but that was a championship run.”
It was what transpired behind the Verizon Team Penske driver, who’s chopped 50 points off series championship front-runner Dario Franchitti’s lead over the past five races and now trails by a meager five points heading to the Twin Ring Motegi road course on Sept. 17, had the tens of thousands of fans screaming and shaking their heads.
Oriol Servia, who started 16th in the No. 2 Telemundo Newman/Haas Racing car, was the runner-up (his best on a road/street course in the IZOD IndyCar Series). Tony Kanaan, who had quite an adventure even before taking the green flag for the 75-lap race, finished third in the No. 82 GEICO KV Racing Technology-Lotus hybrid car.
Both stretched their 22 gallons of ethanol 32 laps on the 2.04-mile, 12-turn circuit.
Kanaan was involved in a scary morning warm-up incident with Helio Castroneves. Both had to start from the rear of the 28-car field because they switched to backup cars — in the case of Kanaan, switching to teammate E.J. Viso’s oval car — after qualifications.
Franchitti finished fourth (his 12th top five in the 15 races) and Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon was fifth. Danica Patrick advanced from the 25th starting position to grab sixth place in the No. 7 Team GoDaddy car for Andretti Autosport, and Alex Tagliani was seventh in the No. 77 Bowers & Wilkins car for Sam Schmidt Motorsports after starting 21st.
