IRL - PEAK Antifreeze Indy 300 Presented by Mr. Clean

Location: Chicagoland Speedway 1.5 Mile Paved Oval 200 Laps/300 Miles September 9, 2007 Pole Award: Dario Franchitti - 25.4931 seconds, 214.646 mph Time of race: 1:44:53.7950 Average speed of winner: 173.886 Margin of victory: 1.8439 sec Lead changes: 14 among 5 leaders Cautions: 3 for 27 laps Lap leaders: Franchitti pole, Hornish 1-38, Castroneves 39-85, Dixon 86-88, Franchitti 89-92, Castroneves 93-101, Hornish 102-129, Dixon 130-135, Franchitti 136-140, Dixon 141-159, Hornish 160-183, Dixon 184-190, Wheldon 191-193, Dixon 194-199, Franchitti 200

Race Summary: The final race of the season saw Dario Franchitti enter with a three-point lead over Scott Dixon in the championship chase. Tony Kanaan held third, the only other driver mathematically eligible for the title. Penske teammates Sam Hornish, Jr. and Helio Castroneves dominated most of the race, leading a combined 146 laps. Tony Kanaan saw his championship hopes go away early in the race when a flat tire forced an unscheduled pit stop. He would eventually finish 6th in the race. Single-car crashes by Marco Andretti and later Vitor Meira were the only significant on track incidents of the day. Meira's crash on lap 136 caused damage to the SAFER barrier, and a long 15-lap caution ensued as track workers repaired the barrier. It set up a dramatic fuel strategy, as both Franchitti and Dixon decided to pit to top off their tanks, and thus gamble on stretching their fuel to the end of the race. With the laps winding down, most of the leaders ducked into the pits for a quick fuel stops. That left Dixon leading, Franchitti second, and Danica Patrick third. Patrick headed for the pits on lap 195, but spun at the entrance, bringing out the caution. Both Dixon and Franchitti attempted to conserve fuel under the yellow, and prepared for a two-lap sprint to decide the race winner, and ultimately the season championship. The green came out with two laps to go, and the two battled side-by-side. On the final lap, entering turn three, Dixon ran out of fuel. Franchitti slipped by to take the lead, win the race, and clinch the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship title. With Franchitti reportedly heading to NASCAR, along with possibly Sam Hornish Jr., it marked what could be the final IndyCar Series race for the 2006 and 2007 Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champions, respectively. (Wikipedia)