By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The timing was perfect for Kevin Harvick's first NASCAR Cup Series victory at Texas. So was his winning pass.
Harvick went around the outside of Martin Truex Jr. for the lead with 10 laps to go, then stayed in front the rest of the way Sunday to earn his championship shot in NASCAR's season finale.
"It's been a long time coming," said Harvick, who had won five Xfinity races and a NASCAR Truck race at Texas in the past. "Great to check that one off."
Truex led 107 of 334 laps and was still up front until his bobble on the backstretch that allowed Harvick to take the lead. But Truex, with a significant points lead and wins in three of the eight playoff races, also locked into one of the four spots to race for the championship at Homestead in two weeks.
"A little disappointed to come up short, but to clinch a spot in Miami is unbelievable," Truex said. "Definitely got the job done today, and came here and did what we needed to."
Kyle Busch had already clinched a championship spot with his win at Martinsville a week ago to start the third round of the playoffs. That leaves only one spot up for grabs among the five remaining playoff contenders next week at Phoenix.
After doing a long burnout along the frontstretch in the No. 4 Ford for Stewart-Haas Racing, Harvick went to Victory Lane, where the Texas celebration was missing the traditional firing of six-shooters by the winner.
TMS officials bypassed the use of the pistols after a man armed with an assault rifle opened fire earlier Sunday inside a church in the small community of Sutherland Springs, about 300 miles south of the track near San Antonio. The man killed 26 people and wounded about 20 in what Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said was the deadliest mass shooting in the state's history.
Denny Hamlin, another of the playoff contenders, finished third, while Brad Keselowski was fifth and Ryan Blaney sixth. Chase Elliott finished eighth, and his teammate Jimmie Johnson dealt with a loose car all day and finished 27th.
Keselowski dropped from third to fourth in points, 57 behind Truex. Hamlin is fifth in the standings, followed by Ryan Blaney, Elliott and seventh-time Cup champion Johnson.
"I'd feel confident if we were locked in. These races you don't know what's gonna happen," Keselowski said.
Elliott knows that feeling, having been in the lead and two laps shy of the checkered flag at Martinsville before getting wrecked by Hamlin. Instead of the possible win then that would have clinched a championship spot, he now likely has to win at Phoenix to advance.
"Yeah, I guess. ... I assume so," Elliott said. "We'll just go on to Phoenix. We are going to try our best, try to get a victory and go on to Homestead."
Harvick felt good about his car all day, but had to earn the victory in Texas. Tony Stewart, the former Cup champion and car owner, liked what he saw in those last 20-25 laps.
"It wasn't just the fact of winning this race, but it's just how it was won," Stewart said. "I know Kevin, and I can tell watching his driving style, there's something that field and those other three guys that are going to make it to Homestead here in a couple of weeks, they've got something to be worried about."
After several laps chasing down Truex, Harvick was eventually able to get around the No. 78 when he executed on a cue he had taken from watching Kyle Larson driving really deep into turn one earlier in the race.
"I knew I needed to do something different in order to get past Martin. I tried to just start driving it in there and we kept going faster and faster," Harvick said. "I kept driving it in there and one lap I got close enough to get the air off the back of his car. I actually got to the outside and was able to pass him on the outside."
Then to Victory Lane and a championship shot.
JIMMIE'S TOUGH DAY
Johnson got to Texas only three points out of the top four, and had won there for the seventh time last spring. But he had to make an early stop because of a vibration issue. "It was just a bad day that kept getting worse," he said after finishing 27th place, his second-worst finish in his 29 Texas races.
RED FLAG
There was a red flag with 50 laps left after the No. 42 driven by Larson, who won the second stage and led 74 laps Sunday, got loose in Turns 1 and 2 and slammed hard into the wall. There was fire coming out of the rear of the car by time it came to rest on the backstretch.
ANOTHER DNF
It was the third straight race Larson wasn't able to finish. The first of those DNFs was two weeks ago at Kansas, when an engine issue led to his elimination from championship contention. He had gone into the playoffs second in points.
FINALE WHERE HE GOT FIRST
Dale Earnhardt Jr. got his first Cup Series victory at Texas in 2000, when he was a 25-year-old rookie driver. That is still the only of his 26 career victories that came in Texas. In his 30th start at Texas on Sunday, Earnhardt briefly led near the midpoint of the race during a cycle of green-flag stops. But he finished 35th, 30 laps off the pace, after having to go to the garage with about 90 laps left to replace the front left hub on the No. 88 Chevrolet.
AAA AGAIN
Texas Motor Speedway and AAA announced Sunday that the national insurance company and auto club has signed another multi-year renewal as title sponsor for the track's fall race that is part of the NASCAR playoffs. The title sponsorship began in 2010.
UP NEXT
The final elimination race at Phoenix, with five playoff contenders left and only one championship spot for the Nov. 19 finale at Homestead.
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Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Race - AAA Texas 500
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Sunday, November 5, 2017
1. (3) Kevin Harvick (P), Ford, 334.
2. (7) Martin Truex Jr. (P), Toyota, 334.
3. (2) Denny Hamlin (P), Toyota, 334.
4. (35) Matt Kenseth, Toyota, 334.
5. (10) Brad Keselowski (P), Ford, 334.
6. (8) Ryan Blaney (P), Ford, 334.
7. (36) Joey Logano, Ford, 334.
8. (34) Chase Elliott (P), Chevrolet, 334.
9. (1) Kurt Busch, Ford, 334.
10. (4) Erik Jones #, Toyota, 334.
11. (19) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 334.
12. (12) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 334.
13. (15) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 334.
14. (6) Daniel Suarez #, Toyota, 334.
15. (18) Aric Almirola, Ford, 334.
16. (16) AJ Allmendinger, Chevrolet, 334.
17. (14) Danica Patrick, Ford, 333.
18. (13) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 333.
19. (5) Kyle Busch (P), Toyota, 333.
20. (25) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 333.
21. (23) Michael McDowell, Chevrolet, 333.
22. (26) Chris Buescher, Chevrolet, 333.
23. (21) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 332.
24. (27) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 332.
25. (28) Matt DiBenedetto, Ford, 332.
26. (22) Landon Cassill, Ford, 331.
27. (9) Jimmie Johnson (P), Chevrolet, 331.
28. (37) Trevor Bayne, Ford, 330.
29. (29) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 330.
30. (24) David Ragan, Ford, 329.
31. (38) Reed Sorenson, Chevrolet, 325.
32. (30) * Joey Gase(i), Chevrolet, 322.
33. (32) Jeffrey Earnhardt, Chevrolet, 322.
34. (31) * Ray Black II(i), Chevrolet, 305.
35. (17) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 304.
36. (20) Clint Bowyer, Ford, 303.
37. (11) Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, Accident, 282.
38. (33) * David Starr(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 237.
39. (39) Corey LaJoie #, Toyota, Engine, 227.
40. (40) * Gray Gaulding #, Toyota, Engine, 159.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 143.234 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 29 Mins, 52 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.580 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 40 laps.
Lead Changes: 27 among 13 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; D. Hamlin (P) 1-46; K. Larson 47-53; A. Dillon 54; C. Elliott (P) 55; M. McDowell 56-59; R. Newman 60; K. Larson 61-69; K. Harvick (P) 70-88; D. Hamlin (P) 89-91; K. Harvick (P) 92-97; K. Larson 98-143; M. Kenseth 144-154; D. Earnhardt Jr. 155-157; K. Kahne 158-160; K. Larson 161-172; K. Harvick (P) 173; M. Kenseth 174-184; M. Truex Jr. (P) 185-225; K. Harvick (P) 226-227; K. Busch (P) 228-234; J. Logano 235; M. Truex Jr. (P) 236-238; M. Kenseth 239-245; M. Truex Jr. (P) 246-271; D. Hamlin (P) 272-287; M. Truex Jr. (P) 288-324; K. Harvick (P) 325-334.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): M. Truex Jr. (P) 4 times for 107 laps; K. Larson 4 times for 74 laps; D. Hamlin (P) 3 times for 65 laps; K. Harvick (P) 5 times for 38 laps; M. Kenseth 3 times for 29 laps; K. Busch (P) 1 time for 7 laps; M. McDowell 1 time for 4 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 1 time for 3 laps; K. Kahne 1 time for 3 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 1 lap; C. Elliott (P) 1 time for 1 lap; A. Dillon 1 time for 1 lap; R. Newman 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 4,78,11,42,41,77,20,21,3,19
Stage #2 Top Ten: 42,4,21,78,24,11,41,20,77,3
By SCHUYLER DIXON
Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Elliott Sadler kept losing ground late while Erik Jones cruised to a Texas season sweep in the NASCAR Xfinity Series on Saturday night.
The veteran driver gained on the competition that mattered most, though.
Jones led 137 of 200 laps for the first Texas sweep of NASCAR's No. 2 circuit in eight years, and Sadler took the points lead with one race remaining to set the final four in the run for the series championship.
"We were able to do things that we needed to do to get ourselves in pretty decent position going to Phoenix," Sadler said. "That's what our goal was as we entered the weekend and we feel like we did that."
Jones and fellow Cup driver Ryan Blaney pulled away from Sadler over the final 30 laps in Jones' third Xfinity victory of the season and third in six tries on the 1.5-mile Texas track.
Sadler was the top finisher among the playoff contenders, taking fourth, one spot ahead of fellow playoff driver Cole Custer. Sadler moved up from third in the point standings, five ahead of William Byron, who took ninth.
Justin Allgaier, the points leader coming in, finished 11th and dropped to third in points. Brennan Poole, who took seventh, is fourth in points, 24 back.
The championship field for the finale at Homestead will be set next week in Phoenix.
"Phoenix is a tricky track with the dogleg on the back and people using the apron and cutting across," Sadler said. "That place can get wild. I don't think any points is a really safe margin to have."
Jones qualified on the pole a couple of hours before the race and led the entire first stage, covering 46 laps. He trailed through the middle before taking over again late. Jones and Blaney made late fuel-only pit stops.
The first two Xfinity wins for Jones were back-to-back in the spring at Texas and Bristol, Tennessee. He's the first with an Xfinity sweep at Texas since Kyle Busch in 2009.
"The first time I came here in a truck, I'll never forget, I never thought I'd like the place and ever since then it's just kind of clicked for me," Jones said.
Matt Tifft, who was sent to the back of the field for a crew member coming over the wall early on a pit stop, recovered the finish eighth and is fifth in points. He's five points behind Poole, who holds the final qualifying spot at the moment.
Custer bounced back from an early flat tire and moved from eighth to sixth in points. He trails Poole by 13 points.
"I can't really say I'm too upset or too down going into Phoenix or anything," Custer said. "It's just that two weeks in a row just had some bad luck."
Cup driver Kyle Larson was third.
Christopher Bell, coming off his first Xfinity win in Kansas and competing about 200 miles south of his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma, pulled his car out of a spin about halfway through the race and finished sixth.
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NASCAR XFINITY Series Race - O'Reilly Auto Parts 300
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Saturday, November 4, 2017
1. (1) Erik Jones(i), Toyota, 200.
2. (4) Ryan Blaney(i), Ford, 200.
3. (10) Kyle Larson(i), Chevrolet, 200.
4. (5) Elliott Sadler (P), Chevrolet, 200.
5. (2) Cole Custer # (P), Ford, 200.
6. (8) Christopher Bell(i), Toyota, 200.
7. (12) Brennan Poole (P), Chevrolet, 200.
8. (3) Matt Tifft # (P), Toyota, 200.
9. (9) William Byron # (P), Chevrolet, 200.
10. (7) Austin Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 200.
11. (13) Justin Allgaier (P), Chevrolet, 200.
12. (18) Michael Annett, Chevrolet, 199.
13. (17) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, 199.
14. (6) Daniel Hemric # (P), Chevrolet, 199.
15. (16) Spencer Gallagher #, Chevrolet, 199.
16. (14) Ty Dillon(i), Chevrolet, 199.
17. (19) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 199.
18. (21) JJ Yeley, Toyota, 199.
19. (24) Ross Chastain, Chevrolet, 199.
20. (20) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 199.
21. (23) Dylan Lupton, Toyota, 198.
22. (25) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 198.
23. (15) Ryan Reed (P), Ford, 198.
24. (26) Garrett Smithley, Chevrolet, 198.
25. (32) Harrison Rhodes, Chevrolet, 196.
26. (22) BJ McLeod, Chevrolet, 196.
27. (28) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, 196.
28. (33) Mario Gosselin, Chevrolet, 195.
29. (36) Spencer Boyd, Chevrolet, 191.
30. (34) Timmy Hill, Chevrolet, 188.
31. (31) David Starr, Chevrolet, 159.
32. (37) Mike Harmon, Dodge, Suspension, 104.
33. (30) Gray Gaulding(i), Chevrolet, Vibration, 65.
34. (38) Josh Williams, Chevrolet, Electrical, 62.
35. (11) Brandon Jones, Chevrolet, Accident, 60.
36. (29) Reed Sorenson(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 52.
37. (27) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, Vibration, 50.
38. (35) Angela Ruch, Chevrolet, Accident, 47.
39. (39) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 25.
40. (40) John Jackson, Dodge, Fuel Pump, 7.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 133.862 mph.
Time of Race: 02 Hrs, 14 Mins, 28 Secs. Margin of Victory: 1.018 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 33 laps.
Lead Changes: 10 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: E. Jones(i) 1-48; W. Byron # (P) 49-65; E. Jones(i) 66-80; K. Larson(i) 81; E. Jones(i) 82-93; R. Blaney(i) 94-127; E. Jones(i) 128-185; K. Larson(i) 186-188; M. Annett 189; T. Dillon(i) 190-191; E. Jones(i) 192-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): E. Jones(i) 5 times for 142 laps; R. Blaney(i) 1 time for 34 laps; W. Byron # (P) 1 time for 17 laps; K. Larson(i) 2 times for 4 laps; T. Dillon(i) 1 time for 2 laps; M. Annett 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 20,42,1,22,19,18,9,48,7,21
Stage #2 Top Ten: 20,42,48,1,19,21,00,22,9,62
Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Matt Kenseth isn't using the word retirement even though the former Cup Series champion is no longer looking for a ride in NASCAR's top series for next season.
Kenseth said Saturday that he is not committed to anything for 2018, and that it was accurate to say he's not actively searching for a new team.
"I'll just take some time off, whatever that means. I don't know if that's a year, two years, three months, four months. I mean you never know what happens," Kenseth said. "Maybe something comes along that really makes you excited and it feels like it's going to be a fit, you might go do. Certainly not gonna rule that out, but for now, I'm not making any plans for 2018. I just plan on having some time off."
Erik Jones is replacing Kenseth at Joe Gibbs Racing next season. The 45-year-old Kenseth, the 2003 Cup champion, wasn't able to land another job. He was eliminated from championship contention after the second round of this year's playoff.
Kenseth had avoided talking about his future while still in playoff contention. After Gibbs' decision this summer during the middle of Kenseth's 18th Cup Series season, the driver had said he hoped to drive again in 2018.
The two-time Daytona 500 champion with 38 career wins overall said after the final practice in Texas that "the retirement word doesn't really make a lot of sense" in NASCAR anyway.
"For me it's just different, because I didn't really have that option," Kenseth said. "My seat got filled before, before any of that, so there's really no reason to talk about it."
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By SEAN SHAPIRO
Associated Press
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Johnny Sauter and wife Cortney welcomed their fourth child, a girl named Alice, on Wednesday morning.
"It was a crazy week," Sauter said. "But it's cool. I'm blessed to have the wife that I have I do and having are fourth child into the world was pretty awesome, so I'm a lucky, lucky man."
On Friday night, Sauter had more to celebrate when he won the NASCAR Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. The defending series champion became the first driver earn a spot in the series championship finale in two weeks.
"Texas is becoming one of my favorite places on earth," Sauter said. "Just pumped up. I haven't been pumped up this much in a long, long time. This is a big win, obviously a big week."
The 39-year-old Sauter held off 19-year-old Austin Cindric for his third victory of the season and fourth in Texas.
"I think it was youth versus experience tonight and experience won in more ways than one," Cindric said. "Johnny taught me a few things . definitely a few things to keep in the notebook."
On Friday, the veteran driver may have taught the younger races a thing or two about flexibility and not being married to your pre-race plans.
"Everything we had planned about strategy out there went out the window in the first 20 laps," Sauter said. "It was pretty much calling an audible every time ... usually takes me 10 laps to get going, so I never felt like I was in the track like I wanted to be. But as the night progressed it just got better."
The top three spots were claimed by drivers still in the chase for the four-man championship showdown at Homestead on Nov. 17. Christopher Bell finished third, and is second behind Sauter in the playoff standings.
Two of the playoff drivers made critical mistakes in the race.
John Hunter Nemecheck was leading with 13 laps to go, but ran out of gas and was required to pit. He was then given a penalty for speeding out of the pit road and ended up finishing 19th.
"We gambled it and it didn't work out," Nemecheck said.
Ben Rhodes was in the top 10 for much of the race, but a faulty pit stop with 17 laps to go dropped him into the back of the pack and he finished 18th.
Matt Crafton, another playoff contender, finished ninth.
Chase Briscoe, a rookie out of the playoff hunt, finished fourth.
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NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race - JAG Metals 350 Driving Hurricane Harvey Relief
Texas Motor Speedway
Fort Worth, Texas
Friday, November 3, 2017
1. (4) Johnny Sauter (P), Chevrolet, 147.
2. (6) Austin Cindric # (P), Ford, 147.
3. (3) Christopher Bell (P), Toyota, 147.
4. (10) Chase Briscoe #, Ford, 147.
5. (1) Justin Haley #, Chevrolet, 147.
6. (7) Kaz Grala #, Chevrolet, 147.
7. (19) Grant Enfinger #, Toyota, 147.
8. (5) Ryan Truex, Toyota, 147.
9. (8) Matt Crafton (P), Toyota, 147.
10. (2) Noah Gragson #, Toyota, 147.
11. (17) Austin Hill, Ford, 147.
12. (12) Myatt Snider, Toyota, 147.
13. (14) Regan Smith, Ford, 147.
14. (16) Stewart Friesen #, Chevrolet, 147.
15. (18) Austin Wayne Self, Chevrolet, 146.
6. (15) Cody Coughlin #, Toyota, 145.
17. (13) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 145.
18. (9) Ben Rhodes (P), Toyota, 145.
19. (11) John H. Nemechek (P), Chevrolet, 145.
20. (26) Josh Reaume, Chevrolet, 139.
21. (21) Wendell Chavous #, Chevrolet, 138.
22. (28) Jennifer Jo Cobb, Chevrolet, 130.
23. (29) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, Brakes, 92.
24. (24) Jordan Anderson, Chevrolet, Power Steering, 70.
25. (30) Ted Minor, Chevrolet, Engine, 41.
26. (23) Patrick Emerling, Chevrolet, Accident, 24.
27. (20) Gray Gaulding(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 23.
28. (27) Ray Ciccarelli, Chevrolet, Electrical, 21.
29. (25) JJ Yeley(i), Chevrolet, Electrical, 18.
30. (31) Mike Senica, Chevrolet, Oil Pressure, 8.
31. (22) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, Vibration, 7.
32. (32) Tommy Joe Martins(i), Chevrolet, Accident, 3.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 131.38 mph.
Time of Race: 01 Hrs, 40 Mins, 42 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.170 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 26 laps.
Lead Changes: 11 among 10 drivers.
Lap Leaders: J. Haley # 1-25; C. Bell (P) 26-37; M. Crafton (P) 38-42; M. Snider 43-63; N. Gragson # 64-72; A. Cindric # (P) 73-108; J. Sauter (P) 109-116; C. Briscoe # 117; C. Bell (P) 118-125; G. Enfinger # 126; J. Nemechek (P) 127-134; J. Sauter (P) 135-147.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): A. Cindric # (P) 1 time for 36 laps; J. Haley # 1 time for 25 laps; J. Sauter (P) 2 times for 21 laps; M. Snider 1 time for 21 laps; C. Bell (P) 2 times for 20 laps; N. Gragson # 1 time for 9 laps; J. Nemechek (P) 1 time for 8 laps; M. Crafton (P) 1 time for 5 laps; G. Enfinger # 1 time for 1 lap; C. Briscoe # 1 time for 1 lap.
Stage #1 Top Ten: 4,21,19,27,8,88,51,33,02,18
Stage #2 Top Ten: 18,51,4,33,16,27,19,88,21,8
By OVERTIME WITH OWENS STAFF
UNB! Network
– Tapwrit wins Belmont Stakes by 2 lengths for Pletcher
Tapwrit overtook favored Irish War Cry in the stretch to win by two lengths on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher his third career victory in the Belmont. He won in 2007 with filly Rags to Riches and in 2013 with Palace Malice.
– Brad Keselowski ends drought for No. 22 Ford with last-lap pass
With a dramatic last-lap pass – the first of the season in the NASCAR XFINITY Series – Brad Keselowski won Saturday’s Pocono Green 250 at Pocono Raceway, ending a 46-race drought for the No. 22 Team Penske Ford.
Keselowski swept the stages in the 100-lap event but couldn’t get past leader Kyle Larson until he reached the Long Pond straightaway on the final circuit. Keselowski powered off the first turn, down-shifted and blew past Larson before the cars reached the Tunnel Turn.
Justin Allgaier followed Keselowski past Larson and finished second, .615 seconds behind the race winner. Larson came home third, followed by Elliott Sadler and Daniel Suarez.
– Power wins wild IndyCar race at Texas under caution
Will Power, who led 180 of the 248 laps, won Saturday's Verizon IndyCar Series race at Texas under caution after Scott Dixon got wrecked by Takuma Sato, and finished ahead of Tony Kanaan, who other drivers and at least one owner blamed for a big crash earlier that led to a nearly 31-minute red flag.
“It was very intense,” Power said. “I could see Dixon was able to pass me at the start/finish line. So, I was starting to think about what I was going to do there at the end.”
By STEPHEN HAWKING
AP Sports Writer
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Will Power was trying to figure out how to hold off Scott Dixon for the lead as the two went side-by-side in the closing laps of the IndyCar race at Texas.
Instead, Dixon got taken out in one last crash to end a wild race at the repaved and reconfigured 1 1/2-mile track and Power won under caution. Only eight of the 22-car field actually crossed the finish line Saturday night.
Power, who led 180 of the 248 laps, was the leader when Dixon got wrecked by Takuma Sato, and finished ahead of Tony Kanaan, who other drivers and at least one owner blamed for a big crash earlier that led to a nearly 31-minute red flag.
"Apparently I got blamed for all of them," Kanaan said. "Got a penalty, paid a penalty, and we finished second."
The final caution came when Sato, driving the same car in which he won the Indianapolis 500 in two weeks ago and pushing for another win, got his left side slightly into the grass on the front stretch with five laps to go. That sent him spinning and also took out Dixon.
"It was a pretty intense battle there at the end with Scott," Power said. "I was kind of working out in my head how I was going to get him over the line because he was kind of able to side draft me and be ahead on some laps, so it was really going to be an interesting finish."
Power's 31st career victory, and second this season, was indeed interesting.
Simon Pagenaud was third, ahead of defending race champion Graham Rahal, who was coming of winning both races at Detroit last week to become the first IndyCar driver this season with multiple victories. Gabby Chaves finished fifth and Marco Andretti in sixth was the only other driver to finish all 248 laps at the 1 1/2-mile track.
"It was pretty nerve-wracking out there," Pagenaud said.
With a full moon looming over the track, the red flag came out after an accident involving eight other cars that was blamed on Kanaan, who recovered from the ensuing penalty for his runner-up finish.
James Hinchcliffe got loose on lap 154 after making contact with Kanaan, who appeared to move up the track into him. That put Hinchcliffe in the middle of three-wide, and he made contact with his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammate Mikhail Aleshin.
While calling Kanaan someone he trusts on the track, Hinchcliffe said Kanaan drove from inside along the white line and up into him, and pushed him into Aleshin.
"He wasn't driving smart, or respectfully," Hinchcliffe said.
That led to a spark-spraying chain reaction that took out both Dale Coyne Racing drivers, Tristan Vautier and Ed Jones, and sent driver-owner Ed Carpenter and his teammate JR Hildebrand to the garage. Carlos Munoz and Ryan-Hunter Reay were knocked out of the race.
Carpenter, who took his repaired car back on track 12 laps down, also blamed Kanaan. Car owner Dale Coyne went up to Kanaan's car while it was lined up on pit road during the red flag, then leaned into the cockpit and said something.
After the race resumed, IndyCar penalized Kanaan for avoidable contact, holding him in his pit for 20 second during green-flag conditions.
All drivers involved in the crash were evaluated and released from the infield care center.
IndyCar enforced two mandatory stops under caution after that for tire changes after 30 green-flag laps on each set. There was blistering of some tires on the fresh pavement of the track, including Helio Castroneves wrecking out earlier in the night.
The series said in a statement after the race that, after consulting with Firestone, those extra stops were added "out of an abundance of caution as race conditions presented different conditions than seen in earlier tests."
Polesitter Charlie Kimball and Alexander Rossi were already out of the race before then.
Rossi, the 2016 Indy 500 winner as a rookie, spun and made hard contact with the wall after getting pinched between Dixon and Kanaan, then bouncing of both of the Chip Ganassi Racing cars while coming off the backstretch on lap 37.
During stops on the ensuing caution, Sato got pinned into the wall during a pit road collision that damaged the front wing of his car. Hinchcliffe got loose coming out of his pit, then swerved into Castroneves at the same time Sato was pulling out of the first stall.
Hinchcliffe was penalized for avoidable contact.
Before the green flag came out again, polesitter Charlie Kimball's car was pushed to the garage because of an oil leak and done.
Castroneves, a three-time Indianapolis 500 winner who was the runner-up to Sato this year, was running third behind Team Penske teammates Power and Pagenaud when his front right tire gave and his car veered into the wall coming out of the second turn on lap 91. Castroneves went hard into the wall and eventually came to rest on the inside of the third turn.
UP NEXT
After three races in two weekends since the month of May at Indianapolis, the IndyCar Series takes a week off before its next race June 25 at Road America, the four-mile, 14-turn road circuit in Wisconsin.
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