Will Power has won the Honda Indy, with Dario Franchittti second and Ryan Hunter-Reay third.
Two women finished in the top ten: Danica Patrick sixth and Simona de Silvestro ninth.
Paul Tracy finished a lap down in 13th place. Alex Tagliani was 17th.
Justin Wilson is battling back as the action gets hairy as the checkers close in on the Honda Indy.
Wilson spun out and was at the back of the pack but is now back to seventh.
Power still leads.
With 10 laps to go, and the green flag out, Will Power led the Honda Indy Toronto.
Franchitti was second, Hunter-Reay was third, Kanaan fourth and Graham Rahal fifth.
Two women were in the top ten -- Danica Patrick was sixth and Simona de Silvestro was eight.
Paul Tracy was a lap down in 13th place.
Will Power took the lead from Justin Wilson at the restart, with Franchitti third.
Wilson spun, dropping him way to the back.
Ryan Hunter-Reay made a daredevil pass of Scott Dixon and hit Dixon into the tire wall.
The action was hairy as the green flag flew following the last caution period.
Tagliani and Tomas Scheckter then crashed -- for yet another full-course caution.
Another full-course yellow was called in today's Honda Indy when Raphael Matos and E.J. Viso crashed. The accident also involved Alex Tagliani and Graham Rahal, although their cars weren't damaged.
On the same lap, Paul Tracy tried to pass Simona de Silvestro but lost control and spun. His car was fine but he stalled and he had to be pushed by the IndyCar safety crew.
There will be a lengthy delay to clean up the mess.
Penske driver Ryan Briscoe was hit from behind by Graham Rahal on Lap 62 but it was a local yellow rather than full-course. It was the second Team Penske car to drop out of the race.
Wilson is still the leader.
Officially, Justin Wilson was back in front, with Will Power second and Dario Franchitti third as all the leaders had to make pit stops under green-flag conditions in today's Honda Indy Toronto.
Tony Kanaan took the lead temporarily with Marco Andretti and Graham Rahal right behind him on Lap 57 of the Honda Indy.
All the leaders were making pits stops under green. Justin Wilson and Will Power got out of the pits ahead of Dario Franchitti.
:Paul Tracy also pitted. Everybody should be able to go the rest of the way with full tanks and fresh tires.
The top three broke away from the pack on Lap 52 of the 85-lap Honda Indy as some drivers started to make green-flag pit stops, which will shuffle the deck so far as the running order is concerned.
Franchitti, Power and Wilson were still the podium trio but they will have to pit soon. Danica Patrick, Alex Tagliani and several others were making stops.
At the halfway point of today's Honda Indy Toronto -- Lap 43 of 85 -- defending champion Dario Franchitti is in front with Will Power second and pole-sitter Justin Wilson third.
Numerous cautions had brought the race to an almost crawl but things are now backto high-speed normal.
Paul Tracy came out of the pits last after a fuel and tires stop but had crawled his way back up to 17th. If the race stays green, Tracy will be in a good position because the leaders will have to pit before long.
Tracy finally went into the pits and took a completely full tank of fuel and four new tires.
Franchitti still leads.
Dario Franchitti, who won this race last year, got past Tracy at the end of Lake Shore Blvd. just before another full-course caution -- the fourth -- was called after Moraes ran into the back of Mario Romancini.
Franchitti and Power had gone past Meira before the yellow had been waved for Lloyd's crash.
The first 17 laps featured excellent racing but then caution after caution was called.
Running order: Franchitti, Tracy, Power, Meira, Wilson, Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan, Scott Dixon, Ryan Briscoe and Danica Patrick are the top ten.
Alex Lloyd went into the first turn tire wall -- three cautions in a row with no green-flag racing -- results in another full-course yellow. Tracy still in front.
Castroneves tried to pass Meira at the end of the straight and ran into the back of Meira's car.
Castroneves' out-of-control car went down the escape road and piled heavily into a tire wall. After a few moments, Castroneves started to move in the cockpit and eventually climbed out of the car.
He appeared unhurt and the crowd gave him a round of applause.
Running order after 24 of 85 laps: Tracy, Meira, Franchitti, Will Power and Wilson.
Big crash as Castronever and Vitor Meara collided at the end of Lake Shore Blvd. Helio appears okay. Second full-course caution.
All cars except Paul Tracy and Vitor Meira headed to the pits on Lap 18 after a full-course caution was called.
Wilson lost big time as Castroneves and Franchitti got past him in the pit stops.
Race leaders: Tracy, Meira, Castroneves, Franchitti, Wilson.
First full-course caution called as Takuma Sato was punted into the wall by his teammate, Mario Moraes. He wasn't hurt. Pit stops will follow.
Most grandstand seats appeared to be full, as were the corporate suites. In short, a healthy crowd is watching the Honda Indy.
Wilson is still in front, with Castroneves second and Franchitti third. Ryan Hunter-Reay has moved up to fourth and Scottt Dixon is fifth. The first three are running very close together.
Milko Duno, driver of the No. 25 Venezuelan-oil-sponsored CITGO car, was ordered off the track on lap 10 (of 85) for going too slowly.
Wilson still led, Tracy was stuck in 18th behind Tomas Scheckter.
Wilson still led but Dario Franchitti was up to third by the fourth lap. Paul Tracy had moved from 24th to 18th. Dan Wheldon pitted for a new nose cone, which put him at the back of the field.
Justin Wilson jumped the start but led the field through turn one as the 2w4th Honda Indy Toronto go under way at the CNE today.
Helio Castroneves was second and Ryan Hunter-Reay was third.
Retired driver Jimmy Vasser, who co-owns KV Racing Technology with ex-Champ Car Series owner Kevin Kalkhoven, stood on the starting grid today and said he'd given his driver, Paul Tracy, some advice.
"I told him, 'Slow and steady to the front,' " said Vasser.
Tracy's reaction?
"He looked at me, laughed and said 'Bombs Away!' ' laughed Vasser.
Minutes before today's Honda Indy Toronto was the start -- about 20 minutes ago -- Dario Franchitti went looking for an outhouse.
Some drivers have to "go" before they really go and Franchitti is always one of the first to go looking for a loo.
While his wife, actress Ashley Judd, talked on the grid with his father, Dario relieved himself just about in time to strap in and go racing.
Oh, Franchitt's team, Target Chip Ganassi, changed an engine in his car following final qualifying and there was some talk he would have to start at the back of the field. But IndyCar ruled he hadn't done anything illegal so he was able to keep his fifth-place starting spot.
Bobby Rahal (Graham Rahal's father and winner of the first Molson Indy in 1986) sat on the pit wall with Chip Ganassi prior to the start. Beside them was ex-driver and Scott Dixon's manager, Stefan Johanssen.
Will Canada’s Paul Tracy and Helio Castroneves, the Indy 500 champion who also won TV’s Dancing with the Stars, produce some fireworks in today’s Honda Indy Toronto?
Last year, late in the race, Tracy went to pass the popular Brazilian on a particularly twisty part of the circuit and the two crashed. Tracy was in contention for a podium finish and Castroneves was soundly booed by spectators when he returned to the pits.
Castroneves proclaimed his innocence but many observers, and Tracy, felt the Team Penske driver had turned into him on purpose.
So during this morning’s warmup, who should get very, very close to Penske again but Castroneves. Going into the third turn, at the end of Lake Shore Blvd., Castroneves came up on Tracy’s left side and his right front tire brushed against Tracy’s sidepod. Both drivers managed to maintain control, but it was close.
You can bet Paul Tracy got the number of the driver who gave him the fright: 3 – Helio Castroneves.
Dario Franchitti is the defending champion, Justin Wilson is on the pole and the big race will start at 1 p.m.
James Hinchcliffe of Oakville had second place locked up in this morning’s Indy Lights race until the third turn of the last lap off the 50-lap race. Then disaster struck.
First, he missed his breaking point and was passed by two cars. The, going into turn four, he brushed wheels with Charlie Kimbell and crashed into the tire wall.
The race was won by J.K. Vernay of France. Philip Major of Ottawa was 12th in the 15-car field.
Comments