28 May 2012

Franchitti wins ahead of Dixon in action-packed 96th Indy 500

5:58 pm on 28 May 2012

The Scottish driver Dario Franchitti has won his third Indy 500 open wheel classic, just ahead of his team-mate, the New Zealander Scott Dixon.

The Target one-two finish in the 96th Indy 500 looked unlikely with Dixon starting 15th and the eventual winner 16th on the grid, Franchitti then having to make his way from the back of the field after a tangle with another car early on.

Franchitti took the chequered flag under caution after his car again came into contact with the charging Japanese driver Takuma Sato, who crashed into the wall with a lap to go.

Tony Kanaan was third.

An emotional Franchitti dedicated the win to his late friend Dan Weldon, who died in the final race of the last IndyCar season.

Franchitti became just the 10th driver with at least three wins in the race, which was first held in 1911. Only AJ Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears, with four wins each, have been more successful in America's greatest motor race.

Dixon says he's disappointed not to win a second Indy 500 to go with his 2008 victory. He's been runner-up twice.

The other New Zealander in the field, Wade Cunningham, finished 31st in the 33-strong field, completing 60 laps before he was forced to retire.