Ryan Briscoe (6) Steals Another Nosecone Victory On the Ovals.
With ten laps remaining, race leader Scott Dixon (9 Target Ganassi Honda) catches an unexpected battle from Ryan Briscoe (6 Penske Honda), who overcomes a series of pit troubles to claw his way back into contention. Both cars furiously battle side by side during the closing stages until the final lap, when Briscoe fortuitously catches a draft push from Mario Moraes (5) along the backstretch to slightly nose his way into the lead. Dixon pulls back alongside on an inside line in Turn 3, yet Briscoe’s in-pocket boost assist and strong run down the banking off the Turn 4 exit gives him just enough momentum to egde out Dixon by a nose cone for the dramatic victory. Briscoe’s margin of victory stands at .008 seconds, among the narrowest finishes in IndyCar history.
Brawn GP Veteran Rubens Barrichello Stays Alive in the Drivers' Championship With His Victory at Valencia.
Racing at the beautiful locale of Valencia, Spain, Lewis Hamilton (1) spurts forward for a precarious lead over hard charging Rubens Barrichello (23 Brawn Mercedes), yet the former’s horrific pit stop with only twenty laps remaining opens the door for Barrichello, who dashes away for a rewarding race victory.
Brian Vickers (83) Takes His Turn At Michigan With the Fuel Conservation Game.
With all the primary leaders caught out of pocket on a long final fuel stint, standard fare for a Michigan afternoon outing, Brian Vickers (83 Red Bull Toyota) feathers the pedal while holding fast at P2 and ultimately earns the race victory when front runner Jimmie Johnson (48 Hendrick Chevrolet) runs out of fuel with only two laps remaining.
Ed Carpenter's (20) Wondrous Charge For Victory Comes Up One Boost Assist Short.
IndyCar, desperate to improve sagging television ratings, race attendance, and its plummeting global brand, introduces driver-invoked engine boost assist to the cars in order to enliven the show. The experiment provides some thrilling side by side racing among the competitors, and actually lifts typical midpacker Ed Carpenter (20 Vision Racing Honda) into the lead pack. Carpenter and Ryan Briscoe (6 Penske Honda) battle in close quarters throughout the closing stages, and on the final lap, Carpenter utilizes his final boost assist to edge past Briscoe into Turn 3. Briscoe stays high throughout the turn, then deftly deploys the banking and his final boost assist in the final meters to pull off a thrilling nose cone-length victory over Carpenter. The winning margin stands at a mere .0162 thousandths of a second.
