Another dose of Milwaukee Mile misfortune for Helio Castroneves gave Tony Kanaan an IndyCar Series victory Sunday in West Allis, Wis.
Castroneves, who started from the pole at the suburban Milwaukee track and led several times in the ABC Supply/A.J. Foyt 225, was cruising toward an easy win when the rear wing on his Team Penske Dallara collapsed, sending him spinning into the wall 25 laps from the finish.
That gave the lead to Kanaan, his fellow Brazilian and longtime friend, who stayed out front the rest of the way to record his second straight win at West Allis and the ninth of his IndyCar career.
“Helio has always had good starts here, but something always seems to happen to him,” Penske team president Tim Cindric said. “There was no reason for that to happen. It was a big disappointment. This place hasn’t been good to him, but it wasn’t his fault today.”
Once he got the late lead, Kanaan drove away from the field. Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti, coming off a victory last week in the Indianapolis 500, finished second.
Dan Wheldon wound up third, followed by Scott Dixon, Vitor Meira, Scott Sharp, Ed Carpenter and Danica Patrick, the last driver on the lead lap.
NHRA: Brandon Bernstein took the top fuel points lead, winning the O’Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka, Kan., for his third victory in four events.
Mike Ashley raced to his first funny car victory, and pro stock star Greg Anderson won for the fifth time in eight events this season.
Nextel Cup: The NASCAR race at Dover International Speedway was postponed until today because of rain.
