Tony Kanaan’s luck held up twice in the Detroit Indy Grand Prix.
The Brazilian, the leader after a late restart, had enough fuel to win the shortened race and avoid a last-lap melee that collected IndyCar Series points leader Scott Dixon and Kanaan’s Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti.
It was Kanaan’s series-best fifth victory this season and 12th of his career.
Danica Patrick avoided the wreckage to finish a career-best second. Dan Wheldon was third.
Despite the crash, which dropped Franchitti from fourth to sixth, he ended the day three points ahead of Dixon heading into next Sunday’s final race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill.
Kanaan, 39 points behind his teammate, remains mathematically alive in the championship hunt.
“It was a weird race,” Kanaan said. “The yellow came out at the right time, so it was good to stay in the front.”
Kanaan chose to stay on the track while most of the field pitted after a late-race caution and was in front when IndyCar officials declared the race would be a timed event.
Champ Car: Justin Wilson won the Dutch Grand Prix in Assen, Netherlands, holding off Jan Heylen of Belgium to clinch his first race of the season. Bruno Junqueira was third.
“We just did what we had to do,” Wilson said. “With the car working well, it was exciting to be out there.”
Sebastien Bourdais’ hopes of clinching a fourth straight title were hampered after a poor start forced him to drop from the pole position. Bourdais, who finished seventh, still has a 58-point lead over Wilson heading into the next race Oct. 21 in Surfers Paradise, Australia.
NHRA: Jeff Arend led qualifying in funny car and Max Naylor was tops in pro stock at the U.S. Nationals at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind.
Top fuel leader Tony Schumacher and pro stock motorcycle racer Chip Ellis also led their events. John Force and Warren Johnson, the winningest drivers in NHRA history, failed to make the cut. Top fuel contenders Whit Bazemore and J.R. Todd also failed to qualify.
