Power has the Will in seasons opening race
Written by TNM, Monday March 29 2010
Team Penske driver Will Power held off Ryan Hunter-Ray to win
The win was extra special for Power, who last year sustained a season-ending back injury in a crash in
"It's been a tough recovery," he said. "I'm very grateful to be given this opportunity. I laid in bed at the hospital and never thought it was going to happen."
Hunter-Reay dominated much of the race with his Andretti Autosport car, but Power’s passed the American with three laps to go, clinching the race for his second career victory.
Power crossed the line 1.858 seconds ahead of Hunter-Reay when the race ended at the two-hour time limit with only 61 of the 75 scheduled laps completed.
The race had to be red-flagged near its halfway point after heavy rains made track conditions unsafe, marking another setback for the track which was initially being hailed as one of the highlights of the season but faced numerous problems throughout the weekend.
Home crowd favorite Vitor Meira came in third, followed by compatriot Raphael Matos.
Danica Patrick, back in IRL after a few NASCAR races, lost control of her car as it started raining, and finished 15th.
.“I'm pretty sure it was pretty exciting for the fans," Power said. "I feel awesome. We battled it out, it was a great day."
After a nasty multi-car crash on the opening lap and monsoon-like rainstorm half way through the race, the finish was a 12-lap scramble as three drivers exchanged the lead five different times.
The rain arrived as sprinkles on lap 32 but quickly turned into a monsoon, as cars slid on dry-weather tires. The race stopped for 35 minutes, although it did not seem to bother the energetic crowd of 46,000. As the track dried, the key to success came down to how fast teams changed out their rain tires for the faster dry ones.
The inaugural race also saw a series-record four female drivers. The newest of those, 21-year-old Simona de Silvestro, led five laps to become the first driver since Graham Rahal to lead in their first IndyCar race.
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