Power Trims Field At Barber

Will Power won Sunday in Alabama. (File photo courtesy of the IZOD IndyCar Series)
Will Power streaked to victory at a debris-strewn Barber Motorsports Park, winning the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama IZOD IndyCar Series race.
The Team Penske driver started from the pole and led every lap en route to the victory.
He beat runner-up Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing to the finish line by over 3.3 seconds.
Power called the race one of the most relaxing of his career.
“I was just cruising, but had to push, push toward the end,” Power said.
Dario Franchitti, Dixon’s teammate and the 2010 series champion, was third.
Rounding out the top five were Marco Andretti and Oriol Servia.
The race featured plenty of wrecks. That proved to be the biggest obstacle for Power as he had to survive an afternoon’s worth of restarts to get the victory.
“It was just yellow after yellow after yellow,” Power said.
Not so happy about the restarts was Dixon. He said Power continually fudged on the rules by restarting in the wrong lane.
Which restarts specifically?
“All the restarts,” Dixon said.
Prior to the race, INDYCAR officials announced they were modifying the double-file restart rule which debuted this year in the season-opener in St. Petersburg a couple weeks ago and which resulted in a series of big restart wrecks.
The restart zone was lengthened for the race at Barber and the speed limit increased.
“I can’t stress the importance of everyone getting through the first lap cleanly,” INDYCAR president of competition and operations Brian Barnhart told the 26 starters. “Ninety laps is a long day; don’t make a bad decision on Lap 1.”
Didn’t happen as a relatively minor wreck – at St. Pete, the first lap wreck resulted in upside down cars – occurred on the first lap.
Power moved to the points lead with the victory. He leads Franchitti, who won at St. Pete, by seven points.
In third place is Tony Kanaan, who started 24th but finished in sixth place at Barber.
Danica Patrick finished a lap behind the leader.
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Results Sunday of the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 2.3-mile Barber Motorsports Park, with order of finish, starting position in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, laps completed and reason out (if any):
1. (1) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
2. (3) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
3. (7) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
4. (9) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
5. (6) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
6. (24) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
7. (4) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
8. (23) Simon Pagenaud, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
9. (13) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
10. (21) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
11. (20) Sebastien Bourdais, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
12. (19) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
13. (15) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
14. (17) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
15. (12) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
16. (11) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 90, Running
17. (22) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 89, Running
18. (10) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 88, Running
19. (5) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 62, Contact
20. (14) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 62, Contact
21. (2) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 57, Contact
22. (16) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 45, Contact
23. (18) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 40, Contact
24. (8) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 40, Contact
25. (25) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 30, Mechanical
26. (26) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 27, Mechanical
Race Statistics
Winners average speed: 92.194
Time of Race: 2:14:42.9523
Margin of victory: 3.3828 seconds
Cautions: 6 for 20 laps
Lead changes: 0
Lap Leaders: Power 1-90
Point Standings: Power 94,Franchitti 87, Kanaan 63, Dixon 54, De Silvestro 54, Servia 52, Andretti 44, Sato 44, Tagliani 43, Meira 42.
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