2009 IRL Rd. 6--Bombardier LearJet 550k

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And Helio Castroneves wins at Texas!
Briscoe finishes 2nd; Dixon, Marco and Dario finishes 3rd-5th

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Ryan Briscoe dominated Saturday night's Bombardier 550K but teammate Helio Castroneves pulled into victory lane. A race that saw Briscoe lead 160 of 228 laps and build up a 12-second advantage at one point came down to the final pit stop of the evening.

Castroneves, whose pit box was located in the last space at pit out, came in second on Lap 175 but got out first and led the final 53 laps to complete a Penske perfect performance.

"I have to say this victory belongs to team No. 3 because they kept making my car better all night and then they gave me a fantastic pit stop at the end," said the three-time Indy 50 winner following his third triumph at Texas Speedway.

"Ryan had a great car all night but once I got out ahead of him I drove wide open the last 50 laps. What a night."

Despite his race-long prowess, Briscoe had nothing for Castroneves after losing the top spot.

"Those last 50 laps were like a dagger in my heart," said the Aussie who also finished second at Milwaukee a week ago. "To lead the whole race and have the quickest car out there and not win, man that was so frustrating.

"And my guys gave me a great pit stop on our last one it's just that Helio is right next to the blend line and he didn't have to go very far to beat me out. Pit out definitely has a bit of an advantage."

Starting second, Briscoe blasted past pole-sitter Dario Franchitti on Lap 11 and pulled away from the competition at almost a second a lap until a suspicious debris caution waved on Lap 150. "I didn't see any debris," said Briscoe, who moved into the point lead after six of the 17 stops on the IndyCar circuit.

Scott Dixon, who finished third, said he felt sorry for his mate from Down Under. "Man, nobody had anything for Ryan tonight and it's a shame he didn't get the win but my car was decent, at best, and I couldn't touch him," said the two-time IndyCar champion. "The Target team needs to step it up a little for these Penske cars on these flatout ovals."



Marco Andretti passed Dario Franchitti (who ran out of fuel) on the last lap to take fourth, while Danica Patrick finished sixth. It was a relatively clean race, other than a second-lap crash that eliminated Graham Rahal. E.J. Viso and Milka Duno. In addition, A.J. Foyt IV suffered a suspension failure and hit the inside wall on Lap 173. All four drivers walked away.

Heading to the 7/8ths'-mile oval at Iowa in two weeks, Briscoe owns a three-point advantage over Dixon, with Franchitti 11 points behind and Castroneves within 13.