POWER SCORES WIN IN INAUGURAL SAO PAULO INDY 300

From the IRL

SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Will Power overtook Ryan Hunter-Reay in Turn 11 on Lap 58 of 61 to win the rain-shortened IZOD IndyCar Series season opener, the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, won by 1.8581 seconds. Vitor Meira was third, followed by Raphael Matos, Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon. PEAK Pole Award winner Dario Franchitti, who claimed the pole earlier in the day, finished seventh.

Power and Meira suffered 2009 season-ending injuries (Power in August, Meira in May), and both wound up on the podium in their first race back in the series.

The race was red-flagged for 36 minutes after a thunderstorm swept over the Anhembi section of the city, and it became a timed race. It was also the first time that an IZOD IndyCar Series event held qualifying and race on the same day.

1. (5) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

2. (4) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

3. (16) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

4. (12) Raphael Matos, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

5. (18) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

6. (7) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

7. (1) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

8. (19) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

9. (9) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

10. (6) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

11. (3) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

12. (17) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

13. (22) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

14. (8) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 61, Running

15. (13) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 60, Running

16. (11) Simona De Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, 58, Running

17. (20) Mario Romancini, Dallara-Honda, 46, Contact

18. (15) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 30, Contact

19. (2) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 28, Contact

20. (14) Hideki Mutoh, Dallara-Honda, 27, Contact

21. (24) Milka Duno, Dallara-Honda, 20, Contact

22. (10) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact

23. (21) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact

24. (23) Mario Moraes, Dallara-Honda, 0, Contact

Race Statistics

Winners average speed: 76.733

Time of Race: 2:00:57.7112

Margin of victory: 1.8581 seconds

Cautions: 5 for 19 laps

Lead changes: 7 among 5 drivers

Lap Leaders: Franchitti 1-23, De Silvestro 24-27, Hunter-Reay 28-36, Franchitti 37-42, Hunter-Reay 43-49, Briscoe 50-53, Hunter-Reay 54-57, Power 58-61.

Points: Power 50, Hunter-Reay 40, Meira 35, Matos 32, Wheldon 30, Franchitti 29, Dixon 28, Conway 24, Castroneves 22, Kanaan 20.