Franchitti clinches 2009 IndyCar title at Homestead12/10/2009

Dario Franchitti crowned IndyCar Champion for second time

Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver Dario Franchitti claimed his second IndyCar Series championship in three years after triumphing at the season-ending Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Saturday 10 October.  

The championship went down to the wire in a three way fight for the title, with Dario Franchitti starting the race four points behind defending champion and team mate Scott Dixon with Ryan Briscoe (Team Penske) also in the running for the title.  

Franchitti started the event on pole, but by using a different fuel strategy from his two title contenders spent most of the race sitting in third position, leaving Briscoe and Dixon to battle for the lead.  Franchitti was able to save enough fuel to pit only once during the race and avoid the last minute stop both his rivals had to make, catapulting the Scotsman from third to first allowing him clinch the 2009 title.

Dario Franchitti ended the season with 616 points, Dixon had 605 and Briscoe finished with 604.

Dario Franchitti pleased with Firestone performance

"The Firestones were great tonight, but it was critical to keep the balance of the car right. If you kept the balance right, they were as good on the last lap as they were on the first. Way to go, Firestone. What can I say? Every race I've ever won in Indy cars has been with Firestone and I want that to continue."
Race winner and 2009 champion Dario Franchitti, #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara/Honda/Firestone

Firestone a pleasure to work with

"Firestone is a great partner of IndyCar racing because they're a quality company and they make a quality product. It's a pleasure to be on those tires, it's a pleasure to work with great people in the company, and it's even a bigger pleasure to win with those tires."
Target Chip Ganassi Racing owner, Chip Ganassi

Congratulations to Dario Franchitti

"What an exciting finish to a super-competitive season. It was only fitting that the title contenders were the only ones in contention to win tonight. All three of those drivers - Briscoe, Dixon and Franchitti - drove like champions. It came down to pit strategy and fuel, and Dario comes out the 2009 IndyCar Series champion. We have a great history with both Dario and Chip Ganassi Racing, so to share another championship with them is something quite special. It was a new Firehawk tire combination that ran really well tonight, as evidenced by the front-runners making very few changes to their cars throughout the race. Now we focus on preparing for the 2010 season and continuing to provide the same reliability and consistency that the entire IndyCar field has come to count on from Firestone."
Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing