Franchitti holds off Power at Mid-Ohio

LEXINGTON, Ohio - Dario Franchitti held off a hard-charging Will Power to win the IndyCar race at Mid-Ohio on Sunday.

The victory was Franchitti's second of the season. He won the Indy 500 in May.

Franchitti beat Power out of the pits twice, giving him just enough room to beat Power by 0.5234 seconds - the third-closest road/street finish in series history.

"That first pit stop today, that's what won us the race," Franchitti said. "Will and I were very evenly matched on pace."

The victory helped Franchitti trim Power's lead in the points standings to 41 with five races remaining. Power, who started from the pole for the seventh time this season, still easily clinched IndyCar's first Road Course championship.

Helio Castroneves was third, followed by Alex Tagliani and Scott Dixon.

The win capped a big day for owner Chip Ganassi, who captured the NASCAR race at Watkins Glen earlier in the day with driver Juan Pablo Montoya. It marked the second time in three weeks Ganassi cars have taken the checkered flag in NASCAR and IndyCar on the same day.

The race featured zero passes for the lead under green and no penalties for blocking, leaving what little intrigue there was to pit road.

Power led Franchitti into the pits on lap 25, but Franchitti's quick stop put his No. 10 Honda in front of Power, one of the rare times this season another driver has been able to put Power in their rearview mirror this season.