Full Throttle

Defending IndyCar Series Champion Tony Kanaan showed that the 2005 title chase isn’t over just yet after fending off Dan Wheldon to claim victory in Sunday’s Argent Mortgage Indy 300 at the Kansas Speedway.

Second place finisher Wheldon led a Kansas record 111 laps from his 13th starting position but it wasn’t enough and was edged out by less than a car length at the stripe. Pole sitter Danica Patrick faded to ninth after a day in which she ran strongly on the track but almost spun on pit road.

As the IRL season moves into its second half only Kanaan now remains within 100 points of Wheldon with everyone else seemingly scrapping over third place in the end of year standings.

With Honda powered cars taking the first four spots and seven of the first ten, Toyota must be thinking the move to bail out of the IRL was made too late.

Unofficial Results Argent Mortgage Indy 300
1. Tony Kanaan AGR Dallara-Honda 200 laps
2. Dan Wheldon AGR Dallara-Honda 200 laps
3. Vitor Meira Rahal Panoz-Honda 200 laps
4. Dario Franchitti AGR Dallara-Honda 200 laps
5. Tomas Scheckter Panther Dallara-Chevrolet 200 laps
6. Scott Sharp Fernandez Panoz-Honda 200 laps
7. Darren Manning Ganassi Panoz-Toyota 200 laps
8. Helio Castroneves Penske Dallara-Toyota 200 laps
9. Danica Patrick* Rahal Panoz-Honda 200 laps
10. Buddy Rice Rahal Panoz-Honda 200 laps
11. Tomas Enge* Panther Dallara-Chevrolet 200 laps
12. Sam Hornish Jr Penske Dallara-Toyota 200 laps
13. Alex Barron Cheever Dallara-Toyota 200 laps
14. Patrick Carpentier Cheever Dallara-Toyota 200 laps
15. Bryan Herta AGR Dallara-Honda 200 laps
16. AJ Foyt IV Foyt Dallara-Toyota 200 laps
17. Ed Carpenter Vision Dallara-Toyota 200 laps
18. Scott Dixon Ganassi Dallara-Toyota 200 laps
19. Jimmy Kite Hemelgarn Dallara-Toyota 195 laps
20. Kosuke Matsuura SAFR Panoz-Honda 134 laps
21. Ryan Briscoe* Ganassi Panoz-Toyota 113 laps
22. Roger Yasukawa Dreyer&Reinbold Dallara-Honda 53 laps