Kanaan Wins IndyCar Race

Sunday, August 5th 2007, 7:35 pm

By: News On 6

BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) _ Tony Kanaan held off protege Marco Andretti for the final 27 laps Sunday and won the Firestone Indy 400, a race marred by a spectacular wreck in which Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti took a wild, upside-down ride.

``We did not have the fast car, and the kid was my wingman,'' Kanaan said after crossing the finish line less than a car-length ahead of Andretti, who recently moved to Miami to live and work out with the Brazilian driver. ``He protected me, but he was also trying, believe me. I said, 'OK, let's play it to the end.``'

The race began 4 1/2 hours late because of rain. Only eight of 20 cars that started the 200-lap event were running at the end.

There were a couple of crashes early in the race, including one that took out defending winner Helio Castroneves and Vitor Meira, but the big one came on lap 144 when Dan Wheldon, trying to overtake leader Dario Franchitti, appeared to drive his right front tire into Franchitti's left rear.

Suddenly, Franchitti's car soared high in the air, backward and upside down. He came down on top of the car driven by Scott Dixon and, before it was over, cars driven by A.J. Foyt IV, former Michigan winner Tomas Scheckter, three-time series champion Sam Hornish Jr. and Ed Carpenter were also involved.

``I'm a lucky guy,'' said Franchitti, who watched his teammates battle for the win from his pit.