Briscoe edges Carpenter in Meijer 300

SPARTA, Ky., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Ryan Briscoe nipped Ed Carpenter in one of the closest finishes in IndyCar Series history Saturday to win the Meijer Indy 300 at Sparta, Ky.

Briscoe and Carpenter were side-by-side while competing for the lead during the final 20 laps. Briscoe beat Carpenter to the finish line by 0.0162 seconds to claim his second victory of the season and the fourth of his IndyCar career.

He had finished second in five of the last seven races.

Tony Kanaan was third, followed by Helio Castroneves and Graham Rahal.

By winning, Briscoe took an eight-point lead in the series over Scott Dixon, who finished seventh, and an 11-point lead over sixth-place finisher Dario Franchitti.