Franchitti wins IndyCar series title

HOMESTEAD, Fla., Oct. 10 (UPI) -- Dario Franchitti conserved just enough fuel Saturday to win the Firestone Indy 300 and claim the IndyCar series championship.

Franchitti held on to defeat Ryan Briscoe by 4.7 seconds and Scott Dixon by 6.0 seconds. Any of those three drivers would have won the championship with a victory in the final race of the season.

The triumph for Franchitti came one year after his return to the IndyCar series following a brief try on the NASCAR racing circuit. He ended the season 11 points ahead of Dixon and 12 points ahead of Briscoe.

Franchitti made his final pit stop with 50 laps remaining at the Homestead-Miami Speedway, and in the final moments of the race had to drive a fine line between saving fuel and holding off the charging Briscoe.

Both Briscoe and Dixon had to pit with less than 10 laps left to keep from running out of gas.

It was the fifth victory of the season for Franchitti, who became the third driver to win multiple championships in the series. He joined Dixon and Sam Hornish, Jr., who has the most with three.

The 300-mile race was caution-free, the first time that has happened in the history of the series. It was the second-fastest race ever, with Franchitti winning in an average speed of 201.420 miles per hour.