PHOENIX, March 23 (UPI) -- Tony Kanaan got a fantastic restart for a two-lap finishing sprint Sunday that allowed him to pull away from Helio Castroneves and win the IRL Purex/Dial Indy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.
The two-lap charge to the checkered flag came after a pounding first-turn crash on lap 188 between Michael Andretti and Gil de Ferran. The track was cleared after a 10-lap yellow flag and Kanaan was able to drive to his first career IRL win.
After starting on the pole for the second time this season, Kanaan edged Castroneves by 0.9328 seconds. Felipe Giaffone led most of the race and was third, followed by Al Unser Jr. and Kenny Brack.
De Ferran moved his Penske Racing machine to the inside of Andretti to try to pass for fifth place. But the cars made contact, sending each into a direct path to the concrete wall.
De Ferran's car burst into flames as he backed it into the wall. Andretti went front-first into the wall and suffered minor leg injuries.
De Ferran was transported by ambulance to Good Samaritan Hospital, where he was being evaluated for back pain. He was awake and spoke with teammate Castroneves prior to the ambulance pulling out of the garage area following the race.
"Gil is a little banged up, but he's going to be all right," team owner Roger Penske said. "That was a pretty hard lick, but it's a testament to how safe these IRL cars are."
