Franchitti wins CART Rockingham 500 - Complete Order Of Finish

ROCKINGHAM, England Stephen Wade of the AP reported that Scotland's Dario Franchitti seized the lead with 38 laps remaining and narrowly beat points leader Cristiano da Matta to the finish line Saturday to win the Rockingham 500.

Franchitti won for the first time on an oval, the third time this year and for the 10th time in his career, remaining in contention for the CART title.

Franchitti took the lead under a yellow flag after 173 of 211 laps, beating polesitter Kenny Brack out of the pits.

The 29-year-old Franchitti, driving for Team Kool Green, was a favorite of the British crowd in central England in the accident-free race on an overcast, chilly day.

Franchitti finished the 312.069-mile race 0.986 second ahead of de Matta. Patrick Carpentier was third, 2.785 seconds behind the winner.

Da Matta, who led by 52 points entering the race, stretched his lead 58 points with four races remaining.

Da Matta has 191 points. Bruno Junqueira, who finished fifth, has 133, and Franchitti has 126.

Franchitti has been inconsistent lately. In Montreal on Aug. 25, he won the Molson Indy Montreal, but crashed out in the first lap a week later in Denver.

"The car was awesome," said Franchitti, who gave credit to his pit crew for the quick final stop. "I've been giving them (pit crew) stick this year for the pit stops, but that last one was dynamite."

Brack's crew dropped a wheel nut while changing times on the slow pit stop near the end. The costly mistake added more disappointment to a difficult year as he finished eighth.

Brack, who finished second last year when he was passed on the final turn by Gil de Ferran, has been knocked out of four races on the first lap this year.

"It's been like this all season," Brack said. "It's been small things that have happened all the way through. So you get used to it."

Franchitti, who qualified fifth, predicted he would be going flat out on Saturday.

"The risks that I would not normally have taken I'll be taking," he said. "I just want to get out there and win the last of my races."

Da Matta believed his car was quicker than Franchitti, but he could not find a way to pass.

"I wasn't in a position to take a risk, I couldn't get close," he said.

Results from Saturday's CART-Rockingham 500 at Rockingham Motor Speedway, Rockingham, England:

1. (5) Dario Franchitti, Honda/Lola/Bridgestone, 211.

2. (3) Cristiano da Matta, Toyota/Lola/Bridgestone, 211.

3. (10) Patrick Carpentier, Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone, 211.

4. (14) Oriol Servia, Toyota/Reynard/Bridgestone, 211.

5. (6) Bruno Junqueira, Toyota/Lola/Bridgestone, 211.

6. (4) Tora Takagi, Toyota/Reynard/Bridgestone, 211.

7. (13) Jimmy Vasser, Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone, 211.

8. (1) Kenny Brack, Toyota/Lola/Bridgestone, 211.

9. (17) Darren Manning, Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone, 211.

10. (2) Michael Andretti, Honda/Lola/Bridgestone, 209.

11. (19) Michel Jourdain Jr., Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone, 209.

12. (16) Scott Dixon, Toyota/Lola/Bridgestone, 209.

13. (18) Mario Dominguez, Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone, 209.

14. (11) Adrian Fernandez, Honda/Lola/Bridgestone, 186, retired.

15. (8) Tony Kanaan, Honda/Lola/Bridgestone, 167, contact.

16. (15) Shinji Nakano, Honda/Lola/Bridgestone, 61, contact.

17. (12) Christian Fittipaldi, Toyota/Lola/Bridgestone, 44, mechanical.

18. (9) Alex Tagliani, Ford-Cosworth/Reynard/Bridgestone, 42, mechanical.

19. (7) Paul Tracy, Honda/Lola/Bridgestone, 12, mechanical.

Time of race: 1:58:44.754

Margin of victory: 0.986 seconds.

Winner's average speed: 157.682 mph.

Caution flags: 5 for 35 laps.

Lead changes: Nine between four drivers

Lap leaders: Brack, 1-46; Dominguez, 47; Brack, 48-93; Franchitti, 94-109; Manning, 110-113; Brack, 114-140; Franchitti, 141-143; Manning, 144-157; Brack, 158-172; Franchitti, 173-211.