FanHouse Dario Franchitti

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- It was as if Dario Franchitti never left.

The 36-year old Scot returned from a don't-look-back 2008 NASCAR experiment to reclaim the IndyCar Series championship trophy he took with him, sealing the deal on his second title Saturday night in nearly identical fashion to how he earned the first in 2007.

While Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe and Franchitti's Target Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon traded the race lead and led the most laps in the Indy 300 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Franchitti laid back in third position, saved just enough fuel and inherited the lead when Briscoe and Dixon was forced to pit for fuel in the waning laps of the series' first ever caution-free race.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (AP) -- Dario Franchitti's return to IndyCar racing couldn't have gone better. He's the IRL champion once again.

Franchitti successfully emerged from one of the closest points races in series history Saturday, winning the season-ending Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first caution-free IRL race ever.

The 2007 champion -- who skipped 2008 to explore NASCAR -- held off Target Chip Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon and Penske Racing's Ryan Briscoe.

So on the 10th day of the 10th month of the year, Franchitti's No. 10 car reigned supreme over the IRL.

"I can't believe it," Franchitti said. "It all worked out."

HOMESTEAD, Fla. -- Ryan Briscoe moves about his adopted hometown of Mooresville, N.C., untouched by the fame and glory you'd expect to accompany a young, dynamic race car driver in the midst of an exciting three-man title fight for a major sports championship.

"No one knows me there,'' the Australian demurred with a smile Thursday, minutes after posing next to the IndyCar Series trophy he's trying to earn in Saturday night's Indy 300 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

"That's not true,'' his fiancee reminded him, "Remember the girl at Starbucks?"

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) -- Ryan Briscoe grabbed the IndyCar series points lead by stringing together quietly consistent finishes. Then he took control by putting on a remarkable wheel-to-wheel show under the lights at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday night.

Briscoe made an aggressive move for the lead going into the final lap of the race, pulling alongside fellow title contender Scott Dixon as the white flag flew. After going side-by-side with their wheels inches apart, Briscoe nosed ahead at the finish line to win by 0.0077 seconds.

Told that his margin of victory -- the fourth-closest finish in series history -- translated to about 28 1/2 inches on the track, Briscoe didn't balk.

"Nice," Briscoe said. "That's enough."

SONOMA, Calif. (AP) -- Dario Franchitti hoisted a celebratory glass of red wine to his lips in a long-awaited moment for the IndyCar driver at Infineon Raceway.

Such is tradition for the winner in a race set in the heart of Sonoma County's wine country.

Franchitti finally won on a challenging course where he's been so close before, leading from start to finish to capture his first Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma on Sunday in the final road course race of the year.

TORONTO (AP) -- Dario Franchitti had nearly forgotten what it was like to win on the streets of Toronto. After a decade, he refreshed his memory.

Franchitti won the Honda Indy on Sunday over the tricky street course at Exhibition Place, easily holding off Penske drivers Ryan Briscoe and Will Power on a late restart for his third triumph of the IndyCar Series season.

"It's 10 years since my first one here and it feels good,'' said Franchitti, who won a Champ Car race in 1999. "I guess we timed it right with strategy.''

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Scott Dixon described the IndyCar Series race at Richmond International Raceway as "a bit of a procession, unfortunately,'' and said the 300-lap event was frustrating because the lack of passing made it more closely resemble a parade.

And he made those comments Saturday night after ending up in Victory Lane.

Teammate and runner-up Dario Franchitti apologized to fans for an "awful, awful race,'' while Graham Rahal said he only passed two cars all night while finishing third.

NEWTON, Iowa (AP) -- Dario Franchitti has won the Iowa Corn Indy 250 to earn his second victory in two trips to Iowa Speedway.

Franchitti took the lead with 50 laps to go on Sunday and beat Ryan Briscoe by just over five seconds to take his first checkered flag since the Streets of Long Beach in April.

Ryan Hunter-Reay wasn't fast enough to earn a spot in next Sunday's Indianapolis 500 as he exited Turn 4 on his final lap of qualifying Sunday at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

But somehow, someway, the 28-year-old Floridian conjured up just enough speed in the final few seconds -- the final hundred yards -- to make the field by three hundredths of a second (.03) bumping out Canadian Alex Tagliani, who was sitting in his car, next in line to qualify, as the traditional gun shot sounded ending qualifications.