SÃO PAULO, Brazil - Will Power overtook Ryan Hunter-Reay in Turn 11 on Lap 58 of 61 to win the rain-shortened IZOD IndyCar Series season opener, the inaugural Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the Streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Power, driving the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car, won by 1.8581 seconds. Vitor Meira was third, followed by Raphael Matos, Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon. PEAK Pole Award winner Dario Franchitti, who claimed the pole earlier in the day, finished seventh.
Power and Meira suffered 2009 season-ending injuries (Power in August, Meira in May), and both wound up on the podium in their first race back in the series.
The race was red-flagged for 36 minutes after a thunderstorm swept over the Anhembi section of the city, and it became a timed race. It was also the first time that an IZOD IndyCar Series event held qualifying and race on the same day.
SAO PAULO INDY 300 POST-RACE QUOTES:
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske, winner Sao Paulo Indy 300): "It was probably the most mixed up race that I have ever been in, but it created an opportunity for me to come back through the field and end up winning the race. The improvements that they did to the track last night, were like night and day. Not a problem at all going down the frontstraight. I think it is just a really good day for racing. If you were fast you could pass, because there is such a good track layout here. I'm pretty sure it was an exciting race for the fans.