Dario Franchitti won his third Indianapolis 500 race Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Franchitti won the race under a caution flag after Takuma Sato crashed.
Franchitti's teammate, Scott Dixon, finished second. Tony Kanaan, who had the lead off the last restart with six laps to go, settled for third on a blistering day at the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
Temperatures hit the low 90s, tying a record for the hottest race day ever. There were also more lead changes in the 2012 race than in any previous years, with 34.
Scott Dixon and Franchitti swapped places several times at the front of the pack during the final laps of the race.
Sato led the race at one point but ended up finishing 17th.
Franchitti was emotional after the race as he dedicated his win to the memory of fellow driver Dan Wheldon. He later spoke to Wheldon's widow Susie and gave her a big hug.
"I just want to dedicate this to two of Indianapolis' finest - Dan Wheldon and Michael Wanser," said Franchitti. Michael Wanser is the young son of Target Chip Ganassi Racing team member Barry Wanser who passed shortly after Wheldon's fatal accident at Las Vegas last October.
"Thank you to all the fans who are saluting our buddy Dan today. What a race! What a race. I think I'll be proud of that one just coming from the back there. That last lap running side by side with Takuma. I went down then I moved up to give him the room and then we hit. I just kept it in and managed to keep it out of trouble," he said.
"Thank you to this Target team and my buddy Scott Dixon. I was looking at the pole wondering who the heck's gonna win it, but everybody out there was a friend of Dan's and I think that about sums it up. Everybody loved Dan," said Franchitti.
Notes:
Ed Carpenter was making a strong run towards the end of the race but spun out. Marco Andretti made contact with the wall late in the race, dashing his hopes for a win after dominating early.
Fans were disappointed to see Tony Kanaan fall back after a late-race push towards the front of the pack.
Lotus drivers Jean Alesi and Simona de Silvestro were out early after their slow engines let them down.
Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden and Sebastian Saavedra were out early due to mechanical issues. Ana Beatriz crashed, putting her out early.
The most significant crash of the race was when Mike Conway struck the wall. Will Power could not avoid him and both were out of the race after that.
Heat was definitely a factor in the stands. The IMS had 78 misting stations and 5 cooling buses available. The track temperature was around 130 degrees. The infield medical center was a little busier than normal.
