NEWTON, Iowa (AFP) — England's Dan Wheldon celebrated his 30th birthday with a victory in IndyCar's Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Sunday, edging Japan's Hideki Mutoh.
Wheldon captured his second victory of the season and the 15th of his career, beating Andretti Green Racing rookie Mutoh by 0.143 of a second.
Immediately after the race, Wheldon said he planned to donate his winnings to victims of the recent floods and tornadoes in the midwestern state of Iowa.
Wheldon and his Target Chip Ganassi crew gambled by choosing not to pit coming out of a caution with 90 laps to go, and the risky strategy paid off.
Marco Andretti was third, followed by points leader Scott Dixon of New Zealand, who started on the pole after qualifying was rained out.
Dixon increased his lead atop the standings to 48 points over Brazilian Helio Castroneves, who pitted late and placed 14th for his worst finish of the season.
Wheldon, who won at Kansas Speedway in April, moved within 49 points of Dixon.
It was a disappointing day for Brazilian Tony Kanaan, who crashed into the wall with less than 40 laps remaining, leading to an 18th-place finish.
It was just the second time in seven starts that Kanaan failed to finish in the top five. Kanaan is fourth in the standings, 100 points behind Dixon.
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