Takuma Sato wins IndyCar stop at World Wide

Takuma Sato held off Ed Carpenter to win the IndyCar race Saturday night at World Wide Technology Raceway.

Sato won by 0.399 seconds. Tony Kaanan was third, followed by Santino Ferrucci and Simon Pagenaud.

Sato's second victory of the season comes on the heels of his highly scrutinized move on the first lap at Pocono last week that helped trigger a major accident.

Takuma Sato enters Turn 1 during the IndyCar auto race at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, in Madison, Ill. Sato won the race. (AP PhotoJeff Roberson)

"After the difficult circumstances and coming here ... the win is so big," said Sato, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 champion. "We came back. Of course we had some luck. It was tough the last five laps with the tire degradation. But I couldn't throw this away after the tough circumstances.

"I just wanted to bring the car home, which we did. This win is so special, this is just so emotionally to do it."

Pole-sitter and series points leader Josef Newgarden spun coming out of Turn 4 of the last lap and finished seventh.

Alexander Rossi drives through Turn 2 during the IndyCar auto race at World Wide Technology Raceway on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019, in Madison, Ill. (AP PhotoJeff Roberson)

"We actually missed a bit (on the setup) in the long run," Newgarden said. "Our setup didn't favor the tires for the long run. I thought we were in the right window last night. But we learned tonight we weren't for the longevity."

Newgarden extended his points lead over teammate Pagenaud. Newgarden has 563 points to Pagenaud's 525. Alexander Rossi is third with 517.

Sato led 61 laps and denied Team Penske a sweep of the ovals this season. He also raced to a sorely needed win for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Defending race champion Will Power finished last after he crashed in Turn 4 of lap 54.

CHAMPIONSHIP DREAMS

IndyCar's Astor Cup, awarded to the series champion every year, was on display on pit road before the race along with the NHL's Stanley Cup. The St. Louis Blues won the Stanley Cup for the first time in June.

PAY UP

Sato's team and Spencer Pigot's team will be paying fines after each driver ran over equipment during a pit stop.

UP NEXT

IndyCar's next stop is the road course at Portland International Raceway on Sept. 1 for the Grand Prix of Portland. Sato is the defending champion.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — A race car veered off the track during a competition in Sri Lanka on Sunday and rammed into a crowd of spectators and race officials, killing seven people and injuring 20 others, officials said.

Thousands of spectators looked on as the mishap took place during a race in the town of Diyatalawa in the tea-growing central hills, about 180 kilometers (110 miles) east of the capital Colombo.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the mishap.

Police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said one of the cars veered off the track and crashed into spectators and officials of the event. Seven people, including four officials, were killed and another 20 were being treated at a hospital, said Thalduwa. He said three of the injured were in critical condition.

Thalduwa said police have launched an investigation into the accident, which was the 17th out of 24 events scheduled. The race was suspended after the accident.

About 45,000 spectators had gathered at the race circuit at a Sri Lankan military academy. The event was organized by the Sri Lankan army and Sri Lanka Automobile Sports.

People attend to the injured after a racing car crashed into the spectators during the Fox Hill Supercross, a motor racing event organized by the Sri Lanka's army, in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/STR)

People gather around a car that had crashed into the spectators during the Fox Hill Supercross, a motor racing event organized by the Sri Lanka's army, in Diyatalawa, Sri Lanka, Sunday, April 21, 2024. (AP Photo/STR)