'Lucky' Franchitti leads IndyCar chargeposted in INDY17 | 04 | 2011

BATHGATE'S DARIO FRANCHITTI moved back into the lead in the race for the IndyCar Championship after he finished third in the latest round at Long Beach, California.

But the 37-year-old Scot admitted he was lucky following the crash which took out one of his main title rivals, Aussie Will Power, and three other drivers. Embarrassingly, Power's demise was caused when his Penske team-mate Helio Castroneves slid into the back of him at Turn 1, sending both spinning.

"When the guys came together, that was definitely a lucky break for me," the Target Ganassi driver, who finished behind winner Mike Conway and second-placed Ryan Briscoe, admitted.

"I really struggled to get up to pace this weekend, but considering the day and the weekend we had, to come away with third and to be leading the championship after three races is terrific."

Franchitti, the three-time IndyCar champ and double winner of the Indy500, heads to the next round in Sao Paulo in Brazil on May 1 leading the title race by seven points from Power's Penske of Power.

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Jim McGill