Kanaan edges Wheldon at finish

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- While almost everyone focused on Danica Patrick, Dan Wheldon nearly tied the Indy Racing League's record for most wins in a year.

Patrick battled mechanical problems and fell off the pace early, and Wheldon lost a duel -- by just .012 of a second -- with Andretti Green teammate Tony Kanaan on Sunday at Kansas Speedway.

Even with half the season still remaining, this one is likely to stick in Wheldon's memory for a while. He has won four of eight IRL races this year, including the Indianapolis 500.

Kanaan slipped past the points leader with just over two laps to go and held on for the sixth-closest victory in series history.

It was a thrilling and unexpected finish to a day that started with the crowd wondering whether rookie Patrick could turn her first career pole -- only the second won by a woman in the league -- into her first victory.

Patrick fell off the pace early and finished ninth.

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IRL Results

Argent Mortgage Indy 300

Sunday at At Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.; Lap length: 1.5 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (8) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 200 laps, 180.504 mph, $100,400.

2. (13) Dan Wheldon, Dallara-Honda, 200, $92,900.

3. (3) Vitor Meira, Panoz-Honda, 200, $69,850.

4. (6) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 200, $56,500.

5. (4) Tomas Scheckter, Dallara-Chevrolet, 200, $51,600.

6. (9) Scott Sharp, Panoz-Honda, 200, $47,600.

7. (5) Darren Manning, Panoz-Toyota, 200, $44,400.

8. (14) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Toyota, 200, $43,300.

9. (1) Danica Patrick, Panoz-Honda, 200, $53,300.

10. (2) Buddy Rice, Panoz-Honda, 200, $42,000.

11. (12) Tomas Enge, Dallara-Chevrolet, 200, $40,800.

12. (10) Sam Hornish Jr., Dallara-Toyota, 200, $39,600.

13. (17) Alex Barron, Dallara-Toyota, 200, $38,500.

14. (19) Patrick Carpentier, Dallara-Toyota, 200, $37,100.

15. (16) Bryan Herta, Dallara-Honda, 200, $36,000.

16. (21) A.J. Foyt IV, Dallara-Toyota, 200, $34,900.

17. (18) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Toyota, 200, $33,600.

18. (7) Scott Dixon, Panoz-Toyota, 200, $33,600.

19. (20) Jimmy Kite, Dallara-Toyota, 195, $32,400.

20. (15) Kosuke Matsuura, Panoz-Honda, 134, mechanical, $31,300.

21. (11) Ryan Briscoe, Panoz-Toyota, 113, clutch, $31,300.

22. (22) Roger Yasukawa, Dallara-Honda, 53, accident, $31,300.