Scott Dixon the Beneficiary!

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FORT WORTH, Texas - What is it about Marco Andretti and late-race momentum-draining crashes?

That's two races in a row in which the driver of the No. 26 car for Andretti Green Racing was involved in a multi-car incident with less than 10 laps remaining. This time, it potentially cost the third-year IndyCar Series driver his second career victory.

Scott Dixon was the beneficiary.

Dixon, driving the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car that started on the pole, led Helio Castroneves across the finish line under caution after Andretti's entanglement with the No. 17 Ethanol car driven by Ryan Hunter-Reay on Lap 223 of 228. Castroneves' Team Penske teammate, Ryan Briscoe, came back from a lap down to finish third and Dan Wheldon improved seven positions to fourth in his back-up car.

Andretti and Hunter-Reay were competing for second on the backstretch when the left tires of Hunter-Reay's car got on the racetrack's apron. The car slid up the track and into Andretti's black Blockbuster car, which sent both cars into the Turn 3 SAFER Barrier.

"I really feel bad for the whole Blockbuster crew," said Andretti, who suffered bruised knees in the Turn 3 incident. "We were running so well, as was Ryan. I feel kind of bad for both of us, but the fact is there are some guys you can run close with and some guys you can't. He clearly hit the white line and that is that. We ran well, but to me, that doesn't matter. We need to bring home results. It's very disappointing."

Hunter-Reay, who started 10th, was running in the lead pack by Lap 11 and never dropped out of the top five. Andretti, who started 14th after earning the pole position at The Mile, also was strong throughout the race.

"Marco gave me the low line on the backstretch and all day that meant that he would give me the low line in the corner as well, but he came down on me, I went low to avoid him and got down on the white line," said Hunter-Reay, who failed to finish his first race of the season. "That upset both cars and took us out. We had a great car, we pushed really hard, the guys in the pits were flawless and we really deserved a good finish tonight. This was going to be our breakout night and we didn't get it. I can't tell you how disappointed I am. Unbelievable."

Dixon used the same word in Victory Lane before donning the cowboy hat and shooting the pistols (aimed to the night sky).

"It's great for the team and great for Target," said Dixon, who picked up his third victory of the season and his first at Texas Motor Speedway after runner-up finishes in 2003 and '06. "I'm sorry to see it end under caution, but it's a great way to get some points for this championship."

Dixon, who entered the race with a 28-point advantage over Castroneves, will enter the race at Iowa Speedway on June 22 with a 35-point lead. Wheldon is third with 217 points and Briscoe moved up to fifth.

If not for the caution, the championship points margin might be slimmer.

"If it had played out to a fuel-strategy race, it would have been a nice, clean finish," Dixon said. "But when you have eight laps to go and 20 guys going for second or first spot, you're going to have something happen. It's unfortunate that it happened, but good for us."

Castroneves, who incurred a drive-thru penalty for a pit lane speed violation early in the race, could have challenged Dixon. So could have Andretti, Hunter-Reay and Briscoe.

"For the car that I had, it was supposed to be a win," said Castroneves, who started from the front row and was seeking his third victory at TMS. "I'm upset about that; I let those (over-the-wall) guys down. Those guys did an incredible job of putting me back on the lead lap and to finish second is great for the conditions."

Briscoe also served a drive-thru penalty for entering the wrong pit box (Wheldon's) early in the race and nudging the No. 10 car's right-rear tire in position to be put on the car while exiting the box.

"I don't know what I was thinking at the start when I missed my box," Briscoe said. "We went to the back but came through the field. The car was a missile."

Tony Kanaan improved eight spots to finish fifth in the No. 11 7-Eleven car, while Andretti Green Racing teammate Hideki Mutoh tied the best finish of his rookie season with a sixth place.

"The 7-Eleven car was decent tonight, but at one point something broke in the back," Kanaan said. "I think it may have been a rear bar, and I was all over the place. I did everything I could to stay out of the way and out of trouble. I had no control of my car. Probably the worst race this year for me, but we had a top-five finish."

Panther Racing's Vitor Meira, who led a season-high 38 laps before having to pit for fuel on Lap 206, finished seventh. Buddy Rice, who started 25th in the record-tying 28-car field, jumped to eighth in the No. 15 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car for his third consecutive top 10.

Vision Racing's Ed Carpenter was ninth and Danica Patrick finished 10th in the No. 7 Motorola car for AGR. Graham Rahal advanced seven spots to finish a season-best 11th on an oval in the No. 06 Hole in the Wall Camps car for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing.

"First of all, I am so happy to bring one home," Rahal said. "That's the biggest thing. On that last restart, I almost lost it. I had been feeling a vibration for a while but the guys told me everything checked out on the telemetry. The guys did a good job in the pits and so did the engineers. I haven't made their lives easy."