TORONTO - Will Power avoided trouble in a race filled with collisions to win the Honda Indy Toronto.
The 29-year-old Australian finished one spot ahead of defending race champion Dario Franchitti. It was the fourth win of the season for Power, who arrived in Canada as the IZOD IndyCar Series leader.
Canadians Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani finished 13th and 17th, respectively.
Six drivers were forced out of competition by contact in the 11-turn temporary street course on the grounds of Exhibition Place.
Justin Wilson began the race from the pole position after a stellar display in qualifying on Saturday. The 31-year-old Englishman set a series track record with his fast lap of one minute 0.2710 seconds, but spun out with barely a dozen laps remaining on Sunday and finished in seventh.
A handful of drivers had struggled with the demanding track through the weekend. Tracy spun out at Turn 11 during his final qualifying run, which left him starting Sunday's race from the second-last row in the grid.
The 41-year-old from Toronto made a series of passes in the early moments, and found himself in the lead before the 20th lap. Tracy delayed his first pit, and delighted the local fans by holding the lead for 14 laps.
He won the event twice during its heyday, in 1993 and again in 2003, and is searching for a full-time ride in the series. His aggression appeared to backfire with 20 laps to go, when his brakes locked during an attempted pass, forcing him to stop and wait for a restart.
Power won for the second time in Toronto, having won for the first time three years ago.
The race began in Toronto in 1986, and was known for years as the Molson Indy, when it was not uncommon for more than 100,000 fans to stream through the turnstiles over the course of a three-day race weekend. That began to change when the sport was split into two series -- a division that lasted for more than a decade and served to confuse both fans and sponsors.
Toronto was left off the schedule when the Indy Racing League and Champ Car finally re-united two years ago, and the reception was lukewarm when it returned to the city last year.
Official attendance figures have not been released, but race organizers have said they are on a five-year plan to rebuild the event to its former glory.
The series now shifts its gaze west to Alberta. Edmonton will host a race next weekend.
