Franchitti takes his second Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS - Dario Franchitti drove 199 nearly flawless laps, then survived the last one with a break from a spectacular crash to climb back on top of the open-wheel world Sunday with his second win at the Indianapolis 500.

Two years removed from a failed try in NASCAR, Franchitti held on with a scant 1.6 gallons of fuel left in the tank - a victory that was ensured by a crash that sent Mike Conway airborne and into the wall, and left the final lap to be run under a caution flag.

"Still running," the winner told his crew over the radio as he crossed the finish line, while wreckers were moving out to scoop up debris from Conway's accident with Ryan Hunter-Reay.

The victory made Franchitti's boss, Chip Ganassi, the first owner to win Indy and NASCAR's Daytona 500 in the same year. It also validated the Scottish driver's return to the IndyCar circuit two years after celebrating his 2007 Indy victory by making an unsuccessful move with Ganassi to NASCAR.

England's Dan Wheldon, the 2005 winner who closed furiously as Franchitti slowed to save fuel in the final laps, was second. After a postrace review, the official order of finish was revised with Marco Andretti in third, followed by Brit Alex Lloyd and Scott Dixon.

Conway, who waved to the crowd as he was being taken off the track, was airlifted to the hospital with a broken leg.

Pole-sitter Helio Castroneves saw his quest for a record-tying fourth Indy victory come to an end with an uncharacteristic mistake - stalling out while leaving the pits on the 146th lap. He finished ninth.

Danica Patrick picked and poked her way from 23rd to finish sixth despite a balky car that she had complained about in qualifying. Patrick never found her comfort zone, but she was patient and disciplined and now has five top-10 finishes in six years.

Franchitti's crew started pressing their driver to conserve fuel with about 15 laps left. He did as he was told, and after leading three-quarters of the race at speeds of up to 224.287 mph, then slowed steadily at the end - to 210 mph, then 209 and 206.

Wheldon started bearing down, putting himself in position to make the last lap of the Indy 500 the first lap he had led all year on the circuit. Then the cars behind him went flying and the yellow flag came out.