Motor racing - Rahal takes Detroit IndyCar race, Scott second

DETROIT (The Sports Xchange) - A day after his wife's dragster exploded in a ball of fire in an NHRA event, IndyCar driver Graham Rahal dominated the first leg of the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader Saturday, winning the IndyCar Series' 70-lap race from the pole.

Rahal's wife, Courtney Force, escaped without injury in a qualifying run Friday in Epping, New Hampshire. Her car, owned by her father, John Force, had a fuel line burst to create the spectacular visual.

The victory was Graham Rahal's first of the season and made him the seventh IndyCar driver to reach Victory Lane this season.

Scott Dixon, who was involved in a major crash at the Indianapolis 500, finished second, taking the series points lead by two over Helio Castroneves, who finished seventh.

Dixon, the Indy 500 pole winner, didn't miss a beat despite a small fracture in his foot. During the 500, Dixon's car launched after contact with Jay Howard's car, leading to flight of more than 300 feet.

Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato was eighth.

(Editing by Gene Cherry)