Australian driver Will Power failed to convert early domination before finishing second in Saturday's IndyCar 600 at Texas Motor Speedway.
Power started from pole and lead for 145 of 248 laps until American driver Ed Carpenter, who started fifth, seized the lead from the Australian on lap 182.
Carpenter held off Team Penske drivers Power and Juan Pablo Montoya after a restart with just two laps remaining to win.
During a late-race round of pit stops, Carpenter and Power pitted from first and second on the same lap, but Power received a pit-lane speeding penalty, which put him nearly one lap behind in sixth place after serving his drive-through.
Carpenter held a 12-second lead over second-place runner Montoya with seven laps left when Japan's Takuma Sato suffered a blown engine that dropped fluid on the track, forcing a third caution.
During the caution, Power pitted for four tires and returned to the field in sixth.
Power then charged to the front following the restart and took second away from Colombia's Montoya during the final lap. But Power came up 0.5247 seconds short of the victory.
Carpenter, who is competing only on oval tracks and not the road/street courses this season, claimed his third career IndyCar win.
Two weeks ago, Carpenter started on the pole for the Indianapolis 500 but was involved in an accident with James Hinchcliffe following a restart with 25 laps remaining. He had led 26 laps and was in contention to win prior to the crash.
Power increased his lead in the championship point standings to 43 over teammate Helio Castroneves, who finished 10th.
Brazil's Castroneves won last year's race here and was coming off a win on Sunday in the second race of a double-header at Detroit.
Montoya, a former Formula One driver and Indy 500 champion who is back in open-wheel racing after a spell in NASCAR stock car racing, finished a season-best third.
France's Simon Pagenaud was fourth and reigning IndyCar champion Scott Dixon of New Zealand fifth.
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