Auto racing: Narrow margin

Jeff Ward, a Lido Isle resident and former motocross and Supercross

champion, won his first Indy Racing League event Saturday in a thrilling

finish at the Boomtown 500 in Fort Worth, Texas.

Ward’s .0111-second margin of victory edged Al Unser Jr. at the finish

line in the closest finish in Indy car history.

Ward, who has enjoyed second-, third- and fourth-place finishes at the

Indianapolis 500 and was named the Rookie of the Year at Indy in 1997,

came from behind to defeat Unser before 83,476 screaming fans at Texas

Motor Speedway. The final lap was the only lap in which Ward led, as the

nose of his car was just inches ahead of Unser’s car.

“Thank God for this one,” said Ward, the driver for Target/Chip

Ganassi Racing.