Dan Wheldon clinches IRL title at Watkins Glen

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Dan Wheldon won his first Indy Racing League title Sunday, clinching the championship at the inaugural Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix.

The 27-year-old Englishman secured the title when the third and final road race on the IRL schedule became official at the halfway point, the start of lap 31 at Watkins Glen International.

Wheldon entered the race with 570 points, 102 more than defending champion and Andretti Green teammate Tony Kanaan. Wheldon, who started ninth, would accumulate at least another 12 points for finishing last at Watkins Glen, making it impossible for Kanaan to overtake him with only one race remaining after Sunday.

Wheldon led six laps but gave up the lead on lap 29 when he pitted and was running 12th in his No. 26 Jim Beam Honda.

He has had a season to remember. He won the Indianapolis 500, set an Indy car record two weeks ago at Chicagoland Speedway with his sixth victory of the season, leads the series with 11 top-five finishes and has failed to finish only one of 15 races. The crew put up a championship banner on his pit stall andd passed out championship hats after he sped by.