Hunter-Reay earns first IndyCar Series title

American Ryan Hunter-Reay clinched his first IndyCar Series championship with a fourth-place finish in the season-ending race at the Auto Club Speedway track. With temperatures soaring to 39 Celsius (103 Fahrenheit) on the 3.21 kilometre track for the second straight day on Saturday, Hunter-Reay benefited from an accident involving Australia\'s Will Power. Power, of Toowoomba, Queensland, entered the race with a 17-point lead in the overall standings over Hunter-Reay, but the Power crashed into the wall on the 56th lap. Power made it back into the race but could only manage a few more laps before heading to the pits for good. He finished 24th. Hunter-Reay\'s fourth place allowed him to win the championship by three points over Power, 468-465. Hunter-Reay, who almost got tangled up in Power\'s wall smash, needed to finish sixth or better to win the title. Hunter-Reay struggled early Saturday as he had to start in 22nd due to a penalty for an unapproved engine change. American Ed Carpenter earned the second IndyCar victory of his career after passing Scotland\'s Dario Franchitti for the lead late in the race. Hunter-Reay, who signed a two-year contract extension with Andretti Autosport on Saturday, became the first US driver to win the IndyCar championship since Sam Hornish in 2006.