WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. -- Scott Dixon's bid for a fourth straight victory on the road course at Watkins Glen ended yesterday with an uncharacteristic mistake that gave Ryan Hunter-Reay the opening he needed to earn his first IndyCar Series victory.

Dixon, preparing to make a run at leader Darren Manning after a long caution period, spun out under yellow and was hit from behind by pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe. That gave the runner-up spot to Hunter-Reay, who easily passed Manning on the restart and drove away with the fourth series win for Rahal Letterman Racing.

It is the third open-wheel victory for Hunter-Reay, a Texas-born driver who won twice while driving in the now-defunct Champ Car World Series.

Hunter-Reay beat Manning to the finish line by 2.4 seconds. Tony Kanaan, who crashed in the morning practice and drove the race with a sore left wrist, wound up third, followed by Buddy Rice, Marcio Andretti and Bruno Junqueira.

FORMULA ONE

Hamilton takes win in British Grand Prix

SILVERSTONE, England -- Lewis Hamilton mastered wild and wet racing conditions to score a runaway victory at the British Grand Prix and throw the Formula One drivers championship wide open.

After he failed to collect a single point from the previous two races in Canada and France, Hamilton's title hopes would have been in trouble if the same had happened in front of his home fans at Silverstone.

But the 23-year-old British driver, who last year squandered a 12-point lead with two races left in his rookie season, stayed in control on a rain-soaked track that plagued his rivals.

Hamilton led from the fourth lap in his McLaren to win his first British GP and take the lead in the overall championship. He lapped all but two of the field and finished 68.5 seconds ahead of Nick Heidfeld's BMW Sauber.

Short tracks

Deac McCaskill drove past the faltering car of former South Boston Speedway and NASCAR national champion Philip Morris on Lap 154 and sped away to a 3.622-second win over C.E. Falk III of Virginia Beach in Thursday night's Bailey's Late Model 200 for the Barkhouser Late Model Stock Car division.