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Left to right, IndyCar drivers Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves, and Danica Patrick pose on the Observation Deck on a foggy day at the Empire State Building, Monday, May 23, 2011 in New York. The trio had earlier thrown a switch to light the building i Henny Ray Abrams, Associated Press
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Left to right, IndyCar drivers Dario Franchitti, Danica Patrick, and Helio Castroneves throw the switch to light the Empire State Building in green, Monday, May 23, 2011 in New York. The building is being bathed in green to symbolize the green flag that w Henny Ray Abrams, Associated Press
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Left to right, Indy Car drivers Dario Franchitti, Helio Castroneves, and Danica Patrick pose on the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building with the Borg Warner Trophy, given to the winner of the Indianapolis 500, Monday, May 23, 2011 in New York. T Henny Ray Abrams, Associated Press
By Associated Press

NEW YORK — Defending Indianapolis 500 champ Dario Franchitti says "it's a long time since I've been that (ticked) off getting out of the car" after he ran out of fuel on the final qualifying lap.

IndyCar's biggest names were in Manhattan on Monday to light the Empire State Building green in honor of the race's 100th anniversary. On a foggy day that made for no view from the skyscraper's 86th floor, Franchitti, Danica Patrick and Helio Castroneves weren't exactly feeling on top of the world after a rough weekend of qualifying.

Franchitti says a communication breakdown caused his problem, which also hindered teammate Scott Dixon. After Franchitti's first run, his crew drained the tank. But not everybody realized that, so it wasn't completely filled when Franchitti was on the track later.

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