Past Champs Kanaan, Dixon Not to be Overlooked From the Middle of the Grid
May 26, 2016 | By Phillip B. Wilson
When Tony Kanaan crashed out in the first turn of the first lap of the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis 12 days ago, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.
“He’s a fan favorite no matter what he does,” said Target Chip Ganassi Racing managing director Mike Hull.
Kanaan persevered after so many near-misses to become one of the most popular Indianapolis 500 winners in 2013. Fans will never forget that.
Since then, he joined Ganassi in 2014 and has won only one race in 39 starts. His last two “500” runs both ended in 26th place.
But don’t count out T.K.
“You’re not going to count out somebody who’s won this race in this field,” Kanaan said. “It’s stupid to think that.”
It’s easy to forget how many times he came close in “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” before he finally broke through. He’s finished second, third twice, fourth, fifth and eighth in this race.
Although his No. 10 NTT Data Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet qualified 18th for Sunday’s 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil, Kanaan finished Monday’s final extended practice No. 2 on the speed chart.
“Over the years, I’ve learned that I do good here,” the 41-year-old Brazilian said. “But it always depends on so many things. I know I have a shot, but I have to do a good job and try to understand how so many things have changed over the years from one year to the next, aero-wise.
“I do good here. It wasn’t just one shot. It was 14 times I finished right there. Yeah, I’m always confident when I come here.”
Kanaan is one of six former winners in this race, joined by defending champion Juan Pablo Montoya (also a winner in 2000), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2014), Helio Castroneves (2001-02, 2009), Scott Dixon (2008) and Buddy Lazier (1996).
Hunter-Reay, an Andretti Autosport teammate with Kanaan in 2010, agrees that a driver who has won at Indy deserves to be considered a contender.
“That’s the way it should be, absolutely,” Hunter-Reay said. “Don’t ever count them out, yeah. If I have a chance, hopefully I’ll be one of those guys. Absolutely love this place, love the way it races, and hopefully we just stay the course here.”
Dixon is the most successful Verizon IndyCar Series driver of his time. His April victory at Phoenix was the 39th of his career, tying Al Unser for fourth on the all-time series list. He celebrated his fourth career series title last season. Perhaps most impressive, in terms of longevity, are the years of those series championships: 2003, 2008, 2013, 2015.
A Ganassi mainstay since 2002, Dixon has had his share of “500” near-misses, too. The 35-year-old Australian-born New Zealander has finished second twice, fourth last year, fifth twice, sixth twice and eighth. His No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet qualified 13th.
“I think the hard part here is you remember the close calls,” Dixon said. “We’ve had quite a few of them. Last year, overheating with 30 to go. We led almost half the race. Those are the years that really suck.
“We’ve run well here. We’ve won here. But, man, I want to win again.”
Hull recalled a recent conversation with 1969 Indy 500 winner Mario Andretti, who said of Dixon, “I don’t think I’d want to race against that guy.”
Hull jokes that his boss says of job stability, “You’re on for another week.” Then he smiles in assuring Kanaan will have a strong race.
“He’s a quality race car driver, a good teammate and he works really, really hard with the other three drivers,” Hull said. “I think he’s going to have a great time here in Indianapolis and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s at the front at the end this year.”
Kanaan admits there was a time when the doubt started creeping as he kept coming up short at the Speedway. He won’t doubt himself again.
“Before I had won, I thought, ‘Well, I’m OK with the fact I might not win,’” he said. “After the win, it changed my life. It does change your life. If some people think it doesn’t, like I kidded myself, believe me, it completely transforms your life.”
If anyone doubts him, he has a message for them.
“They just don’t want to admit that we’re a threat,” Kanaan said. “Especially in this field nowadays, nobody wins here because they got lucky.”