Newcomer Kanaan Pushing Foyt's Team Back toward Top of IMS Scoring Pylon
May 18, 2018 | By Phillip B. Wilson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Tony Kanaan’s elevator ride to the fourth floor of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Media Center on Thursday included a confession.
It’s a customary trip for fast drivers summoned to meet with the media as part of the Indianapolis 500 presented by PennGrade Motor Oil. Kanaan had turned the second-best lap during practice in his No. 14 ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet.
On their way up, longtime Foyt publicist Anne Fornoro admitted it had been awhile since she last accompanied a driver for this purpose.
“Get used to it,” Kanaan said, confidently.
When 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Kanaan signed a two-year contract with the team in the most-recent offseason, he brought with him the highest of expectations. He knew the team’s recent history was humbling — the legendary Foyt had celebrated only one win anywhere since 2003, and more importantly, the best Indy 500 result since 2009 was Carlos Munoz finishing 10th last year.
Kanaan made it clear he intended to elevate a Foyt name synonymous with the sport back to prominence.
“Hopefully I’ll keep my promise to her,” Kanaan said. “I’ve been here, but they haven’t.
“We’re working on it, for sure. We have a long road ahead. We’re not as consistent as we wanted to be. (But) It’s nice to see some people looking at us and saying, ‘Hmm, they’re going to make this work.’”
Although this was just practice, seeing the No. 14 so high on the IMS Scoring Pylon on Thursday was a flashback to the days when Foyt was an annual favorite as a four-time Indianapolis 500 winner.
“It’s nice to be up there,” said team president Larry Foyt. “Whether it means anything or not, it’s definitely good for morale and good for everybody to see.”
And not only did he know his 83-year-old father would take notice, A.J. Foyt’s reaction could be anticipated.
“No matter what, when he comes to Indy his intensity goes to another level,” Larry said. “The other races to him, if things aren’t going great he doesn’t get upset. But here at Indy, now with us running better, he’ll get even more intense. This place is everything to him.”
Likewise for Kanaan, 43, who shows no sign of slowing down in the later years of his career. 2004 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Kanaan, from Brazil, is preparing to start his 289th consecutive race, a series record.
Although T.K.’s last victory was in 2014 at Fontana, he’s still a respected contender who brings a confident swagger to each race. He’s 11th in points this season, which includes a pair of eighth-place results.
“Trying,” he said. “We haven't accomplished everything we wanted. But it's a long road. That's why we agreed it was going to take a little long, so we made a multi-year deal. I'm doing everything I can. They’re doing everything they can. I think eventually it has to work.
“It’s not for a lack of working, not for a lack of effort. We still have some pieces we have to put in place, but that happens everywhere.”
Kanaan brought with him longtime engineer Eric Cowdin, who Foyt hired as technical director. Kanaan also is mentoring a 19-year-old Brazilian rookie teammate, Matheus Leist, who has shown promising practice speed faster than 224 mph as he prepares to qualify for his first “500” on Sunday, May 27.
“Tony and Eric are great, and Matheus has a lot of talent, obviously,” Foyt said. “We’ve got a lot of new faces on the team that are a good mix with the guys we’ve had for a long time. It’s just a matter of getting the kinks worked out.
“This definitely has the feel of everything headed in the right direction, which we’ve needed.”
The last time a Foyt car won a race was the 2013 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, with Takuma Sato driving. Sato, now the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion, delivered two other runner-up results in four seasons with the team, but a Foyt driver hasn’t finished in the top 10 in series points since Airton Dare was ninth in 2002.
“We are a small organization in comparison to the big boys,” said Kanaan, who has driven for two of those powerhouse teams, owned by Michael Andretti and Chip Ganassi. “The guys have been working really hard. I mean, after the (INDYCAR) GP, they worked on Mother’s Day until 2 in the morning. They worked Monday all day at the shop. A.J. gave us two brand-new cars for the Speedway, which is great, but at the same time gave the guys a lot of work.
“Everybody has been a little tired, but I think that’s the price you pay to win this race.”
It’s also what’s required, among other things, to return to prominence.