INDIANAPOLIS — Four laps were left in the Indianapolis 500 as every car came to a stop. Jimmie Johnson’s crash brought out a red flag while Marcus Ericsson was in control with Pato O’Ward trailing and Tony Kanaan gaining speed very quickly.
As Kanaan sat in his car at a standstill, he could hear TK chants coming from the crowd of 325,000 fans. The Chip Ganassi veteran remained focused. There was really only one shot at winning his second Indy 500. Yet over the radio, Kanaan was as calm as could be, saying, “I have nothing to lose.”
He had to make a two-spot jump in two laps. Yet the only thing on his mind was the crowd which he has missed the last two years.
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“I just sat there and kept hearing the crowd cheering for me the entire time,” Kanaan said, “I was like, ‘Oh man, this is going to be so embarrassing if I don’t do it this time.’ We’re sitting there and you’re still focused because it’s not over.”
Kanaan has always been a fan favorite. He won the Indy 500 in 2013 and has been a one-off driver in the 500 the past two years. But he’s been in the sport for about 20 years. He’s an open book, he appreciates his fans and his passion for the sport is undeniable. And at 47 years old, he’s still one of the best IndyCar drives in the world.
His incomparable talent was on full display Sunday as he finished third at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, his best since he drank the milk nine years ago. Before the red flag, Kanaan had made his way up to third place after starting sixth and hanging back there for most of the race. But with just under 10 laps to go, Kanaan cut the difference from first place by over a second at lightning speed.
But, even he knew, getting past O’Ward then beating out his teammate, Ericsson, was a long shot.
“I truly believe that the only shot I had was to play with Pato,” Kanaan said. “My teammate has the same car as I do and it was four laps to go, let’s face it, it wasn’t going to happen. If I had actually fought with Pato for a lap and a half, Marcus was going to open a big enough gap that I would never catch him.”
Obviously, Kanaan wanted his second victory at IMS, but he knew he left everything on the track while putting his car to the test. But as the oldest driver in the 500 this year, everyone had the same question: Will Kanaan be back?
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Asked the same question several times, Kanaan made it clear he didn’t know what his future looks like here in Indianapolis. He believes it’s not fully his decision.
“It’s not up to me but I said that I wanted to do one more,” Kanaan said. “But right now, it’s wide open. I have one year to try to figure that out. But even if I say next year will be the last one, I might call it quits but I might still want to come back.”
Kanaan knows his days are numbered, but he despises the notion that being 47 makes him too old to race. When asked about the relationship between his age and his performance, Kanaan asked, “Did I look okay today?”
Sunday marks the fifth time Kanaan has earned a podium finish in the Indy 500. It’s clear his racing days are not behind him. And if he had everything his way, he’d come back in 2023.
“I think it’s such a — I cannot even say because I’m going to curse — but it’s so lame when people think that we’re old at 47 and we can’t drive anymore. It’s crap. Yeah, I’m ready, ready to do it again,” Kanaan said.
After racing with Chip Ganassi from 2014 to 2017, then moving to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for three seasons, Kanaan spent 2021 and 2022 with the Ganassi team. While this race has been a one-off for him the last two years, his team still values him at a high level.
And after high hopes for teammates Scott Dixon and Jimmie Johnson, Kanaan was the guy…
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