Kanaan Prepped and Ready If Needed for Indy 500
(Photo by James Black/Penske Entertainment)
By Dennis Krause
2013 Indianapolis 500 champion Tony Kanaan took his required refresher test, Thursday, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in case he’s needed to substitute for NASCAR Cup Series regular Kyle Larson in the No. 17 hendrickcars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet on Sunday, May 25th.
After Larson missed out on the Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway because of the rain delay in Indy last year, car-owner Rick Hendrick has said the NASCAR race would be the priority this time around, necessitating the need for a possible substitute driver should a similar situation occur again this year.
Now team principal for the Arrow McLaren Indycar Team, Kanaan retired from driving following a 16th place finish in the 2023 “500”.
After completing the required veteran test session, the fifty-year-old Kanaan had a hard time suppressing the smile on his face.
“Awesome, as usual,” said Kanaan. “I came down pit lane after my warm-up lap. Did an installation lap. I never really took it for granted, this place, driving an Indycar.
“After two years, I'm like, I had the coolest job in the world for 26 years. Just going to have to control myself for 30 laps. After that, not one thing to do it again. I think I'll have to change homes, won't have a wife and kids. She'll divorce me for sure (smiling).
“It was awesome. I'm pretty lucky. This place never let me down. Today even special little things. I mean, Kyle Sagan, who has been my mechanic for years. He was in my 2013 car. He was the one that buckle me up most of my career. He's with the team now.
“He was not supposed to be there this morning because his is on the other car. He came in to buckle me in. Special moments like that. Even though just a few laps, I got to enjoy.”
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
While Kanaan claimed he had a ‘tickle in his belly’ after the refresher, he said he doesn’t have the need to get back in a race car.
“Obviously my retirement, that whole month (in 2023), it was really special. To be honest, I think my biggest fear then was how much I was going to miss (driving).
“I think the experience with not just the fans, my family, my friends, probably put a lot into, like, I don't want to spoil that. I say that. I said that out of the car after 30 laps by myself. The car was pretty good. Not a lot of effort. Really just enjoying the speed. Not sure I want to start 33rd and try to pass everybody and suffer for two and a half hours. Not really.
"Honestly, I was joking. I have a huge responsibility right now with the team. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing. I think I did go out on my own terms. I'm very intense, as you know. I'm fully focused on making this team one of the best teams in INDYCAR for the standards that everybody thinks about us and myself.
“It was cool, but I'm okay. I was joking. I don't have the need to go back in the race car.”
(Photo by Chris Jones/Penske Entertainment)
Kannan has come in for high praise from McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown for how well he’s handled his new role. How has the transition been from driver to team leader who has to be the guy charge, make hard decisions and hard phone calls?
“I remember Michael Andretti had to tell me I didn't have a job the following year when I had a five-year deal signed.
“I think the way I want to run the team, I think Zak and I think the same. It's not that he doesn't want to do it. I'm in charge. I should do it. Otherwise if he's going to do everything for me, why am I here?
“Look, I try as much up front as I can. I think people say, You're extremely transparent. I can't fake it. If I'm mad, I can't even look at you so I might as well tell you.
“People, when you're being honest, good or bad, it's going to be uncomfortable. I had to do a few things these few months that I've been in, people that were my friends.
“It's not about that. We run a company now. It's also my reputation and how I wanted this team to be perceived to be successful. If people are not able to separate the friendship to the professional, then too bad. I think it's just a choice that I made. I think I'm a fair person. I think I try to run the team as fair as I can.
“If you're lacking, I will tell you. Or if you're doing good, I'll tell you. I don't take myself as the big boss all the time. I will never forget, Zak told me one day, You don't need a title. If 10 people walk in the room, they should be able to pick who the boss is.
“I think we have a good relationship what we're building here. Expectations are high. The pressure's really high on us, especially with McLaren doing well in Formula 1.
“Pressure? This is nothing.”
(Photo by Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment)
Kanaan has nothing but high praise for Larson, who is making his second attempt at running both the Indianapolis 500 and the NASCAR Cup Series Coke 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on the same day.
“Kyle's a true racer. I don't think I need to sit here and talk about his qualities because I think the results shows it.
“But Kyle's biggest advantage is he adapts pretty quickly because he races everything. He complains a lot less than all of us.
"Kind of being with him last year, but even this year the first two days, The car is fine, the car is fine. You can see engineers getting a little like, Whoa, it can't be fine. It's fine.
“He was right. I drove around, the car was fine. He's pretty chilled. He focuses on trying. I think that's more the condition where he comes from, you just try to adapt to the condition and try to make the car fast without trying to come in and ask for a change all the time.
“His runs are longer and you can see him playing around, which is really cool to see because I think the rhythm in INDYCAR is different. You do three laps, come in, try to make a change. I think we learned a lot from him on that as a team, especially translating to the teammates.
“He brings a lot. I mean, I raced with Kyle. We won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2015. He already amazed me there when he was pretty young, no road course background. Came in there with me and (Scott) Dixon there, ran the same lap times in the race. Thank God he's in NASCAR, not INDYCAR.
“I truly admire him as a racer. To me it's one of the biggest talents we've ever seen around the world. Pretty cool to live the experience with him.”
If the weather forecast for race day looks iffy, how will Kanaan prepare the Saturday night before… as the team principal or as a driver?
“I'm doing the team commitments that I have to do as the team principal until whatever time they need me on Saturday night. Think I kept myself in shape. I think I can wake up, switch, just go. Probably be dead after the race. Will take me 15 days to recover because I'm old.
"I'll make the commitments we have. Sponsors and partners that are coming to this race, it's a special moment for them. I'm the team principal. I'm not going to be thinking about the race until we wake up in the morning, then (if) it’s raining, I might drink a little bit more water and go.”
Dennis Krause has spent decades covering all forms of motorsports, including over 40 Indianapolis 500s, with stints at WIBA Radio, PIT PASS - Radio’s Premier Motorsports Magazine and Motorsports Minute. Follow him on X @DennisKrause500 or motorsportsminute.bluesky.social or motorsportsminute on Threads or MotorsportsMinute+ on Facebook.