Tony Kanaan

Tony Kanaan
Nationality	Brazilian
Born	December 31, 1974 (1974-12-31) Salvador, Brazil
2012 IZOD IndyCar Series
Debut season	2002
Current team	KV Racing Technology
Car no.	11
Former teams	Andretti Autosport Mo Nunn Racing
Starts	123
Wins	14
Poles	11
Fastest laps	14
Best finish	1st in 2004

Antoine Rizkallah Kanaan Filho, commonly known as Tony Kanaan (born December 31, 1974 in Salvador, Brazil) is a Brazilian race car driver of Lebanese heritage.^{[citation needed]} Kanaan won the 2004 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series championship driving Andretti Green Racing's 7-Eleven sponsored car, winning three times in his Honda-powered Dallara. That season he completed 3,305 laps, making him the first IndyCar Series driver to complete every possible lap in a season. He also led 889 laps in 13 separate races to establish an IndyCar Series record. Kanaan is also the only driver to lead the Indianapolis 500 in each of his first seven starts, though he has yet to win this flagship event. He has a total of 14 IRL race victories. Kanaan was released from Andretti Autosport in October 2010 after 7-Eleven announced it would not return as his primary sponsor in 2011. After initially signing on with de Ferran Dragon Racing, the team shut down when sponsorship could not be materialized. Kanaan currently drives the #11 for KV Racing Technology.

Racing career

Kanaan started his driving career in Italy and won the 1994 Formula Europa Boxer title for Cram Competition using a Tatuus. After a season in Italian F3 he migrated to the US and was the 1997 Indy Lights champion, driving for Tasman. In 1999 he scored his first major victory in the Champ Car World Series by winning the U.S. 500 at Michigan International Speedway for Forsythe Championship Racing. After the Forsythe team lost their McDonald's sponsorship package, Kanaan moved on to Mo Nunn's start-up team for the next three years before moving on to the IRL.

Following his championship season, in 2005 he placed second in the championship to his teammate Dan Wheldon. That year, he won his first pole position for the Indianapolis 500 to add to his finishes of second, third, fifth and eighth in the event. Winning the Indianapolis 500 remains one of the few holes in his resume. In September 2005 he tested a Formula One car with the BAR-Honda Team at Jerez as a reward for his 2004 IRL championship in a Honda powered car.

Kanaan is good friend of Brazilian Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello, and they exchanged helmets for the events on May 28, 2006. Barrichello wore Kanaan's helmet livery during the Monaco GP and Kanaan wore Rubens's one during the Indy 500. The two of them created a charity offering financial and technical aid to institutions within the voluntary sector, the Barrichello Kanaan Institute.

Another of Kanaan's long-time good friends and a former teammate from his Tasman days is Helio Castroneves. Kanaan and Castroneves have developed an intense rivalry that has resulted in some hard feelings. Castroneves accused Kanaan of costing him the 2006 IndyCar Series championship by racing him too hard for position in the final race. Kanaan countered that he was not paid to let other people pass him for position. The two started to patch up their differences at Indianapolis in 2007.

Kanaan practicing for the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

Kanaan in 2010.

Kanaan had a fine 2007 season, winning a series-high five events by taking first place in Japan at Honda's Twin Ring Motegi track, the Milwaukee Mile, Michigan International Speedway, Kentucky Speedway, and the Detroit Grand Prix in Belle Isle. He also took the pole position at Kansas, although a pit-incident with team-mate Danica Patrick dropped him from a possible win. Later he took a second pole position at Kentucky. At the 2007 Indianapolis 500 he dominated the field and led at a rain delay just past the halfway point. A questionable call to pit right before the rain-shortened race ended gave the race to his teammate, Dario Franchitti, who did not appear to have Kanaan's speed. It was the latest in a string of disappointments at Indianapolis, and Kanaan is now often referred to—along with his team owner Michael Andretti – as one of the best drivers never to win the Indianapolis 500. Kanaan recorded his first win of 2008 in the SunTrust Indy Challenge at Richmond International Raceway. In the 2009 race he hit the wall and failed to finish.

In October 2010, Kanaan was released from his contract with Andretti Autosport, a few weeks after convenience store giant 7-Eleven announced it would not return as Kanaan's primary sponsor in 2011. Kanaan won 14 races and 1 championship in 8 years with Andretti Autosport.

In March 2011, Kanaan announced a deal with KV Racing Technology. He will drive the No. 82 car sponsored by GEICO. In August 2011, it was announced that Kanaan signed on for another year with KV Racing Technology according to team owner Jimmy Vasser.

Indianapolis 500 misfortunes

Since arriving at Indianapolis in 2002, Kanaan has experienced notable bad luck, and despite consistently being competitive, has failed to achieve victory. A growing sentiment among media and fans is labeling Kanaan among the greatest drivers to never win the race. From 2003–2010, Kanaan drove for team owner Michael Andretti, who also never won the race as a driver, which is referenced in the Andretti Curse.

Tony Kanaan has participated in the Indianapolis 500 ten times, with one pole position, and a best finish of second (2004), but zero wins. He ranks third on the all-time list of Indy 500 lap leaders who have not won the race (behind Michael Andretti and Rex Mays). Through 2011, he ranks 46th all-time in total laps completed, and 25th in laps completed by non-winners.

• 2002: In his rookie year, Kanaan led 23 laps and was leading the race on lap 90, when Jimmy Vasser and Bruno Junqueira both slowed with mechanical problems. An oil leak on the track went unnoticed, and Kanaan spun in the oil, crashing out of the lead in turn 3.
• 2003: Kanaan started second, and finished third. He led two laps, but was no match for the Penske cars, who finished 1st–2nd.
• 2004: Kanaan ran among the leaders all day, and led 28 laps. Rain halted the race, however, 20 laps short of the finish, and Kanaan managed only second place.
• 2005: Kanaan won his first Indy 500 pole position, and led 54 laps. He was not a factor in the final 50 laps, and dropped to 8th place at the finish. Kanaan's Andretti Green Racing teammate Dan Wheldon won the race.
• 2006: Pit stop shuffling in the final 20 laps saw Kanaan inherit the lead on lap 183. Kanaan needed one final splash-and-go pit stop, but a caution came out on lap 191. Kanaan made his stop under yellow, and the sequence saw him lose the lead. Running 4th, Kanaan was blocked inadvertently by Michael Andretti, and lost momentum. On the final lap, Dan Wheldon slipped by to take 4th, and Kanaan finished 5th.
• 2007: Kanaan was leading the race just beyond the halfway point when rain brought out the red flag on lap 113. If the rain continued, Kanaan could have been declared the winner, since the race had passed the point in which it had become official. The rain stopped, and the race was resumed. Kanaan continued to lead, and the leaders pit under a caution on lap 151. During the restart on lap 156, Kanaan came up on the back of Jaques Lazier, lost control, and spun into the entrance of the pits, blowing a tire. An angry Kanaan was credited with 12th place, while his Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti won the race.
• 2008: On lap 94, Kanaan set an all-time Indy 500 record by leading at least one lap in his first seven consecutive starts. The lead was short-lived however. On lap 105, Marco Andretti was trying to pass Kanaan in turn three, which sent Kanaan into the marbles. Kanaan lost control, crashed into the outside wall, then collected the car of Sarah Fisher.
• 2009: On lap 98, while running third Tony Kanaan suffered a drive shaft failure at speed down the backstrech. The car suddenly pitched into the wall at the entrance to turn 3. The car lost steering, bounced off the wall, then went straight into the wall in turn 3. In television interviews, Kanaan appeared visibly shaken. The next day, Tony stated the hit was recorded at 175 Gs.
• 2010: On the morning of pole day, Kanaan spun out of turn 1, and wrecked hard in the south short chute. The crash prevented Kanaan from making a qualifying attempt on Saturday. The following day (Bump Day), Kanaan was practicing in his backup car, when he suffered another, nearly identical crash, in the same part of the track. The second crash put in question Kanaan's chances of qualifying, and set the team and driver back a considerable amount of time and effort. Kanaan finally managed to qualify, and started the race from the final row in 33rd place. On race day, Kanaan charged to the front, and ran as high as second in the last ten laps of the race. Kanaan nearly matched Tom Sneva's 1980 record of being the only driver to start last (33rd) and lead a lap. A fuel strategy gamble failed, and Kanaan was forced to make one final splash-and-go pit stop with 4 laps to go. The pit stop dropped him to 11th in the final standings, but garned much praise from the fans and media for the accomplishment.
• 2011: Kanaan left Andretti Autosport, and wound up driving for KV Racing Technology. He qualified 22nd and worked his way up to 4th by lap 60. In the pits on lap 61, however, he was involved in a mishap with Pippa Mann. She was pulling out of her pit box as he was trying to pull in his, and he was forced to overshoot his pit stall. After being pushed back and receiving service, he dropped down to 24th place. He charged dramatically back up to 2nd place by lap 178. He pitted for fuel with 21 laps to go, which dropped him to an eventual 4th place finish. Kanaan later stated he felt he did not have a car fast enough to win.

Racing record

American Open-Wheel racing results

(key)

CART

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	Rank	Points
1998	Tasman Motorsports	MIA Ret	MOT 6	LBH 5	NZR 9	RIO Ret	STL Ret	MIL 17	DET 8	POR 4	CLE 14	TOR Ret	MIS 11	MDO 8	ROA 4	VAN Ret	LS 3	HOU 3	SRF 7	FON Ret			9th	92
1999	Forsythe Racing	MIA Ret	MOT 6	LBH Ret*	NZR Ret	RIO 5	STL 7	MIL 18	POR 15	CLE Ret	ROA 6	TOR Ret	MIS 1	DET 6	MDO Ret	CHI 11	VAN 9	LS Ret	HOU 9	SRF 6	FON 9		11th	85
2000	Mo Nunn Racing	MIA 10	LBH Ret	RIO Ret	MOT Ret	NZR 8	MIL 10	DET DNS	POR Inj	CLE Inj	TOR Inj	MIS Ret	CHI Ret	MDO 13	ROA 8	VAN 14	LS Ret	STL 13	HOU 10	SRF 8	FON Ret		19th	24
2001	Mo Nunn Racing	MTY 7	LBH 7	TXS NH	NZR 16	MOT 3	MIL 6	DET DNS	POR Ret	CLE 16	TOR Ret	MIS Ret	CHI 8	MDO 5	ROA 12	VAN 4	LAU 7	ROC 8	HOU 12	LS 8	SRF 17	FON 5	9th	93
2002	Mo Nunn Racing	MTY 16	LBH 20	MOT 15*	MIL 16	LS 12	POR 8	CHI 8	TOR 17	CLE 8	VAN 3	MDO 14	ROA 4	MTL 3	DEN 6	ROC 15	MIA 9	SRF 5	FON 4	MXC 8*			12th	99

Year	Team	Wins	Points	Championship Finish
1998	Tasman Motorsports	0	92	9th
1999	Forsythe Racing	1	85	11th
2000	Mo Nunn Racing	0	24	19th
2001	Mo Nunn Racing	0	93	9th
2002	Mo Nunn Racing	0	99	12th

1 win, 0 championships

IndyCar Series

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	Rank	Points
2002	Mo Nunn Racing	HMS	PHX	FON	NZR	INDY 28	TXS	PPIR	RIR	KAN	NSH	MIS	KTY	STL	CHI	TX2					50th	2
2003	Andretti Green Racing	HMS 4	PHX 1	MOT 14	INDY 3	TXS 2	PPIR 2	RIR 5	KAN 4	NSH 9	MIS 16	STL 2	KTY 6	NZR 18	CHI 6	FON 3	TX2 14				4th	476
2004	Andretti Green Racing	HMS 8	PHX 1	MOT 2	INDY 2	TXS 1	RIR 5	KAN 3	NSH 1	MIL 4	MIS 2	KTY 5	PPIR 5	NZR 2	CHI 3	FON 2	TX2 2				1st	618
2005	Andretti Green Racing	HMS 3	PHX 3	STP 2	MOT 6	INDY 8	TXS 3	RIR 19	KAN 1	NSH 19	MIL 4	MIS 4	KTY 20	PPIR 3	SNM 1	CHI 5	WGL 2	FON 2			2nd	548
2006	Andretti Green Racing	HMS 11	STP 3	MOT 3	INDY 5	WGL 11	TXS 7	RIR 18	KAN 5	NSH 12	MIL 1	MIS 4	KTY 5	SNM 11	CHI 7						6th	384
2007	Andretti Green Racing	HMS 5	STP 3	MOT 1	KAN 15	INDY 12	MIL 1	TXS 2	IOW 16	RIR 4	WGL 4	NSH 18	MDO 4	MIS 1	KTY 1	SNM 4	DET 1	CHI 6			3rd	576
2008	Andretti Green Racing	HMS 8	STP 3	MOT1 5	LBH1 DNP	KAN 2	INDY 29	MIL 3	TXS 5	IOW 18	RIR 1	WGL 3	NSH 4	MDO 7	EDM 9	KTY 8	SNM 3	DET 3	CHI 4	SRF2 21	3rd	513
2009	Andretti Green Racing	STP 5	LBH 3	KAN 3	INDY 27	MIL 19	TXS 8	IOW 14	RIR 6	WGL 8	TOR 17	EDM 21	KTY 3	MDO 10	SNM 8	CHI 13	MOT 11	HMS 4			6th	386
2010	Andretti Autosport	SAO 10	STP 10	ALA 8	LBH 5	KAN 3	INDY 11	TXS 6	IOW 1	WGL 21	TOR 4	EDM 12	MDO 17	SNM 7	CHI 5	KTY 4	MOT 7	HMS 3			6th	453
2011	KV Racing Technology	STP 3	ALA 6	LBH 8	SAO 22	INDY 4	TXS1 11	TXS2 5	MIL 19	IOW 2	TOR 26	EDM 4	MDO 5	NHM 22	SNM 28	BAL 3	MOT 17	KTY 17	LVS3		5th	366

* Season in progress.

¹ Run on same day.

² Non-points race.

³ Cancelled.

Years	Teams	Races	Poles	Wins	Podiums (Non-win)**	Top 10s (Non-podium)***	Indianapolis 500 Wins	Championships
10	3	142	11	14	37	56	0	1 (2004)

** Podium (Non-win) indicates 2nd or 3rd place finishes.

*** Top 10s (Non-podium) indicates 4th through 10th place finishes.

Indianapolis 500

Year	Chassis	Engine	Start	Finish	Team
2002	G-Force	Chevrolet	5	28	Nunn
2003	Dallara	Honda	2	3	Andretti Green
2004	Dallara	Honda	5	2	Andretti Green
2005	Dallara	Honda	1	8	Andretti Green
2006	Dallara	Honda	5	5	Andretti Green
2007	Dallara	Honda	2	12	Andretti Green
2008	Dallara	Honda	6	29	Andretti Green
2009	Dallara	Honda	6	27	Andretti Green
2010	Dallara	Honda	33*	11	Andretti Autosport
2011	Dallara	Honda	22	4	KV Racing Technology

• Tony Kanaan qualified 32nd in a back up car, but decided to switch back to his primary car for the race. This forced him to start from the 33rd position on the grid.

Complete American Le Mans Series results

Year	Entrant	Class	Chassis	Engine	Tyres	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Rank	Points
2007	Andretti Green Racing	LMP2	Acura ARX-01a	Acura 3.4L V8	M	SEB ovr:2 cls:1	STP	LNB	TEX	UTA	LIM	MID	AME	MOS	DET	PET ovr:Ret cls:Ret	MON ovr:6 cls:4	17th	39
2008	Andretti Green Racing	LMP2	Acura ARX-01b	Acura 3.4L V8	M	SEB	STP	LNB	UTA	LIM	MID	AME	MOS	DET	PET ovr:16 cls:7	MON ovr:3 cls:1		22nd	39

External links

• Tony Kanaan official website
• IndyCar Driver Page

Sporting positions
Preceded by David Empringham	Indy Lights Champion 1997	Succeeded by Cristiano da Matta
Preceded by Patrick Carpentier	CART Rookie of the Year 1998	Succeeded by Juan Pablo Montoya
Preceded by Scott Dixon	IRL IndyCar Series Champion 2004	Succeeded by Dan Wheldon
Awards
Preceded by Sam Hornish, Jr.	Scott Brayton Award 2007	Succeeded by Vitor Meira