Indy 500 Winner Visits Fort Worth

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FORT WORTH – Still basking in the glory of his triumph in Sunday’s 97th running of the Indianapolis 500 race that is steeped in history, it was only fitting that IZOD IndyCar Series driver Tony Kanaan began his whirlwind victory tour on Tuesday afternoon at a venue that is rich in history and tradition in Fort Worth, Texas.

Kanaan, with the Borg-Warner winner’s wreath in tow, was greeted and serenaded by 12 members of the North Side High School Mariachi Silver Spurs Band as he arrived at the historic Joe T. Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant that was established in 1935 for a special luncheon with Texas Motor Speedway season-ticket holders, Speedway Club members, sponsors and media.

“The last 48 hours I’ve seen more cameras and microphones than I’ve ever seen in my life,” Kanaan said. “I’ve slept eight hours of the last 48 and I’m enjoying every moment of it. It’s a good problem to have but I’m waiting, it’s going to hit me eventually. Now I’m still in the adrenaline rush so I’m still up but I’m afraid when I relax that I’m going to get sick and be in bed for a few days, which I can afford that right now, but I’m enjoying every moment of it.”

A resounding welcome was just part of what the newly crowned champion received during his visit to Fort Worth. Fort Worth Councilman Dennis Shingleton welcomed the champion and presented him with a special silver Fort Worth platter emblazoned with

the city’s distinguished longhorn steer “molly” logo.

The luncheon fittingly concluded with a special toast with the Indy 500 champion’s beverage of choice – milk – that is given to the winner of that race in Victory Circle. Kanaan raised his champagne glass of milk and the nearly 200 in attendance responded with a return milk toast in his honor.

“I don’t think this (narrow champagne) glass is going to work with my nose – I can’t get to the milk,” Kanaan quipped before chugging down the beverage. “I’ve kind of started liking milk.”

It seemed as if Kanaan would never get a chance to even taste the milk as misfortune always seemed to dash his Indy 500 hopes at the most inopportune times. During his previous 11 attempts at winning open-wheel’s most prestigious race, he had led 221 laps, more than any other non-winner beside Michael Andretti and Rex Mays.

However, misfortune never reared its ugly head on Sunday for Kanaan. His pass for the lead on the final restart with three laps remaining proved to be the difference. He was able to finally catch a break as a few seconds later after the restart a crash involving three-time Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti froze the field and handed the once-elusive win to Kanaan.

“I’ve been very fortunate in my career to achieve a lot of things,” said Kanaan, who owns 16 career IndyCar Series wins and a series championship in 2004. “As a race-car driver, you ask a guy what does he want to win, it’s a (series) championship and an Indy 500, and I’ve done both.”

Kanaan attributes his change in luck to two special lucky charms he received before Sunday’s race. Former Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) driver and close friend Alex Zanardi, who lost his legs during a 2001 CART race in Germany, had Kanaan rub his gold medal he won at the 2012 Paralympic Games for cycling on his No. 11 KV Racing Technology Chevrolet Dallara.

Along with the luck from Zanardi’s gold medal, Kanaan drove with a special charm beneath his firesuit that he had given to a young girl nine years ago just before she was about to undergo brain surgery. The woman, now 24, mailed the necklace to him that arrived in the mail four days before the Indy 500 and was accompanied by a note that read: “Here’s your good luck charm back. Now you take it and win the Indianapolis 500.”

“I mean obviously over the years I don’t know if people felt sorry for me or if they really wanted me to win,” Kanaan said with a smile. “If I had to bring every good luck charm that I had ever been given, I would need a semi-truck behind my Indy car to bring all of them.

“She thought it was time, the past nine years were such a great thing for her and she wanted me to have it back because she wanted me to win the 500. So I have it back, I have it with me. It’s such a great story because you never do things expecting anything back. This one, definitely if I write a book one day, this would be in it.”

Kanaan hopes to use his victory in Sunday’s Indy 500 as momentum toward the series’ second oval race of the season – the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, June 8, that will be held during primetime on network television with ABC-TV.

He has enjoyed great success at Texas Motor Speedway as he owns the second-best career finishing average at 5.92. He has a victory (June of 2004) and 10 top-10 finishes in 13 career starts and always seems to be in contention at Texas Motor Speedway. However, the Indy 500-Firestone 550 double has been a difficult feat as only Arie Luyendyk (1997) and Scott Dixon (2008) have won both races in the same season.

“I only have great memories of it (Texas Motor Speedway),” said Kanaan, who also celebrated his 2004 series championship at Texas Motor Speedway when the venue also hosted the season finale. “It’s awesome. It’s an awesome race to be in. I love this place and I have a great relationship with this place. If it could be my second win of the year on the ovals that would be really sweet.”

Kanaan and the IZOD IndyCar Series return to Texas Motor Speedway for the Firestone 550 on Saturday, June 8. Tickets are still available by calling (817) 215-8500 or by visiting www.texasmotorspeedway.com.

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