Drivers yearning to grab historic victory

100th running of the Indianapolis 500 will draw capacity crowd.

indianapolis» Tony Kanaan spent the final practice before the Indianapolis 500 talking to the racetrack.

He wanted to be kind to the old lady, to land in her good graces before the historic 100th running of “The Greatest Spectacle In Racing.”

“I think this track will pick the winner. Whatever she picks, it’s going to be a very lucky guy,” Kanaan said Friday after landing atop the leaderboard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “I’m trying to massage the track a little bit, talk to her nicely and then see if she will pick me on Sunday.”

Kanaan has led a total of 715 miles around the sprawling speedway, but it took him 12 tries to win the checkered flag. That 2013 victory was the most important of his career, and the Brazilian is eager to try for another in front of the first capacity crowd in the history of a race that was first run in 1911. There could be more than 350,000 people on hand on what is expected to be a warm, sunny Sunday that will be marked by celebration.

“I’m so humbled to be part of this, I’ve always wanted to be in this race since I was a little kid,” he said. “I never really came to this place until I raced in 2002, so I haven’t experienced what it’s like when this place is sold out. I’ve been here for 15 years and I’ve never, never seen anything like this. I hope it’s the big jump we need to bring the 500 back to where it belongs.”

This centennial running has turned a special event into a once-in-a-lifetime experience. At least 100,000 fans poured into the speedway Friday for Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice. Everyone wants to be part of the show, and every driver wants to win this race.

Marco Andretti has been preparing for Sunday for an entire year.

His family suffers from the notorious “Andretti curse” that has produced just one victory — Mario Andretti in 1969 — despite numerous chances to win. Michael Andretti returned from retirement in 2006 to race against his son, an Indy 500 rookie. 10 a.m. MDT Sunday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, KMGH-7 ROW 1. (5) James Hinchcliffe, 2. (21) Josef Newgarden, 3. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, 1 Honda, 230.760 mph Chevrolet, 230.700 Honda, 230.648