KANAAN GLAD TO REVISIT SHORT TRACK
Driver expects fast, furious action in return to Phoenix
Racetracks that are fast and furious speak to 2004 IndyCar Series champion Tony Kanaan, and that’s the kind of action he foresees in this weekend’s return to Phoenix International Raceway.
History suggests Kanaan will be right, and that figures to make him a contender to win Saturday night’s Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix. He won IndyCar races there in 2003 and 2004, and among his 17 career wins are triumphs at three other rapid-fire short tracks: the Milwaukee Mile (twice), Richmond International Raceway and Iowa Speedway.
PIR has been described as a smaller version of the Twin Ring Motegi oval in Japan and, not coincidentally, Kanaan has won there, too.
“Those short tracks have always been my kind of places,” Kanaan says. “For whatever reason, I love them. Must be my (driving) style.”
Kanaan is one of four active Verizon IndyCar Series drivers who have raced these type of cars at PIR: Helio Castroneves, who won there in 2002; Scott Dixon and Ed Carpenter.
IndyCar last raced here in 2005 when Sam Hornish Jr. won, but the track has changed significantly since then. There is more banking in the corners, the track has been repaved and there is more space exiting Turn 2, the latter changing the speed at which cars travel down the backstretch.
Some of the drivers tested aerodynamic pieces for Chevrolet and Honda in the fall, and IndyCar staged a two-day open test last month. The downforce levels recommended by the manufacturers have some drivers and team engineers questioning the amount of passing drivers will be able to do in the race, but most don’t see it as an issue.
Put Kanaan in the latter group. He is one of the drivers in this series who seems to make passes where opportunities don’t seem to exist. “We all say (passing will be difficult), then in the race we figure it out,” he says.
Carpenter says it is natural to be concerned about an aero configuration heading into a new event but perspective needs to be factored in. There will be traffic, tire wear and changing weather conditions, and all of those things affect how the cars handle.
When one car is handling better than another, a passing opportunity presents itself.
“Once we all get out there in real race conditions and actually try to race each other rather than just run around, that’s when you’ll see,” Carpenter says. “There’s 22 cars, so maybe there’s traffic. I think we’ll be able to pass. We should be fine.”
Drivers will take the green flag at about 6:15 p.m. local time (9:15 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network). Official sunset will come a half-hour later, which means the track will cool significantly during the 250 laps.
Will Power wanted IndyCar to allow the engines to produce more horsepower similar to what’s used on road courses and street circuits to make driving the car more challenging, but IndyCar stuck with the recommendation of the manufacturers.
Power says that style of racing would be “way more fun to drive,” but he’ll make the best of the situation. Besides, he’s just eager to get back on track after missing the season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla., with an inner ear infection.
“You’ve got to make work what you’ve got,” he says.