Tony Kanaan finished third in this year’s Indianapolis 500 driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, earning his fifth Indy 500 podium in his 21st entry in the famous race.
Kanaan contested his first Indy 500 in 2002, claimed his one and only victory in 2013 while driving for KV Racing, and has been one of the most popular and respected drivers on the grid ever since.
The veteran announced his ‘TKLastLap’ campaign to promote his final racing season at the beginning of 2020, just before Covid interrupted events for the next two years.
He extended his partial schedule into 2021, and had a single IndyCar race planned for this season, in part so that he could drive again at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in front of a packed house.
He was able to fulfil that wish this past weekend in front of 325,000 fans, and now feels content that he may have turned his final laps around the famous speedway.
“I was very emotional on the cool-down lap, talking to the team,” said Kanaan after the race. “I told them, ‘Guys, I tried. I’m sorry, I did my best. Thank you very much for everything.’
“A little bit of a flashback thinking maybe that was the last time I turned some laps around this place, as well. It was a mix of everything.
“I know my days are numbered. I have a plan, like I said. I think next year will be probably, if I can make it happen, will be really the last one. As of right now, this was the last one.”
Even if Kanaan retires from IndyCar at the end of this season, he will leave behind a hall-of-fame worthy legacy that will be remembered for quite some time.
The Brazilian driver is still intensely popular among the fans, and his introduction received the largest cheers from the crowd on race day.
With his lengthy IndyCar career winding down, the 47-year-old still left open the possibility of returning again next year if the right opportunity came around.
“I still race quite a bit,” continued Kanaan. “I’m doing 23 races this year, more than actually I did when I was in IndyCar. I don’t feel like I’m retiring.
“I mean, I know I can still drive. Of course, we have these things that people like to talk about: age and age and age.
“But I think I’m in pretty good shape. I’ll keep doing it as long as the opportunity presents.”
