Indy 500: On this date in 2013 – Tony Kanaan finally breaks through

By Asher Fair | May 26, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MAY 26: Tony Kanaan of Brazil, driver of the Hydroxycut KV Racing Technology-SH Racing Chevrolet, pours the victory milk over his head as he celebrates in victory circle after winning the IZOD IndyCar Series 97th running of the Indianpolis 500 mile race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 26, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

Tony Kanaan finally broke through with the first Indy 500 victory of his IndyCar career in the 97th running of the race back on Sunday, May 26, 2013.

Entering the 2013 Indianapolis 500, it could have almost been considered an undisputed fact that the best IndyCar driver who had never won the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” was KV Racing Technology’s Tony Kanaan.

Kanaan had competed in this race on 11 occasions before, and he had recorded five top five finishes, including a career-high second place finish in his third start in the race back in its 88th running in 2004. He entered the 2013 season, his third season driving for KV Racing Technology, having recorded finishes of fourth and third in the race in 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Kanaan started the 97th running of the 200-lap race around the four-turn, 2.5-mile (4.023-kilometer) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in Speedway, Indiana in 12th place in his #11 Chevrolet. He didn’t stay there, or anywhere near there for that matter, for long, as on lap nine, he became the race’s first leader aside of polesitter Ed Carpenter of Ed Carpenter Racing.

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This race ended up being the biggest wild card race and perhaps the wildest race in Indy 500 history. The all-time Indy 500 lead change record was set the previous year when the lead changed hands a total of 34 times among 10 drivers over the course of the race’s 200 laps.

By lap 123 of the race in 2013, that record was history. The 2013 Indy 500 ended up resulting in that record being doubled, as the lead changed hands a total of 68 times among an all-time record 14 drivers. In reality, there were even more than 68 lead changes, as the lead was exchanged several times over the course of several individual laps. However, lead changes only count if the leader at the end of a lap was not the leader at the end of the previous lap.

Only twice throughout the race did a driver lead for more than nine consecutive laps, and 29 of the 69 stints during which a different driver led the race resulted in the leader leading for only one lap before relinquishing the lead. On 15 occasions, the leader led for two laps before relinquishing the lead.

Andretti Autosport’s Ryan Hunter-Reay was the leader of the race coming to the final restart with three laps remaining. Kanaan trailed him in second place. Kanaan passed him going into turn one, and just a few seconds later, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti crashed behind them, bringing out the caution flag that ultimately ended the race.

Kanaan led 34 laps over the course of 15 stints, including six that lasted for only one lap and five that lasted for only two laps, en route to finally finding victory lane at the famed Brickyard.

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Who will find victory lane in this year’s Indianapolis 500, which is scheduled to take place later today? Today’s race, which is the sixth of 17 races on the 2019 IndyCar schedule, is set to be broadcast live on NBC from Indianapolis Motor Speedway beginning at 11:00 p.m. ET, and it is scheduled to begin slightly after 12:30 p.m. ET.