Tony Kanaan hopes to give home fans a win

By May 4, 2013, 8:00 PM EDT
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Despite dealing with an injured right hand, Tony Kanaan still managed to break into the Firestone Fast Six and claim a solid fourth-place starting position for tomorrow’s Sao Paulo Indy 300.

That should increase already high anticipation amongst the home crowd going into the race. Kanaan finished third in his first-round group and then hit the top of the second round charts before earning his best start of the season thus far.

“We had a great car from the get go, but there was no way I could beat those guys that had sticker reds during the Fast Six,” said Kanaan, who is a native of the city of Salvador in the Brazilian state of Bahia. “It was a disadvantage not having the new Firestones, but you know, they got it by luck because of how their qualifying group went on.

“I’m happy. This is my home race; we have the fans cheering and the backing from my local sponsor. Starting in fourth in a street course is not bad at all and I think it’s going to be weird seeing just three cars in front of me at the start.”

According to the AP’s Tales Azzoni, Kanaan received an injection before Saturday’s qualifying and will get another before the race tomorrow. He’s also had to continue icing his injured hand every time he’s out of his No. 11 KV Racing Technology machine.

Nonetheless, Kanaan easily out-paced his fellow Brazilian racers Ana Beatriz and championship leader Helio Castroneves on Saturday. Beatriz will start 16th and Castroneves 18th after both were caught out by James Jakes’ engine fire that ended their first-round session.

Kanaan’s ability to race through the pain impressed Target Chip Ganassi Racing driver and good friend Dario Franchitti, who’s convinced that the Brazilian will be a contender.

“In the [Turn 11] hairpin using maximum lock, it’s difficult on your hands and your wrists — Tony is there with essentially one hand working properly and in a lot of pain,” the Scotsman said.

“…Give him a sniff at a win, he looks — he can see a win, he’ll be pushing very, very hard.  That was an impressive performance today, definitely.”

Watch tomorrow’s Sao Paulo Indy 300 online and on your mobile device.

Will Power shows Flavor Flav what time it is in IndyCar: ‘This is the highlight of the weekend’

By Jun 4, 2023, 11:00 PM EDT
Will Power Flavor Flav
Joe Skibinski/Penske Entertainment
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DETROIT – When Flavor Flav unexpectedly showed up in Team Penske’s pits for the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix weekend, Will Power knew what time it was.

So the defending NTT IndyCar Series champion dropped it on the man who made oversized clocks as fashion accessories famous.

And he used the kind of wordplay that was the pride of Public Enemy (the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame rap group led by Chuck D with Flavor Flav as loyal sidekick).

“I said to Flavor Flav, ‘You know, people today are going to have to ‘Fight the Power,’ ” Power said with a broad smirk, referencing one of Public Enemy’s most memorable and strident anthems. “And it was true! They had to ‘Fight the Power.’ ”

With a second place in Detroit, the No. 12 Dallara-Chevy driver earned his best finish since last September and impressed a musical hero who apparently attended his first IndyCar race this weekend and promptly fell in love with the sport.

After being interviewed by NBC Sports’ Kevin Lee during the Peacock qualifying broadcast Saturday, Flavor Flav made the rounds. He met with Roger Penske in Team Penske’s at-track headquarters and also ran into Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (who was at the track Saturday).

“I have a great picture of Roger Penske, the governor and Flavor Flav,” Detroit Grand Prix chairman Bud Denker said. “It’s a great one. I’ll cherish that one for a long time. It’s pretty precious.”

With the Detroit GP holding nightly free concerts in Hart Plaza inside the race course, Flav made an impromptu appearance to freestyle at Big Boi’s show Friday before also showing up during Steve Aoki’s Saturday night set.

He then rode with Power and his wife, Liz, in a pickup truck around the 1.645-mile street course during driver introductions Sunday morning.

Flav was wearing a red No. 12 Will Power shirt that the defending series champion believes was purchased at a track merchandise trailer.

“That is the highlight of the weekend,” he said. “Flavor Flav was wearing my shirt, man.”

It was a dream come true for the two-time IndyCar champion and 2018 Indy 500 winner. Power, 42, grew up listening to Public Enemy with his buddies in Toowoomba, Australia, and they went nuts when he posted photos with Flavor Flav to his personal Facebook page.

“My friends are like, ‘Dude, you should just quit racing now. You have made it to the top,’ ” Power said. “We all listened to Public Enemy, and they would never believe that I actually would be hanging out with Flavor Flav. That is nuts. I’ll have to go Vegas to hang out with him. Maybe we’ll do a rap together.”

“Yeeaaah, boy!” third-place finisher Felix Rosenqvist, who apparently gave “It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back” a few spins while growing up in Sweden, chimed in during the postrace news conference.

The only disappointment for Power was coming up 1.1843 seconds short of beating Alex Palou.

Flav had promised to celebrate on the podium if Power had won the race.

“He is the most positive dude you will ever meet,” Power said. “Pretty cool experience. Pretty cool to put it on your personal Facebook.

“All your friends that you went to school with, they’re like, ‘Man this dude is big-time, he’s hanging out with Flavor Flav. ‘I sat next to Ice-T at dinner. I have also had dinner with Slash from Guns N’ Roses. I wish I got videos of those ones as well so I could put it on the personal Facebook

“No one cares about race cars or that I won the Indy 500. It’s like, ‘You had dinner with Slash? You know Flavor Flav?’ Yeah!”

Power already has in mind some future musical guests he’d like to meet, starting with another of Detroit’s own.

“I’m more of a ’90s rap guy, but if I met Eminem, that would also be epic,” Power said. “Ice Cube’s the one, man. If I could meet Ice Cube or Snoop Dogg in Long Beach. Why doesn’t someone bring them to Long Beach? Maybe they should have an Ice Cube day. That would be dope.”