Kanaan seeks relief in Richmond

After a month of driving into walls, Tony Kanaan couldn't be happier to see Richmond.

The IndyCar veteran has suffered from horrible luck recently, and things didn't improve last week, as he crashed in Iowa for the third consecutive year, causing him to wonder whether he was Bill Murray in the movie "Groundhog Day."

If he is, that won't be a problem this weekend -- Kanaan is the defending champion in the SunTrust Indy Challenge, and his last tour victory came last year at RIR.

"It's been a very competitive year, and it's been hard to win," the Brazilian native said. "The series is getting more and more competitive. That's why I'm really looking forward to Richmond."

Kanaan is one of the marquee names at Andretti Green Racing, which also fields the cars of Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick.

And while the team as a whole hasn't been winning races, it's an even bigger surprise for Kanaan, the 2004 series champion. He said he's trying to fight through the downturn without overthinking things.

"You can't put that pressure on yourself, or you'll go crazy," he said. "So many factors need to go right for you to win that, to be honest."

The losing wasn't as bad early this season, when he rattled off three straight top-five finishes, but things started going bad at Indianapolis, where his much-documented struggle to win an Indy 500 came up short again this year. He hit the wall on the 98th lap to end his race, the first time in the past eight years that he hadn't led a lap.

The crash didn't put him out of commission, but he is still feeling the effects on his body. He struggled to get around the week after but has continued to race in the weeks since.

In Iowa last week, he hit the wall after a pit stop, failing to warm up his tires enough to properly grasp the pavement. Kanaan has finished only one of the past four races he's started.

Still, he's feeling good about his prospects in Richmond, and he knows he'll bring a fast car to town on a track where that is rewarded.

"It's a driver's racetrack -- a very difficult race physically and mentally," he said. "I enjoy it, and it suits my style."

On the short track, drivers find passing difficult, since that means taking the longer outside route through the turns. Instead, they have to wait around for somebody to make a mistake.

After a few weeks of being the driver who knocks himself out, Kanaan is ready to seize the day at RIR, even if it doesn't mean victory.

"For me, success is a matter of how well you're doing with the equipment and the day that you're having," he said. "Every year, the competition changes, the people change and your car changes. For me, it's about doing the best with what I've got."

Contact Michael Phillips at (804) 649-6546