Autoweek - January 23_ 2017 magazine-pdf.org

2017 RACING PREVIEW
NEVER TOO LATE
INDYCAR ELDER STATESMEN HÉLIO
CASTRONEVES, TONY KANAAN IN
MIDDLE OF RARE WIN DROUGHT
FOR MANY TRACKside
observers, it takes
awhile to absorb the fact
that Tony Kanaan and
Hélio Castroneves, two
of IndyCar’s marquee
drivers and most vibrant
personalities, have totaled
zero race victories
in the past two seasons.
Both are looking to
change that ugly statistic
this season, from the
cockpits they’ve filled
for years—Kanaan at
Chip Ganassi Racing
and Castroneves at
Team Penske.
Both drivers had best
finishes of second last
year, but Castroneves
fared better over the
course of the season,
finishing third in points
to Kanaan’s seventh.
They open this
season of IndyCar as
two of its older threats.
“Last year was just
the way it is sometimes,”
Kanaan, 42, said. “I think
we ran pretty strong
until we had a couple of
mechanical failures near
the end of the year. We
don’t have to do anything
much differently—just try
to win races and finish as
far up as we can to fight
for the championship.”
Kanaan and his
teammates face a few
challenges as Ganassi
moves from Chevrolet
to Honda.
“It’s hard to predict
what will happen, but I
think Honda has a very
good product,” Kanaan
said. “We’re going to
have to work hard right
away because of the way
the championship has
played out the past
couple years. We can’t
afford to start behind.”
Castroneves, 41,
missed two of his main
goals last year—to win
the series title and the
Indianapolis 500 for
team owner Roger
Penske in Penske’s
50th racing season. His
toughest competition—
again—is likely to come
in-house as Penske fields
a stellar four-car effort.
“It’s been great for
me because I’ve learned
from my teammates,”
Castroneves said. “I wish
I had had that experience
10 years ago.”
Castroneves will
shoot for a fourth Indy
500 win, a victory that
looms large as he races
in the closing years of
his career.
“I would like to tie the
record of my hero, Rick
Mears, at Indy,” he said.
“It would be a real honor
to get out of this sport
having joined that elite
group. He’s my spotter,
and I believe he wants
me to win it as much
as anybody.” -MH
For more IndyCar stories, including further
bold predictions and preseason news,
along with race coverage during the season, go to
autoweek.com/racing/IndyCar and follow us on
Twitter @AutoweekUSA.
BOLD PREDICTION
Scott Dixon wins his
second Indy 500 in the 101st
running and gives Honda
back-to-back triumphs.
2017 CHAMPION:
Will Power,
Team Penske
ON THE RISE:
Alexander Rossi,
Andretti-Herta
Autosport
NEXT BIG THING:
RC Enerson,
Dale Coyne Racing
OUR PICKS
Enerson
VERIZON INDYCAR SCHEDULE
SUNDAY, MARCH 12 St. Petersburg, FL
SUNDAY, APRIL 9
Long Beach, CA
SUNDAY, APRIL 23
Birmingham, AL
SATURDAY, APRIL 29
Phoenix
SATURDAY, MAY 13
Indianapolis
SUNDAY, MAY 28
Indianapolis
SATURDAY, JUNE 3
Detroit
SUNDAY, JUNE 4
Detroit
SATURDAY, JUNE 10
Fort Worth, TX
SUNDAY, JUNE 25
Elkhart Lake, WI
SUNDAY, JULY 9
Newton, IA
SUNDAY, JULY 16
Toronto
SUNDAY, JULY 30
Lexington, OH
SUNDAY, AUG. 20
Long Pond, PA
SATURDAY, AUG. 26
Madison, IL
SUNDAY, SEPT. 3
Watkins Glen, NY
SUNDAY, SEPT. 17
Sonoma, CA
LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC; INDYCAR MEDIA (2)
14 AUTOWEEK JANUARY 23, 2017