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CART: Tony Kanaan Post Race Notes and Quotes, Mid Ohio

14 August 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Round 13 of 20 on the 2000 CART FedEx Championship Series

Tony Kanaan and the #55 Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing Mercedes-Benz Reynard finished 13th in todays Miller Lite 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course after a late-race accident involving Kanaan cost what appeared to be a sure points-producing finish. Kanaan started 19th and steadily worked his way up in the order thanks, in large part, to flawless work in the pits by the Hollywood/Mo Nunn Racing crew during scheduled stops on Laps 27 and 55. He was running 11th when, on Lap 69, Alex Tagliani spun Paul Tracy on the backstraight with Cristiano da Matta and Kanaan close behind. Da Matta got by, having to go off course to the left of the spin, but Kanaan had nowhere else to go but into Tracys car. Tracy was immediately out of the race. Da Matta was forced to quit due to damage caused by his off-course excursion. Kanaan had to make an unscheduled stop to replace the front nosepiece on his car. He resumed in 15th place, a lap down to the leaders, but picked up two spots before the end of the 83-lap event. Kanaan did manage to record the fourth-fastest lap of the race. Helio Castroneves won today for the second time in his career.

The next stop on the 20-event CART FedEx Championship Series tour is Round 14 next weekend (Aug. 18-20) at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., for the Motorola 220.

TONY KANAAN

"What a way to go on what was already a very frustrating weekend. You had to figure bad luck would haunt us again, since this is Round 13 on the season, and its August 13th. Maybe its fitting that we have a 13th-place finish. We had a top-10 car for sure. Its a shame that the accident happened. I could see it coming up ahead of me, but I was saying, no, please dont do it. But Tags spun Paul, Cristiano barely got by, and I had absolutely nowhere to go. It cost us points, for sure, which would have been quite an accomplishment considering how this weekend was going for us. But hey, we persevered, and I think the crew is upbeat, all things considered. So we have some positive energy to take to Elkhart Lake after exorcising the demons here at Mid-Ohio."

Text provided by Laz Denes

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