IndyCar veteran Tony Kanaan relives monumental win from 2014 at now demolished racetrack

IndyCar champ Tony Kanaan took a trip down memory lane on Thursday, December 26. The Brazilian driver found a clip from the 2014 IndyCar archives of the season finale in Fontana, California, where he recorded his breakthrough win for Chip Ganassi Racing.

2014 was Kanaan's first year with CGR. Until the last race, the MAVTV 500, it was a bittersweet season as the Brazilian driver scored five podiums in 17 races, but the incomplete feeling of wrapping up the season without a win troubled him. With one last chance to taste victory at the 2-mile Auto Club Speedway, he showed up in style and won the 250-lap race with a 3.675-second lead over teammate Scott Dixon, his first win since the 2013 Indy 500.

Kanaan recently indulged in a 'Throwback Thursday' and shared a 19-second clip on X (formerly Twitter) of him taking the chequered flag and celebrating with the team at Fontana, which was demolished last year for a reconstruction project. The 49-year-old captioned the post:

"Last #tbt of the year goes to my final @IndyCar win at Fontana in 2014, driving the #10 of my brother @dariofranchitti."

Tony Kanaan started the race in seventh position, climbed his way up, and led 64 laps. Though the victory was a pivotal moment in his career, the spotlight shifted to Team Penske's Will Power, who finished ninth to take his fourth IndyCar championship.

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Tony Kanaan warmly dedicated the 2014 Fontana victory to 4x IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti

Tony Kanaan hugs Dario Franchitti at the 2014 MAVTV 500 - Day 2 - Source: Getty

Dario Franchitti's IndyCar career ended abruptly in 2013 after a life-threatening crash at the Grand Prix of Houston. The No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing driver's car made contact with Takuma Sato's car in the final lap, launched into the catch fence, rebounded, spun, and finally came to a stop in the middle of a track. The incident that also injured 13 spectators left Franchitti with a concussion, a right ankle fracture, and two broken vertebrae.

He lost five weeks of memory leading up to the race and his IndyCar career ended that day. In 2014, CGR signed Tony Kanaan to replace Franchitti in the No.10 car. However, the then-39-year-old never felt out of place in a new team. Post-recovery, Franchitti mentored him throughout the year till the ecstatic win at the season finale. Kanaan made a special mention of his close aide post-race and said (via Los Angeles Times):

"I actually dedicated this victory to [Franchitti]. I was grateful for what he’s done for me this year. He helped me adapt to the team really quick."

Kanaan also mentioned how lucky he felt to have won the last race, which gave him bragging rights for seven months of the offseason till the 2015 season started. He retired in 2023 after his final appearance at the 107th Indy 500 for Arrow McLaren, the team he now leads as its deputy Team Principal.