American Legion No. 48 set for Indy 500 qualifications

Coming off posting the fastest lap during Thursday’s practice session, Tony Kanaan and Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) have the American Legion car in strong shape heading into this weekend’s Indianapolis 500 qualifications.

During the first three days of practice this week at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Kanaan had the No. 48 Honda that features The American Legion as the prominent paint scheme running among the fastest cars on the track.

The 2013 Indy 500 champ, Kanaan hit 224.593 mph during the Tuesday practice session – 11th-fastest for the day – and followed that up with an even more impressive session Wednesday, topping out with the fifth-best speed at 225.774. It was part of a strong overall performance by CGR, in which its three other drivers – Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson and Alex Palou – posted the first-, fourth- and eighth-best speeds.

Kanaan followed up Thursday posting a fast lap of 225.341, good enough for the day’s best. “All in all, I think we had a strong week,” Kanaan told Peacock, adding that the thrill of attempting to qualify for the Indy 500 hasn’t waned over his long career. “I live for that. I won’t be able to sleep tonight. Tomorrow night’s even worse. It’s this place. If I didn’t have this feeling, I would say it’s time to not be doing this.”

Kanaan also shared with Peacock how excited he is to be a part of Chip Ganassi Racing this year and next after originally announcing 2020 would be his last INDYCAR season. “I was expecting to not be around, and then I get a call from (CGR teammate Jimmie Johnson) and Chip, and here we are for two more years,” he said. “I can’t thank them enough. I can’t thank (The) American Legion, all the sponsors (enough), and I’m having a blast. If you had told me that was going to happen last year, I was going to say ‘you’re crazy’. I’m really, really thrilled to be here.”

Practice continues Friday with the addition of a turbocharger boost to reach the speeds the cars will run during qualifying. Qualifications start Saturday at noon ET and will run in three different sessions until 6 p.m., with television coverage being provided by Peacock, NBC and/or NBC Sports. Click here for the schedule.

The top nine qualifiers from Saturday will compete in Sunday’s Fast Nine Shootout to determine the pole position and starting order of the first three rows. The Fast Nine Shootout will be broadcast live by both NBC and Peacock beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET.