Kanaan wary of lead in IndyCar points race

GLADEVILLE, Tenn. -- IndyCar Series points leader Tony Kanaan refuses to get comfortable midway through the season.

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"It's too early to start counting points right now. ... It's all about winning races," he said.

Kanaan has that part covered. He's the only IRL driver with three victories this season after winning the Firestone Indy 200 at Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday night. He stretched his series lead from 28 points to 61 points with eight races remaining.

Kanaan is trying to win his first IRL season championship and the first for Andretti Green Racing. The only driver to lead the points race midway through the season and win the title since the IRL started in 1996 was Sam Hornish Jr. in 2001.

Kanaan knows only too well that leading in July doesn't ensure victory at season's end. He left Nashville last year with a 14-point lead over Gil de Ferran, and he wound up fourth as Scott Dixon clinched the championship in the season finale at Texas.

Kanaan most likely would not have won Saturday night if not for pit troubles by Vitor Meira and a late tangle between teammate Dan Wheldon and Buddy Rice. Meira led the first 113 laps and was ahead by as much as seven seconds before he stalled in the pits after a crew member noticed a vent hose was still connected.

Rice, Meira's teammate at Rahal Letterman Racing, had the next fastest car, and the pole-sitter was looking for his second straight victory.

But Wheldon gambled on a pit stop on lap 165 by not taking any tires and beat everyone out for the lead. Rice tried to pass Wheldon after the restart and the two touched, damaging the nose of Rice's car.

Kanaan checked Wheldon's car during the caution and notified his team that Wheldon's rear tire was going down. He quickly took advantage, passing Wheldon in Turn 1 on the 181st lap. Wheldon's tire came off the wheel three laps later, and he wound up 13th.

"(Wheldon's) start was perfect. He made a decision on the setup I didn't believe would work, and it definitely worked pretty well. The beginning of the race I was thinking I should've gone that way," Kanaan said.

"Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn't go your way. Tonight it wasn't his fault. But he was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Rice, who remains third in the points race, wasn't happy after leading 52 laps and finishing sixth.

"(Wheldon) didn't want me to go to the inside, and he pushed my car onto the apron and we touched. We should have had a solid finish tonight, but there are some people who think otherwise. I think there should have been some racing room, and they didn't want to give any," Rice said.

Kanaan, who saw Wheldon and Rice bump, said there was no room for Rice to pass.

"I mean you have to race aggressive sometimes, not too aggressive so you take each other out," Kanaan said.