PHOENIX, March 22 (UPI) -- Tony Kanaan heeded some advice from his team owner and fellow driver Michael Andretti before Saturday's Indy Racing League series qualifying and ended up with his second straight pole position.
Kanaan flat-footed the accelerator to a fast lap of 178.512 miles per hour in a Dallara/Honda at the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway and will start at the front in Sunday's Purex-Dial Indy 200.
"He told me when he was here in 1994, he made the track flat all the way around in qualifying," said the Brazilian native. "I followed his instructions for qualifying. Michael told me to be patient here and in the race, be patient in traffic.
"I'm not a rookie at a one-mile oval race because I've run a lot of races in CART on mile ovals, like Milwaukee and Nazareth, so I know what to expect on Sunday."
Not only is Andretti Kanaan's team owner, he is also a fellow driver who competed at PIR from 1984 until 1995. The son of 1969 Indianapolis 500 winner Mario Andretti won here in 1986 and won the pole in 1992.
Andretti was set to win the race in 1995, but gave it away at the end when he was told on the radio to let Robby Gordon by because Gordon was a lap down. That was not the as Gordon was on the lead lap and the pass was actually for the victory.
"He told me about how he lost it that year and I'm going to try not to do that myself," Kanaan said.
Kanaan's boyhood pal from Brazil -- Felipe Giaffone -- was the second-fastest with a lap at 177.766 miles per hour in a G Force-Toyota. Scott Dixon -- who won the IRL season-opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 2 -- was third quick at 177.661 mph in a G Force-Toyota, followed by Helio Castroneves' 177.027 in a Dallara-Toyota and Andretti's 176.842 in a Dallara-Honda.
