Former Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan shares emotions after 2013 win

INDIANAPOLIS (WNDU) - Ask any IndyCar driver who’s won the Borg-Warner Trophy… Nothing tops the thrill of victory.

For Brazilian Tony Kanaan, his 2013 Indy 500 win was the sweetest of them all.

Tony lost his dad at age 13. Growing up, the two of them would watch the Indy 500. Before his dad passed away, he made Tony promise him that one day he would win and kiss the bricks.

16 Sports spoke with Tony on Thursday about what victory in Indianapolis is like, and what’s the motivation to do it again.

“That was the best moment of my life,” he said. “It’s so hard to accomplish, regardless of what you say, what you think, what you dream. It was just a relief. I was like, ‘You know what, check, it’s done.’ I don’t need to do anything else in my career from now on. That is complete. So that was the feeling. Relief.

“I was proud,” he continued. “I was thinking, ‘Dad, wherever you are, I hope you’re proud because I lived up to my promise. So, it was a sensation of mission accomplished.”

Tony has decided this year’s Indy 500 will be his last. You can watch the race live on Sunday right here on WNDU. Pre-race coverage begins at 11 a.m. on WNDU, with the race starting at 12:30 p.m.

You can find more pre-race coverage on Peacock starting at 9 a.m.

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