Tony Kanaan of Brazil hugs the Borg-Warner Trophy as he poses during the traditional photo session for the winner of the Indianapolis 500 auto race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Monday. — AP
INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana — Brazil's Tony Kanaan collected $2.35 million Monday from a total purse of more than $12 million for winning the 97th Indianapolis 500 with the fastest winning speed in race history. Kanaan completed 200 laps Sunday around the 2.5-mile (4km) Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval in 2 hrs 40 mins 3.4181 secs at 187.433mph (301.644kph), breaking the old mark of 185.981mph set by Dutchman Arie Luyendyk in 1990. A stretch of 130 laps in a row without a caution flag pushed Kanaan and his top rivals to keep racing at a pace unmatched in Indy history. “It was a fast race, a very fast race,” Kanaan said. “You can tell how tight the field was because in the past you always had the mix of drivers that would make mistakes and nobody did. “I don't recall doing more than one or two stops under green here ever in the past 11 years. Here we did almost all of them. I'm like, ‘Can we get a break so I can drink my water a little?' So it was a fast race.” It took Kanaan 12 career starts to finally win at Indy, matching the record for the longest drought for an eventual Indy 500 winner established when Sam Hanks won in 1957 in his 12th attempt. Colombian Carlos Munoz, who finished second after becoming the youngest front-row starter in Indy history when he began from the middle, was named the race's Rookie of the Year and won $964,205. Defending IndyCar series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay took $583,005 for finishing third, while US compatriot Marco Andretti took $469,755 for taking fourth. No American has won the Indy 500 since 2006. Britain's fifth-place Justin Wilson, the top-finishing Honda-powered driver in a race dominated by Chevrolet engines, took home $337,805 while Brazil's Helio Castroneves, a three-time Indy winner, earned $313,755 in sixth position. US pole sitter Ed Carpenter, who finished 10th, received $405,955, which included $100,000 for taking the inside front row starting spot in qualifying. Fox Sports has not determined why rope snapped Fox Sports Monday said it still had not determined why an overhead TV camera cable snapped during the Coca-Cola 600. The network says a full investigation is under way and use of the camera is suspended indefinitely. Earlier, NASCAR said it would wait for Fox Sports to conclude its review before deciding if such technology would be used in the future. Charlotte Motor Speedway said 10 people were injured when part of the drive rope landed in the grandstand; three were taken to hospitals. All were assessed and released soon after. In a statement, Fox said it was “relieved and thankful to know that the injuries to fans caused then CAMCAT malfunctioned at Charlotte Motor Speedway were minor.” Several drivers, including then-leader Kyle Busch, reported damage to their cars from the rope. NASCAR spokesman Kerry Tharp told The Associated Press on Monday that there were no plans to use the system at upcoming races “so we'll have ample time to review.” The network said the system was provided by Austrian company CAMCAT. The rope that failed was certified for a breaking strength of 9,300 pounds and was only bearing less than 900 pounds of force during the race, according to Fox Sports. — Agencies
