BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 5, 2007)
Tony Kanaan became only the fourth driver in history to win 10 IndyCar Series races as he drove the Team 7-Eleven machine to victory in Sunday’s Firestone Indy 400 from Michigan International Speedway. Kanaan also inched closer to the IndyCar Series championship lead. He trails Scott Dixon by 57 points for second place. Teammate Dario Franchitti is the series leader.

Starting from the sixth position, Kanaan never found himself out of the top-10 spots during the 200-lap race. He battled with a loose car in the initial stages, but was aided by several great pit stops by the Team 7-Eleven crew that not only improved the car but gained him track position throughout the day.Following a 30-lap caution period that removed six cars from the race, Kanaan and teammate Marco Andretti battled each other over the final 25 laps of the event. Over the final five laps, Andretti made several attempts to get by Kanaan but was not able to find the speed necessary.

The victory was Kanaan’s third of the season, with the other two coming at Twin Ring Motegi and Milwaukee. Scott Sharp, Kosuke Matsuura and Buddy Rice rounded out the top five.

The next event on the IndyCar Series schedule is the Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola on Saturday, Aug. 11.

Tony Kanaan

“We did not have the fastest car today so this is a great victory. Marco (Andretti) was my wing man today and is my true teammate. He was trying to get me there at the end, trust me. He protected me and we decided it at the end. It’s sad that we’re not coming back to Michigan but it was a crazy race so there are mixed feelings. Every win is special and this one was great for the 7-Eleven team. I’m just very thankful that Dario is alright and now we’ve got to continue to try and catch him in the championship and hopefully finish ‘1-2’."