Tony Kanaan fastest in final practice for 100th Indy 500

INDIANAPOLIS – Tony Kanaan was fastest in the final round of practice for the 100th Indy 500, posting a lap of 226.280 mph to highlight a frantic Carb Day that saw Pippa Mann back slam the wall midway through the session.

Carlos Munoz spent most of the hour-long practice Friday, later extended by 10 minutes, atop the charts. But the popular Kanaan bumped the Honda driver late in practice to give Chevrolet the top spot. Munoz had a lap of 224.772, followed by Scott Dixon, Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Pole sitter James Hinchcliffe was 12th on the chart, though he called his car “the best it’s been,” and Graham Rahal called his car “the best I’ve ever had going into this.” He had the 14th-best lap.

Castroneves still chasing fourth Indy 500 win

Trying to persuade Helio Castroneves to rank his three Indianapolis 500 victories is tantamount to asking an adoring mother or father to rank their children in order of affection.

Ask him what it would be like to win a record-tying fourth – at the 100th running of the iconic race Sunday and on the 50th anniversary of Penske Racing – it is impossible for Castroneves to deny: It would mean more than any other victory in an open-wheel career spanning nearly two decades.

“It’s a special number,” he said. “It’s something bigger.”

The road to immortality began in 2001, when as a rookie he weathered a lengthy rain delay and a battle with Gil de Ferran to first get his face engraved on the Borg-Warner Trophy. He took a victory lap and then parked on the yard of bricks, climbing up the catch-fence with several crew members in a wild celebration.

He made the same climb the following year, when a crash just before Paul Tracy passed Castroneves on the 199th lap gave him the victory. There were protests and appeals hearings, and many still believe Tracy deserved to win the race, even though Castroneves had the victory officially upheld that July.

There was no such controversy seven years later.

Two months after he was acquitted of federal charges of tax evasion and conspiracy, he won the race from the pole position in dominant fashion, never allowing Dan Wheldon and Danica Patrick to make a run.

Three victories in less than a decade.

It’s almost hard to fathom he’s been chasing No. 4 for so long.

“The good news is we’re here. We’re pushing,” said Castroneves, who will start outside on the third row Sunday. “We’re finding every inch in the track to make sure that we can make it happen.”

Improving Larson looks for first Cup win at Coca-Cola 600

Kyle Larson believes he’s on the verge of kicking in the door and getting his first NASCAR Sprint Cup win.

The 23-year-old seems to be getting close.

Larson finished second two weeks ago at Dover, then had a chance to win the All-Star exhibition race at Charlotte Motor Speedway last weekend before losing control of his car and hitting the wall following a challenge from Joey Logano. He wound up finishing 16th, missing out on a losing out on a chance for a breakthrough win and the $1 million first-place prize.

“It would mean a lot to get it anywhere, but especially here at Charlotte, close to home,” Larson said of his first Sprint Cup win. “We have been rolling good the last few weeks. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going. Our car has been getting a lot faster.”

Whether it will be fast enough on Sunday night in the Coca-Cola 600 – NASCAR’s longest race of the year – remains to be seen.

There have been great expectations thrust upon Larson, who has gone 87 races without a Sprint Cup victory.

But his recent success, which includes holding off Chase Elliott to win the third segment of the Sprint Showdown last week to race his way into the All-Star race, has him feeling confident.

But certainly not overconfident.

“A lot of the times I’ve seen drivers in the past that run well in the All-Star race don’t run well at the 600,” Larson said. “Hopefully, that is not the case this week, but we are going to work really hard to try and have a good run. Hopefully, it all works out.”

Larson, who’ll start 24th on Sunday night, is expected to receive plenty of competition from Logano, who has won the last two races at CMS, including the fall race in October.

Logano will start on the front row Sunday night alongside pole winner Martin Truex Jr.

“This has become one of our best race tracks for sure,” Logano said. “Winning the last two races here, it gives you a lot of confidence going into races.”