Kanaan expects to race Saturday
Will Power Takes Checkered Flag At Edmonton
Tony Kanaan does not have burns on his hands from a cockpit fuel fire in last weekend's Rexall Edmonton IndyCar race and plans to drive Saturday at Kentucky Speedway, The Indianapolis Star reported.
Kanaan, the Brazilian driver for Andretti Green, was injured on his first pit stop on the 34th lap when the ethanol fuel hose failed to shut off properly, showering him and his car in fuel.
Kanaan said he pulled out to protect his crew members from a fire, but seconds later his cockpit was in flames. Nearby Penske crew members hopped the wall to spray the car with fire extinguishers and dump a bucket of water on Kanaan.
On Sunday, Kanaan said he had second-degree burns on his thumbs and some on his face. But Monday, Kanaan said other than a burn on his nose and missing eyebrows and eyelashes, he's fine, according to the report.
"It's like I got popped with a little firecracker at home," he said, according to the Star. "It's not horrible."
Kanaan said the incident was the first time he has dealt with fire during a race, according to the report.
"There was a big splash [of fuel] and for sure I knew right away there was a fire," he said, according to the Star. "I didn't want to catch fire in front of the whole crew, so I pulled away because I knew I was better protected than my guys were."
"I went far enough to get away, closed my eyes and stopped breathing," he said. "The Ganassi, Panther and Penske [crew] guys saved me [by dousing the flames and pulling him out] because I couldn't get out of the car with my eyes closed. It was really nice to see how many people came to help," he said, according to the report.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
