Former champion Tony Kanaan welcomes more competition in IndyCar

Jonathan Ferrey, Getty/AFP

Tony Kanaan climbs aboard his No. 11 Team 7-Eleven Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda during the IndyCar Series Spring Testing on Feb. 27 at Homestead Miami Speedway.

By STEVE HERMAN, Associated Press

Last update: March 5, 2008 - 6:12 PM

INDIANAPOLIS — Bring on the competition.

Tony Kanaan, a former IndyCar Series champion, welcomes the new teams and drivers from the former Champ Car series, a long-awaited merger he says will help restore the popularity of open-wheel racing in the United States.

"I'm probably one of the few guys that's been on both sides, so I couldn't wait to hear the news," Kanaan said Wednesday. "I think it's great. I do believe we have a lot of work to do, though."

The Brazilian driver came to the Indy Racing League with Andretti Green Racing in 2003 after five years in CART, the Champ Car predecessor. With last week's announcement of the unification of the two major open-wheel series in the United States, at least eight more cars, and possibly as many as a dozen, are expected to join the IRL's top series this season.

"It's going to be a big transition time for all of us, especially the Champ Car teams," said Kanaan, the IndyCar champion in 2004. "But also for the series adapting, changing some things not just this year but for the future. But the biggest thing is it's done. It's up to us now. No more excuses from anybody, the race community, the journalists, drivers, teams.

"We have one goal now, to make the series grow more and more and more each year, which we haven't been doing in the IRL for many years. ... So let's go race."

The IndyCar season opens March 29 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The IRL smoothed the transition by offering the former Champ Car teams a free Honda engine leasing program, two Dallara chassis and $1.2 million in team incentives. The league also will hold special test sessions for new teams on the road circuit at Sebring International Raceway on March 19-20 and on the oval at Homestead on March 24-25.

In recent offseason tests for the holdover IRL teams, Kanaan was the fastest both days at Sebring but didn't drive at Homestead because of mechanical problems.

Andretti Green also has veteran drivers Danica Patrick and Marco Andretti, the son of team co-owner Michael Andretti, along with newcomer Hideki Mutoh, who joined AGR after defending Indy 500 and series champion Dario Franchitti departed for NASCAR.

Mutoh was the rookie of the year last season in the Indy Pro Series, the IRL's developmental program.