Kanaan, No. 82 GEICO – KV Racing Technology – Lotus, started 19th and had a similar race to his teammate.  He battled all day getting as high as 13th, but mainly settled into a fight for a finish inside the top-20 where his patience and his vast experience paid off in valuable championship points.  Kanaan made his ninth appearance at Kentucky today.  He has finished in the top-10 seven times with five top-five showings including a win also in 2007.

“We were slow, slow all day long,” Kanaan said. “There was nothing I could do to make the car go any faster, so I took every start and restart to gain positions and did my best to maintain them during the green flag periods.   But the car really didn’t help.   As soon as the field began to stretch I started losing positions again.  It was a painful day for the GEICO – KVRT – Lotus guys.”

Kanaan scored 13 points today and remains fifth in the championship race with 366 points.  The 36-year-old Brazilian is having his best season in three years and is looking to become the first KVRT driver to finish in the top-five in the final standings.  KVRT – Lotus co-owner Jimmy Vasser holds the team record with a sixth place finish in 2005.  Kanaan leads KVRT – Lotus with nine top-10 finishes including seven top-five showings and three podiums (second at Iowa, thirds at St. Petersburg and Baltimore).  In six oval events this year, he has earned three top-five finishes with one podium (Indy 500 – fourth; Texas2 – fifth and Iowa – second) and led 97 laps (Texas2 – 39, Milwaukee – 33 and Iowa – 25).