Medeiros Aiming To Stand Tall In Indianapolis 500 In 2005
By Dick Mittman
indy500.com
Tuesday, November 2, 2004

When Brazilian racing champions Tony Kanaan and Thiago Medeiros were asked to pose together for a picture, Kanaan jumped onto a bench to make himself taller than his younger and possibly soon-to-be racing rival.

Kanaan won the Indy Racing League® IndyCar® Series championship in 2004, and Medeiros captured the companion Menards Infiniti Pro Series™ title. Though they both grew up in Sao Paulo, came to America to find racing success and carry No. 11 on their cars, they are equally as different in physical stature.

Kanaan, 29, stretches out to 5 feet, 5 inches in his green Andretti Green Racing uniform. He fits easily into his Team 7-Eleven Dallara/Honda/Firestone car. Where he stands tall is at the finish line.

Medeiros, 22, looks more like a basketball point guard. He's a lean 6-foot-3 and was a runaway winner of the Menards Infiniti Pro Series championship with Sam Schmidt Motorsports in his second season on the circuit.

Now Medeiros wants to stand even taller.

His goal for 2005 is two-fold. He desires to be a rookie starter in the 89th Indianapolis 500 on May 29 and also compete in and win the first Infiniti Pro Series race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course during the Formula One weekend of June 17-19.

While Kanaan has third- and second-place finishes in the past two Indy 500s, Medeiros has one victory to his credit in two tries at Indy. He crashed on the opening lap of the Futaba Freedom 100 during his rookie year of 2003 and finished last. Last May, he rebounded by capturing the pole and leading 35 of 40 laps en route to victory.

It was the first time in history of the Speedway that car No. 11 took a checkered flag.

Medeiros went on to score six victories and gain eight poles during the 12-race season. He moved up from fourth in the 2003 final standings to first.

"It's one of the big steps, the championship," Medeiros said. "And I'm looking forward to moving to the IndyCar Series next year.

"I've been talking to different teams. Nothing is going on right now, but I'm still trying."

Medeiros passed his IRL rookie test at Chicagoland in August and since has tested with Patrick Racing and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. He said both tests went well, and he is working vigorously to put an IndyCar Series program together for 2005.

When recalling his stellar 2004 season, Medeiros said winning the Futaba Freedom 100 was special.

"That was a great moment in my career, to win here in Indianapolis," he said. "And I'm looking forward to be racing in the Indy 500 next year."

Next year will be the third season that the Menards Infiniti Pro Series will race at the Speedway. But it will be the first time for the series to compete on both the oval and the road course, with the Futaba Freedom 100 on the oval May 27 during the Indianapolis 500 and a support race to the United States Grand Prix in June on the road course.

It will be the first time any series has competed on both circuits.

"My background is on the road course," he said. "I'll be really happy to go back. It will be really good for the series to run not only the oval but the road course, as well. It'll be good.

"We would be in good shape on both sides."

Brazilian racing fans have been ecstatic that Kanaan and Medeiros swept the two IRL titles.

"They like it a lot, a lot of media and everything after I won the championship for the whole season," he said. "Just keep working to put other stuff together to be in the IndyCar Series next year."

Medeiros was two months shy of his second birthday in 1984 when Emerson Fittipaldi became the first Brazilian to start in the Indianapolis 500. Medeiros was 6 when Emmo won for the first time in 1989 and 10 when Fittipaldi won a second time in 1993.

"First of all, Emerson Fittipaldi opened the gates for us Brazilian drivers," he said. "Then Gil (de Ferran), Helio (Castroneves), Kanaan, they were successful here, so pretty much followed their steps.

"I'm looking forward to doing as well as they do this year on a good team next year." ***

2005 tickets: To purchase tickets, camping or parking for the 89th Indianapolis 500, contact the IMS ticket office at (800) 822-INDY or log on to www.indianapolismotorspeedway.com.


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