Notes & Quotes: Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama

Tony Kanaan is in his 21st year of Verizon IndyCar Series competition with 346 starts, 17 wins, 15 poles, 132 Top 5s and 218 Top 10s. Matheus “Matt” Leist (his last name rhymes with waist) is in his first year of IndyCar competition with three starts. He made the Firestone Fast 6 in his first start in St. Petersburg, and finished his first race on the lead lap in Long Beach. A.J. Foyt is in his 62nd year of IndyCar competition; he started his IndyCar career in 1957. His eponymous race team started competing in 1966.

TONY KANAAN (No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet): “We're coming from two Top-10s in a row and the team is for sure on an upswing. Our test at Barber a few weeks back was cut short because of bad weather but I’m hoping that we’ll keep the consistency and be competitive there as well. Barber Motorsports Park is a beautiful track where the fans are very passionate and always fill up the place. I’m looking forward to getting there later this week to hit the ground running with the No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet.”

MATHEUS “MATT” LEIST (No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet): “Barber is a very nice track, I raced there last year [Indy Lights]. We did one day of testing there this year with the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet so hopefully we will have a great car to be running in the top-10. It’s a fast track and a physical track as well, so it’s going to be a long race. We need to concentrate on great laps and play the strategy again to see if we can get a top-10 there. I’m looking forward to it.”

Last Race: In Long Beach, Tony Kanaan started 11th and finished eighth but dropped to 11th in the points. Matheus Leist started 14th and placed 13th but was penalized for blocking and was dropped to 14th. Leist is 20th in the points.

Past Performance at Barber Motorsports Park: Tony Kanaan’s best start is sixth (2012 and 2015) and his best finish is sixth (2011). Matheus Leist ran this track in the Indy Lights Series last year. In race 1, he started seventh and finished fourth; in race 2, he started 11th and finished seventh. AJ Foyt Racing’s best start is fourth in 2012 with Mike Conway who also posted the team’s best finish of seventh. Conway was on a busman’s holiday in Long Beach and stopped by to see his former team owner.

ABC Supply is in its 14th season as primary sponsor of A.J. Foyt’s IndyCar team, making it the longest running team sponsor in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The company was founded in 1982 by Ken and Diane Hendricks with just three stores. The company now has over 700 stores and topped $9 billion in sales in 2017. ABC Supply began sponsoring the AJ Foyt Racing team with the 2005 Indianapolis 500. The company has leveraged its involvement by entertaining over 92,000 associates and customers over the past 13 racing seasons. This weekend the company will entertain over 400 guests.

ABC Supply roofing customer, Sumner Roofing, located in Hendersonville, Tenn., won the ‘Your Name Here’ contest. The company name will be on the engine cover of the No. 14 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Guests will receive the VIP treatment plus a Meet and Greet with Tony Kanaan.

L&W Supply, a subsidiary of ABC Supply, selected national account Roswell Drywall, based in Sandy Springs, Ga., to be featured on the engine cover of the No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet. Guests will receive the VIP treatment this weekend along with a Meet and Greet with Matheus “Matt” Leist.

The Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama will be televised live on NBC Sports Network Sunday, April 22, starting at 3:00 pm ET. Qualifying will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network on Saturday from 4:00 – 5:30 pm ET. The radio broadcast will be on Sirius XM radio on the following channels: Sirius 212, XM 209, SXM 970.