Kanaan credits team for '04 championship

The driver credited his Andretti Green Racing teammates.
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) -- For the record, Tony Kanaan insists he didn't win the Indy Racing League championship -- at least not by himself.
"I don't think I won. I think we won," Kanaan said.
Although he was the only one behind the wheel on the way to the series title, the Brazilian is very much a team player.
He thanked his crew, his Andretti Green Racing teammates and especially the team owners after his second-place finish in Sunday at California Speedway gave him the crown.
"When I see the effort that they put in, it makes me fight every day harder and harder," Kanaan said. "I give my heart and my soul.
"And I wanted to give this to those guys."
Michael Andretti was appreciative.
Pride
"I'm proud of Tony," Andretti said. "I'm proud of the whole team. Tony drove like a champion from the first race. He drove like that last year, too. He deserved this one."
Teammate Dan Wheldon, second in the standings, also was happy for the team.
"It's about Andretti Green Racing and Tony winning his championship," said Wheldon, who finished third behind Kanaan and winner Adrian Fernandez in the Toyota 400.
Wheldon recalled a race in Japan when he wasn't driving well, and Kanaan took time to help him work out the problem.
"He stayed with me for an hour and a half, really helped me along," Wheldon said. "I don't think, outside of this team, any other driver would do that for a teammate. That's why I'm incredibly happy for Tony."
Consistency
Kanaan has had a remarkably consistent year. When he crossed the finish line just .0183 of a second behind Fernandez in Fontana, it was Kanaan's 14th consecutive top-five finish.
Heading into the season finale Oct. 17 in Fort Worth, Texas, Kanaan has run every lap of all 15 IRL races this season.
"I've never seen that, ever," Andretti said. "It's never happened to me in my career, even close. So I'm really happy that it's happening for Tony."
Last weekend didn't get off to a great start for Kanaan. He had a mechanical problem Saturday and couldn't get in a qualifying lap. So he began race day at the rear of the 21-car field.
Because he needed only to finish fourth or higher to win the title, he had 200 laps to move toward the front. He didn't need nearly that many.
Quick start
Kanaan passed six cars on the first lap around the 2-mile oval, was 10th after the second lap and second after the 15th. He remained at or near the front the rest of the way, and led 25 laps in the later stages of the race.
"I had Kim Green before the start saying, 'TK, I know you do your best, but think about the championship.' He's trying to tell me to take it easy," Kanaan said of the team's co-owner.
Wheldon chirped in, "I could tell you took it easy by the first lap. Real easy."
Kanaan said he didn't want to be concerned with counting up points and possibilities.
"I was thinking, if you win the race, you win the championship," he explained. "I didn't want to start making counts, because I didn't know where Dan was at the time. The best way to win a championship is winning races."
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