Indy 500 winner Tony Kanaan goes "TURBO" with Sunoco

Credit: Debbie Ross/Skirts and Scuffs  

If sheer personality could make a car go faster, Tony Kanaan's No. 11 Chevy-powered Dallara would travel at Mach speed.

Credit: Debbie Ross/Skirts and Scuffs

The veteran IZOD IndyCar driver's ebullient personality lights up the garage and pit road, making TK the perfect choice to partner with Sunoco to promote the DreamWorks Animation movie TURBO, which is about a snail that dreams of winning the Indy 500.

NASCAR fans have known Sunoco as the official fuel of the sport since 2004, but the company's history with IndyCar goes back much farther than that. Sunoco's first Indy car race as primary sponsor was in 1968 at Riverside, California. Mark Donohue won the 1972 Indianapolis 500 for Roger Penske in the No. 66 Sunoco/Offy car.

"We have a long history with IndyCar, and it means a lot to us and our employees. It turns out it seems to mean a lot to IndyCar fans when they saw the Sunoco car we had at the Indy 500. We're teaming up with Tony and KV Racing, wishing them good luck." said Cynthia Archer, VP of marketing and development for Sunoco.

Credit: Debbie Ross/Skirts and Scuffs

Archer explained that in the TURBO movie, there's a Sonoco car, so the company put a "TURBO"-themed Sonoco car on the track. Townsend Bell drove the Panther Racing No. 60 Sunoco "TURBO" car in the Indy 500, finishing 27th, but Kanaan's KV Racing Technology No. 11 will sport the theme for four races: Texas, Iowa, Pocono and Mid-Ohio.

Kanaan said, "When (Mark) Donohue won the '500' in 1972, I wasn't born yet. But seeing that yellow car with the Sunoco colors for all those years when we go to look at Indy 500 classics, I'm excited."

Credit: Debbie Ross/Skirts and Scuffs

"Second of all, I have to say, my kid is the most excited kid at home right now. Apart from getting the Borg-Warner Trophy that I promised him, he's familiar with the 'TURBO' movie. Now my car is the Sunoco 'TURBO' car for him."

The DreamWorks Animation 3D comedy takes the green flag on July 17th. The movie centers around a snail who has a freak accident and gets the power of super-speed. Turbo and his snail crew set out to win the world's fastest race, the Indy 500.

The producers describe Turbo as the "ultimate underdog who puts his heart and shell on the line to prove that no dream is too big, and no dreamer too small." 

That makes the sponsorship a perfect fit for Kanaan.


Janine, aka Lisa or LJ, Cloud, a fifth-generation Texan, lives in Houston and considers Texas Motor Speedway her home track.

She's been a part of the Skirts and Scuffs team since May 2011, going from contributor to media rep, photographer, and associate editor covering both NASCAR and IZOD IndyCar. Janine considers it a privilege to represent the site at the track and to share with readers the excitement of the world of motorsports.