Tony Kanaan competed in the CART races on the downtown Houston street circuit from 1998 to 2001 and is eager to return next week to contest the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston on a 1.863-mile, 10-turn street course at Reliant Park.

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a doubleheader so a lot of points are in play,” the reigning Indianapolis 500 champion said of the pair of 90-lap races Oct. 5-6. “Obviously, it’s a different racetrack, a new market for (INDYCAR) and should be fun.”

In the Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 7, 2001, Kanaan started 10th in the Hollywood Mo Nunn Racing car and finished 12th -- nearly four months after being injured in qualifying at Belle Isle. Michael Andretti retired after 76 of the 100-lap race because of a brake and finished 21st, virtually ending his title aspirations in the Motorola entry for Team KOOL Green.

Eleven months later, Kanaan signed with Andretti Green Racing – a new team co-owned by Andretti and Kim Green that entered the IndyCar Series for 2003. Kanaan went on to earn the team’s first pole in the season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway and its first victory three weeks later at Phoenix International Raceway.

Gil de Ferran won that 2001 race, leading every lap on the 1.527-mile course and holding off Dario Franchitti by 3.3 seconds.

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Champ Car races in 2006 and ’07 at Reliant Park were won by Sebastien Bourdais, who will compete this year in the No. 7 Dragon Racing car.

Kanaan, who has said in the past few weeks that he's exploring "all opportunities" for 2014, including other series, returned stateside Sept. 23 from Brazil, where he continued efforts to cement a "stronger sponsorship package and then I can choose where I'm going to go."

"I was kind of anxious in the past few weeks to get it done. Now I'm going to take my time and see what's out there," he said.

Truck drivers, equipment OK following fire on transporter

No one was injured in a fire on the Ed Carpenter Racing trailer as it was returning to Indianapolis from the Sept. 24 Chevrolet manufacturer test at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

The rig was on I-40 near Flagstaff, Ariz.

"Our truck drivers, Matt Giese and Jeff Hughes, are OK," team owner/driver Ed Carpenter said. "The No. 20 Fuzzy’s Vodka Chevrolet race car and some equipment are also OK. We are still evaluating the damage at this time.  We would like to thank the Andretti Autosport teams and their truck drivers who stopped to assist Matt and Jeff with the incident."

Sato piling up the miles

Takuma Sato flew from Tokyo to Los Angeles for the Honda manufacturer test at Auto Club Speedway and returned to Tokyo after completing the sessions in the No. 14 ABC Supply car for A.J. Foyt Racing.

He’s competing in Round 6 of the Super Formula Series in Sugo, Japan, this weekend. Others in the race include former IZOD IndyCar Series driver Hideki Mutoh and Ryo Hirakawa, who tested a Dale Coyne Racing car at Sonoma Raceway in August.

Sato competed in the season opener in April at the Suzuka circuit.

Foyt makes first appearance at track in months

A.J. Foyt was cleared by doctors to make the trip to the test from his Houston home following hip replacement surgery on July 1.

“(It) was pretty tiring but I had a great day and a lot of fun,” said Foyt, 78, who will be the grand marshal of the Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston on Oct. 5-6. “A lot of people came up to me and said 'Nice to see you back.' It's different now though because I don't play the role I used to play but it's great to be back and be with the team again. I guess I missed it more than I thought I did.”

His son, Larry, is the team director.

Conway gets victory; next up Houston

Mike Conway, who scored a pair of podium finishes (including a victory) at Belle Isle in June, returns to the No. 18 Dale Coyne Racing car at Houston.

Earlier this week, he co-drove the winning car in the LMP2 category in the FIA World Endurance Championship at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

Milestones for Hunter-Reay and Viso

Andretti Autosport teammates Ryan Hunter-Reay and E.J. Viso will mark milestone in Race 2 at Houston on Oct. 6.

Hunter-Reay, the reigning IZOD IndyCar Series champion, will compete in his 150th career Indy car race. He moved up to Champ Car in 2003 after placing sixth in the Toyota Atlantic championship with three victories and three poles.

Viso, who made his Indy car debut in 2008, will drive in his 100th Indy car race.

Of note

The No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car drievn by Josef Newgarden will carry primary sponsorship for the Houston doubleheader from Strike, an energy services provider based in The Woodlands, Texas. ... Pocono Raceway is accepting applications for the 2014 Pocono Raceway Fan Council, a 20-member board to be comprised of race fans to assist “The Tricky Triangle” staff in developing and improving overall fan engagement. Interested? Download and submit an application HERE. … A pair of race-worn and autographed Justin Wilson driving shoes – size 12 – is up for bid on the eBay charity auction site. Proceeds benefit the Dyslexia Institute of Indiana. Bid HERE. ... Kingdom Racing is offering rides in an Indy Racing Experience two-seater Oct. 4 at MSR Houston. Contact Charles West at Charles@kingdomracing.net for details. … Firestone Racing will supply pink sidewall alternate tires for the four Andretti Autosport cars at Houston to support the team's breast cancer awareness initiative.