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Tony Kanaan knows from experience that racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway doesn’t get easier with experience.

“It gets worse because you know more and you know everything that can go right, but you also know everything that can go wrong,” the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner said.

Kanaan’s wisdom isn’t lost on his young teammate, Sage Karam, who is trying to avoid a sophomore jinx at racing’s most famous oval – the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“This place is very, very challenging,” said Karam, who finished ninth as a 19-year-old rookie in 2014. “It’s a hard place to adapt to. Sometimes you have a good car, and sometimes you don’t. You could be P1 one day and P25 the next.”

Karam has been among the fastest drivers in nearly every practice session in advance of the 99th Indianapolis 500 on May 24. He was fourth on “Fast Friday” with a lap at 230.168 in the No. 8 Comfort Revolution/Big Machine Records Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet.

“(The month has) been great,” Karam said. “It's the first full year running in the (Verizon) IndyCar Series and started out a bit of a struggle. It's a very big learning curve. The second year back at the Speedway, last year was my first (race) ever in an IndyCar. So I didn't really know much, but we ended up getting a pretty good result.

“ I came into this year a lot more prepared as a driver, a lot more prepared mentally and just learned a lot last year, ready to apply it this year."

With limited testing during the season, Karam has taken advantage of the extended track time provided to all drivers in the Month of May. He’s spent much of the track time focusing on running in traffic and preparing for the race than all-out speed. More importantly, he said the hours on the track each day have aided in his development of as a driver. Three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti also has been providing insight and tips.

“It’s valuable to run in all different conditions,” he said. “Last year, I didn’t run as many laps because of the wind. This year, I’ve driven as much as I could. You need to be prepared for every condition. Every day you come here, the wind is coming from a different direction. You have to be ready for that. I’ve learned about how the wind affects the balance of the car.

“With every test day, you’re getting smarter and learning more about the car and about your limits,” he said. “I’ve been very blessed to be on a very good team with very good teammates. And you can apply what you learn here everywhere you go.”