Tony Kanaan is an Indianapolis 500 champion. All is right with the world.

Records were crushed, emotions were high, and tears were shed as Kanaan won the 97th running of the Indianapolis 500. If anyone was “due” to win this race, it was Tony. If anyone ever deserved to win this race, it was him. If the fans could choose the winner, they would have chosen Tony.

The race featured 68 lead changes, nearly doubling the old record set last year. The average speed of the race (187.433 mph) was also a record. This was the fastest Indy 500 race ever, breaking the record from the 1990 race. History was being made, so it was only fitting that Kanaan ended up drinking the milk in victory lane.

My day started at 3 AM, and on the way to the track the radio station was playing the 1992 race. It felt like the 1992 race in many ways. It was unseasonably cold, and Andretti led a lot of laps but did not win. Ed Carpenter also had a moment early in the race where he nearly spun trying to warm his tires under caution. Remember, Roberto Guerrero did that in 1992, where he was also the pole sitter.

Then there’s this. Kanaan won the race today after starting in 12th position. Only one other time in the history of the race has a driver started in 12th position and gone on to win the Indianapolis 500. The year? You guessed it, 1992.

The lead changes were incredible throughout the race. It seemed as though we had a new leader at the end of every lap, which wasn’t too far from being a reality. Coincidently, that is the one place you don’t want to be during a restart, especially the final restart. That was Ryan Hunter-Reay, and Kanaan was set to pounce.

This has been one of the most celebrated victories in the historic 97 races that have been run here. It was an impressive run for rookie Carlos Munoz to finish second in his first IndyCar race ever. Hunter-Reay was third, but this day is clearly all about Kanaan. The last three faces put on the Borg Warner Trophy are Dan Wheldon, Dario Franchitti, and now Tony.

So another epic Indianapolis 500 is in the record books. This was perhaps one of the greatest of all time, and certainly one of the most popular wins for a driver. Nine years ago Tony gave someone a good luck charm, which he received back before the race. He also rubbed Alex Zanardi’s gold medal for good luck before getting in the car today. Those are great stories, but there is one thing even better.

That is somewhere up in heaven, Dan Wheldon is smiling and celebrating with the rest of us.