Fontana race reminds Tony Kanaan of tragedy — and IndyCar success

“I’ve always had mixed feelings about this place,” IndyCar driver Tony Kanaan said of Auto Club Speedway, and it’s not surprising.

Fellow driver Greg Moore, one of Kanaan’s close friends, was killed in a racing crash at the two-mile Fontana track in 1999. “It’s not something you want to remember,” Kanaan said.

“Having said that, every time I’m here I finish in the top five,” Kanaan said, then added that the net result was “it’s definitely a good feeling to come back.”

Kanaan was seeking his first win this year when the Izod IndyCar Series held its season-ending race Saturday night at Auto Club Speedway, the first time Indy-style cars had raced there since October 2005.

Kanaan lost that 2005 race to another close friend, reigning IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti, by only a few feet and both drivers returned this year with more laps completed at Auto Club Speedway than most of their rivals.

“I’m one of the most experienced race-car drivers around this paddock and people are using me a lot more [for guidance] than I’m using them,” Kanaan said, referring to his KV Racing Technology teammates E.J. Viso and Rubens Barrichello.

Back in 2004, when Indy-style racing was split into two series, Kanaan won the championship in the Indy Racing League.

This year the 37-year-old Brazilian had five top-five finishes through the first 14 races — the highest being a second place at Milwaukee — and he was eighth in the Izod IndyCar Series point standings.

He was set to start third in Saturday night’s MAVTV 500 after posting an average speed of 214.877 mph in his two-lap qualifying run.

Kanaan was finishing his second season with KV Racing Technology, and he said the team’s performance still lagged behind those of IndyCar powerhouses Team Penske and Target Chip Ganassi Racing.

“We, as far as a team, could do a better job communicating,” he said. “It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re still going to be successful because, you look at an organization like Penske, and how much more sponsorship and all the resources they have, they haven’t won a championship since 2006.”

Still, this season has been “disappointing for sure,” Kanaan said. “I expected a lot more.”

As to whether his Fontana experience would give him an edge in the MAVTV 500 on Saturday night, Kanaan said, “If I have an advantage it’s my experience with a 500-mile race against some of the guys who don’t have it, not as far as the racetrack.”

No matter how he finished, “I just try to enjoy the weekend,” Kanaan said. “And I know Greg, wherever he is, he’ll be enjoying it too.”

Hunter-Reay contract

Only hours before Ryan Hunter-Reay hoped to win his first IndyCar championship in Saturday’s race, his Andretti Autosport team said it signed Hunter-Reay to a two-year contract extension.

Michael Andretti, owner of Andretti Autosport, said of Hunter-Reay in a statement: “He is a tough competitor and has become an important part of our team,” which includes drivers Marco Andretti and James Hinchcliffe.

Hunter-Reay, 31, had a breakout season this year, taking a series-high four victories through the first 14 races. He also was 17 points behind Australian Will Power entering the season finale.

Indy Lights results

Carlos Munoz won Saturday’s race in the sport’s second-tier Firestone Indy Lights series at Auto Club Speedway. Tristan Vautier, who finished fourth, won the series championship.

james.peltz@latimes.com