After two days of morning rain, Tony Kanaan finally got the chance Thursday to drive Kyle Larson’s race car in case he’s needed to compete in next weekend’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge. Kanaan took the delay in stride.

“I mean, why was (Indianapolis Motor Speedway) going to make it easy for me?” he said. “Made me wait 12 years (before winning the race). Two days (this week) was nothing.”

The winner of the 2013 Indy 500, who retired as a driver two years ago, spent 30 laps on the famed 2.5-mile oval Thursday in a refresher session mandated by INDYCAR. Kanaan, who now serves as team principal of Arrow McLaren, doesn’t expect to forgo his day-job duties to compete in the “500” – he will be Larson’s strategist -- but he needs to be ready to slide into the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Arrow McLaren Chevrolet in case Larson must leave for his day job.

Last year, all of Larson’s focus was on racing at Indy, but this year he promised Hendrick Motorsports he will be present for the start of that night’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. If weather permits, there is time for Larson to do both. But last year, a rain-delayed “500” made him a late arrival to the Coca-Cola 600, and he didn’t get to do the rare motorsports double due to rain in Charlotte ending that race just as he arrived.

INDYCAR rules no longer allow for a mid-race driver change, so Kanaan will only drive the car if Larson is not in it at the first drop of the green flag. Should Larson leave before starting, his replacement, per the rules, will start from the rear of the field.

Kanaan started the 2010 race from the 33rd position, but it’s not ideal. Yes, there are YouTube videos of him passing dozens of cars on starts and restarts, but he conceded those were in his younger days. He turns 51 in December.

“I’m going to have to make a decision,” he said. “What will I do?”

At that point, Kanaan glanced over at his wife, Lauren, who was clearly waiting to hear the answer.

“I’ll have to talk to my other boss here,” he said, smiling. “She is the (family) boss. As far as Arrow McLaren goes, who am I going to yell at? Myself?”

As for Thursday’s laps, Kanaan described them as routine. Earlier in the week, he consulted with boyhood friend and longtime rival Helio Castroneves, who is competing this year at age 50, about the additional weight associated with INDYCAR’s new hybrid technology. Castroneves essentially instructed his fellow Brazilian to put his foot down and go for it.

“He just told me, I went flat out of the pits, Lap 1, and I went flat into Turn 1,” Kanaan said. “I had to do that, as well. I just couldn’t let him have that (advantage on me).”

Many will remember that in Kanaan’s final “500,” in 2023, he and Castroneves dueled in the late going as if another bottle of milk was on the line. It wasn’t. Castroneves, a four-time winner, finished 15th, Kanaan 16th.

“It was like we were little kids,” Kanaan said.

Kanaan welcomed Thursday’s opportunity to get back in the cockpit, but he said he no longer has the non-stop competitive itch. His job as Arrow McLaren’s team principal is to manage the organization’s drivers – Pato O’Ward, Christian Lundgaard, Nolan Siegel and Larson – along with the crew members, the overall budget and all the decisions that come with those. Kanaan added that the team’s full-time drivers will not be impacted if he drives Larson’s car because he wasn’t going to be working with them during the race.

“I'm fully committed to the team,” Kanaan said. “I have no desire to go back and focus on that. The driver Tony Kanaan was not in a very good mood all the time, always worrying about his results.”

Kanaan’s success in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES includes the 2004 season championship, 17 race wins, 15 poles and more memorable moments than even he can recall. Before winning the Indy 500, he finished second (2004), earned a pair of third-place finishes (2003, 2012) and added two other top-five finishes (fifth in 2006, fourth in 2011). For his career, he finished in the top five nine times – that’s as many as Scott Dixon – and led 15 of his 22 races.

The question is, will there be a 23rd start? Thursday was a start down that road.

“It was awesome -- I'm pretty lucky,” Kanaan said. “This place never let me down. Today, even special little things. I mean, Kyle Sagan, who has been my mechanic for years. He (worked) on my 2013 car. He was the one who buckled me up most of my career. He's with the team now.

“He was not supposed to be there this morning because his is on (another Arrow McLaren) car. But he came in to buckle me in. Special moments like that. Even though it was just a few laps, I got to enjoy it.”