Kiss and yell: Keeping Dario in the loop

Before Tony Kanaan went out for his qualifying attempt at Indy, teammate Dario Franchitti promised to kiss him if he went faster than anyone else."I said, 'OK, but you have to do it in front of everyone else,'" Kanaan said.

When Kanaan came back in after a run of 231.006 mph, he was on top for the moment. With the cameras rolling, Franchitti jokingly kissed Kanaan on the forehead.

"This has been so hard for him," Kanaan said. "We just want him to know he's still a part of this team - a big part of this team."

Franchitti is sitting out the Indy 500 while recovering from serious spinal injuries sustained in a motorcycle crash in April in Scotland. He's expected to return to the cockpit later in June at Richmond International Raceway. In the meantime, Robby Gordon will drive the No. 27 Andretti Green Racing Honda at Indianapolis. Bryan Herta will drive the car in IRL IndyCar Series races next month at Texas Motor Speedway outside of Fort Worth and Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado.

"If I injure it again, then I have a problem," Franchitti said. "If it heals properly, it'll be as good as ever. There's not much I can do. I'm frustrated, and the team is frustrated. It's just one of those things."

In the meantime, AGR teammates are keeping Franchitti in their thoughts and in the mix.

"I told him, 'I'm going to put it up front for you.'" Kanaan said. "He's not a happy guy right now, but this makes it better. We're a big team and a big family."