While many Indy 500 drivers live in deluxe RVs at the track throughout May, Tony Kanaan stayed in his downtown condo. This year, he switched gears and decamped to Meridian-Kessler, in a newly updated home by Litz & Eaton Investments. Litz & Eaton is known for its spec-home renovations in affluent northside communities, and Kanaan has been house-hunting in Indianapolis with the firm, which in turn was car-shopping for a sponsorship. Though the 2013 Indy 500 champ didn’t find a pad to purchase before this year’s action revved up, serendipity struck: a Litz & Eaton makeover in Midtown had just sold, and the new owners wouldn’t move in until mid-June. Kanaan and his wife snapped it up, fast.
The house already had appealing features, including an attached garage—uncommon in Meridian-Kessler—so Kanaan can come and go privately, and a newly opened floor plan for the entertaining the Kanaans do during the month. Brad Litz, the developer in the Litz & Eaton partnership (noted on the driver’s helmet this year), says Kanaan had a few requests, like a video-game setup for one of his sons and an in-law suite for his mother. The new deck over a sunroom addition with sleek black-frame windows looks primed for parties—perhaps a victory celebration after the race.