IndyCar drivers leave Florida as hurricane nears

Miami resident Tony Kanaan got his first taste of Le Mans this year as a substitute for Sebastien Bourdais, who calls St. Petersburg home. But he got a real feel for long-distance driving during the past couple days.

With his Miami house facing the wrath of Hurricane Irma, Kanaan's wife Lauren and two of his three boys flew back home to Indiana Thursday morning, while Tony boarded up his two-story home as best as possible and hopped into a motorhome with publicist Benito Santos to drive there. That was Thursday evening, and they finally pulled into Indy 27 hours later on Friday night about 9 p.m. ET.

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"It's usually a 17-hour drive but the traffic leaving Florida and going through Atlanta was unbelievable," the 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner said. "And we only stopped for gas and it still took 27 hours."

"My home is right on the Atlantic Ocean and it was built with seven feet of elevation, but they said they're expecting 9 to 13 feet of water this weekend," Kanaan said. "And I cannot even imagine 13 feet of water. I figure we'll lose at least half of the living room and who knows what else. Thankfully, I've got insurance but I cannot imagine how long it will take to gets things back to normal. So Lauren is from Indiana and we'll just make it our home for the foreseeable future."

"It's tough to leave all those things you've cherished over the years but I only packed my Baby Borg, some clothes and valuables."

The popular Brazilian was asked how his fellow drivers were coping.

"Ryan [Hunter-Reay] lives on the water and so does Helio [Castroneves], and I know Ryan went to California because that's where (wife) Becky's family lives and Helio is in Atlanta with his girlfriend Adriana, who is from there, and their daughter. Carlos [Munoz] is in Houston and [Juan Pablo] Montoya is in Europe and his family is in Columbia so it's all good for the Miami boys."

This is what Hunter-Reay had to say: