Veteran IndyCar star Tony Kanaan is set to make the 2020 NTT IndyCar season the final year of his driving career, and will only compete on ovals.
Kanaan will make appearances in the A. J. Foyt Enterprises No.14 entry during the five oval events of the season, which will be the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500, Iowa, Texas Motor Speedway, Richmond and Gateway.
The Brazilian is one of IndyCar’s longest-serving participants, with 377 starts to his name, second only to the legendary Mario Andretti, on 407.
During those 377 races, Kanaan claimed one championship win in 2004, the 2013 Indy 500 win as well as 16 further wins, 15 pole positions and made at a total of 78 podium appearances.
In his lengthy IndyCar career, Kanaan has taken 16 victories – including at the Indianapolis 500 in 2013 – 15 pole positions and has graced the podium 78 times, and claimed the title in 2004.
He also holds the record for the longest-running streak for most consecutive starts, on 317.
“I look back at all these years racing in IndyCar and the first thing that comes to my mind is how fortunate I’ve been to be in the top level of the sport for this long,” said Kanaan.
“I walked into this sport as a 23-year-old with lots of hopes and dreams and I can say, without a doubt, that I accomplished everything I wanted.”
“I’m 45 now; I have fans, wins, podiums, records, a championship and an Indy 500. I feel and know I can still do this for a long time, but like everything else in life, there is also a cycle in racing.
“For a long time, I’ve been asked when I would retire, and my answer was always the same: The day I wake up in the morning and feel like I can’t do this anymore, that’s when I’m going to retire.
Kanaan hasn’t ruled out making further one-off appearances in the future, taking time to focus on his family.
“Unfortunately, there are other things one should take into consideration when planning the future, and probably the most important one is what are the options that are available.
“For 2020, my best option was to race the five ovals of the NTT IndyCar Series season, the sport that gave me so much and that I will always love.
“I’m not done with racing, that’s for sure. I decided that this year I would step back a bit and enjoy these five races, have time for my family (wife Lauren, sons Leonardo, Max and Deco, and daughter Nina) and my fans, and also give back to the sponsors that always stood by me.”
The Foyt outfit has yet to confirm who will pilot the No. 14 car at other events; it has already secured the services of Charlie Kimball for the No. 4
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