INDIANAPOLIS — Tony Kanaan said back in February that this IndyCar season would be his last, saying it’s time for him to step aside so younger talent can have a shot to make it in the series.
That announcement was right before the United States was turned on its head because of the coronavirus pandemic and with it the NTT IndyCar Series season. Most of the races this year have been held without fans and many racecourses that are normally on the schedule have had to cancel.
It’s not exactly the final season Kanaan had dreamed of.
“For my liking, I think it’s not fair that I would go out this way,” Kanaan said. “It’s not fair for my fans. It’s not fair for me. But it’s easier said than done.”
The 2013 Indianapolis 500 champion confirmed in a post-race Zoom press conference after the doubleheader weekend in St. Louis that he has changed his mind and would like to try and do another “last lap tour” next season, similar to what he hoped to accomplish this season.
“I have nothing for next year. I have no sponsor. I have no team. Everybody that was involved with me knew about my decision,” said Kanaan. “Obviously I changed my mind. It’s going to be a challenge. It’s going to be a challenge to try to see if I can put something together to do the same what I did this year.”
Kanaan’s deal with AJ Foyt Enterprises had him competing only on oval tracks this season with rookie driver Dalton Kellett taking his place on the road courses. There are no more oval courses left on the schedule in 2020.
“If I can put a deal together to do the five ovals again, that’s what I’m going to work on,” he added. “As of now, I’m done.”
Kanaan said he has not talked in-depth to any teams yet, including AJ Foyt about a deal for next season. He said he has had some light conversations with his bosses at AJ Foyt, but said first he needs to get sponsors lined up first before he can talk seriously with any teams about a ride in 2021.
He said he has meetings lined up in the coming weeks to get the ball rolling on sponsorship discussions.
A fan favorite since the early part of his career in IndyCar Kanaan won 17 races in over 380 starts, including an IndyCar Series championship in 2004.
