IndyCar: Tony Kanaan Returns To Chip Ganassi Racing For 2017

Tony Kanaan will return as the driver of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing entry, as the IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner has struck a new deal.

Tony Kanaan really isn’t going anywhere. Less than a month after telling Beyond The Flag he had no interest in retirement, the 2004 IndyCar champion and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner has reached a deal with Chip Ganassi Racing to continue as the driver of its No. 10 car for at least one more year.

Ganassi announced Kanaan’s re-signing on Tuesday, along with that of his primary sponsor NTT Data. No specifics of the contract were released, so it’s unknown if this is a one-year or multi-year lock.

Either way it’s good news for Ganassi which will return the majority of its driver lineup to the grid next spring. Scott Dixon and Charlie Kimball were already contracted for 2017, and now Kanaan is back, leaving the only question mark over rookie Max Chilton. Ganassi was rumored to be seeking a multi-year deal with Chilton but nothing is for certain yet.

Here’s what Kanaan had to say about the deal on Tuesday in a press release:

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"I’m thrilled to be back with Chip and NTT Data. It’s been one of the most rewarding partnerships of my career. It’s been great having a partner in NTT Data that is so committed to making our on-track performance as strong as it can be and I think it’s really shown in our growth together over the last few years.Our 2016 season was strong, but our results didn’t always reflect our performance and we definitely have some unfinished business heading into 2017."

Kanaan finished seventh in the 2016 IndyCar championship standings, tied for his best overall finish since 2012.

Though he did not win a race this year he drove hard all season, including a memorable four-way battle for the win with Graham Rahal, James Hinchcliffe and Simon Pagenaud in the resumed Firestone 600 at Texas.

He’s also the first of the three veteran drivers to sign a new contract. Juan Pablo Montoya is out as a full-time driver at Team Penske and will be replaced by Josef Newgarden, while Montoya’s teammate Helio Castroneves is presumed to be back but as of last week still hasn’t come to a new agreement.

It’s not hard to see why Kanaan is returning. He still has the talent to drive – only finishing outside of the Top 9 four times over 16 races this year – and as he notes, his final line could be considered as leaving him with unfinished business.

For Ganassi, he and Dixon represent the veteran foundation of the team while Charlie Kimball is turning the page to his next level and Chilton (hopefully) continues to mature. There’s no shame in betting on a proven product while you continue to move your roster forward.

In essence it’s the opposite of what happened with Penske and Montoya. While Penske let go of Montoya in order to clear a path for the up and coming Newgarden, Ganassi is bringing back Kanaan for at least one more year to help anchor the lineup as the Chilton and Kimball situations sort themselves out.

Besides one also shouldn’t underestimate the intangibles that Kanaan brings to any race team and to IndyCar as a whole. He’s one of the sport’s most high-profile and engaging personalities; he just represented the league on both American Ninja Warrior and Dancing with the Stars. He has value off the track, as well as on it.

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Having Tony Kanaan back on the grid immediately adds one more proven competitor to the 2017 IndyCar season. Especially if he’s driving like he has “unfinished business” expect him to really be putting the hammer down next spring. If Ganassi does in fact get Max Chilton to rejoin him, they will once again have a solid lineup to contend for the title.

What do you think of Tony Kanaan returning to Chip Ganassi Racing?