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IndyCar: Tony Kanaan slated to return to A.J. Foyt Enterprises in 2020

By Asher Fair

MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Tony Kanaan #14 of Brazil and ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet looks on during testing for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 19, 2019 in Monterey, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Tony Kanaan #14 of Brazil and ABC Supply AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet looks on during testing for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca on September 19, 2019 in Monterey, California. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /
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Tony Kanaan is slated to return to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for the third consecutive year in the 2020 IndyCar season, which is set to be his 23rd season in the sport.

Tony Kanaan has competed in American open-wheel racing since the 1998 season. Ever since competing full-time in CART from the 1998 season through the 2002 season, Kanaan has competed full-time in IndyCar, and he hasn’t missed an IndyCar race since then.

Kanaan has driven for A.J. Foyt Enterprises since the 2018 season, and now he is slated to return to the team for the 2020 season, which is set to be his 23rd season in the sport, despite the team’s loss of ABC Supply as a full-time primary sponsor.

WRTV’s Dave Furst tweeted that Kanaan stated that he and A.J. Foyt Enterprises reached a “verbal, handshake agreement” for the 44-year-old Brazilian to continue driving the #14 Chevrolet for a third consecutive season.

There has been no official public confirmation from the team about Kanaan’s status for next year, but when a fan commented that team owner A.J. Foyt’s word is “as good as a signed document”, A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ Twitter account responded, effectively verifying this statement — and this news.

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Foyt still plans for his team to run two cars on a full-time basis in the 2020 season. Matheus Leist has driven the team’s other car since the 2018 season began, but the driver of this car, the #4 Chevrolet, has not yet been confirmed for next year.

In American open-wheel racing, Kanaan has won 17 races, recorded 78 podium finishes and taken 14 pole positions in 377 starts. In IndyCar, he has won 16 races, recorded 72 podium finishes and taken 10 pole positions in 284 starts.

Since he began driving for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, he has recorded one podium finish, a third place finish in the race at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway this past August, in 34 starts. He finished in 16th in the championship standings in the 2018 season and 15th in the standings in the 2019 season. He is still seeking his first victory since he won the 2014 season finale at Auto Club Speedway in his first season driving for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Kanaan had been rumored to return to A.J. Foyt Enterprises for several months, but he hinted last month that he would at least be returning to the series during a teleconference discussing the addition of Richmond Raceway to the schedule for the 2020 season.

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The 2020 IndyCar driver lineup is currently in the process of taking shape. More than a dozen seats have now been confirmed for next year, but there are still several open seats. What other driver confirmations will be announced in the near future with the offseason underway and teams looking to solidify their lineups?