IndyCar: Will A.J. Foyt Enterprises compete in 2020?

A.J. Foyt Enterprises will no longer have primary sponsor ABC Supply in the 2020 IndyCar season after 15 years. Will they continue competing?

When ABC Supply announced that they will no longer return to A.J. Foyt Enterprises as their primary sponsor for the 17-race 2020 IndyCar season, team owner A.J. Foyt was quick to state that his team would still be competing next year.

ABC Supply confirmed that they would still back the Chevrolet-powered team for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, but Foyt wanted the world to know that his team would still run two cars, both on a full-time basis.

Here is what Foyt had to say about the matter back in September, according to RACER.

"“I think we’ve got three or four potential sponsors lined up and we’re probably going to keep running two cars. I’m going to keep our shops in Indianapolis and Houston. I just want people to know we’re not leaving.”"

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Nearly three months later, the team still haven’t confirmed anything about their 2020 plans — drivers, sponsors, anything.

Tony Kanaan has a verbal handshake agreement to return to the team in the 2020 season, but nothing is signed. The team effectively verified this with a comment replying to the remark that “Foyt’s word is as good as a signed document”, and Kanaan has remained optimistic about competing next year on multiple occasions without explicitly stating that he’ll be back for what would be his 23rd season of competition in American open-wheel racing.

Matheus Leist, who joined the team as a rookie alongside the veteran Kanaan ahead of the 2018 season, is not under contract anywhere for next year, and it has been speculated that a driver lineup change would most likely result in him being released after recording just one top 10 finish in two seasons.

With the offseason between the 2019 and 2020 season slowly but surely nearing its halfway point, the question needs to be asked: will A.J. Foyt Enterprises compete full-time in 2020?

A.J. Foyt Enterprises are already one of the slowest teams on the grid, and they have held that unwanted distinction for several years. Their most recent victory came in the 2013 season on the streets of Long Beach, California when Takuma Sato drove his #14 Honda across the finish flag first.

After dreadful year after dreadful year, things are not looking up for A.J. Foyt Enterprises, even with the team set to undergo rebuilding efforts for the 2020 season, and the loss of ABC Supply adds to that dread for a team already trending in the wrong direction simply by failing to do anything significant to get better, year after year.

We have seen, time and time again — even if you look solely at this offseason — deals fall through for drivers, engine manufacturers and teams that were previously “under contract”. As good as Foyt’s word is, A.J. Foyt Enterprises face even less certainty, and it could be an uphill battle for them to be in a position to fully commit to a given car/driver lineup next year anytime soon.

But don’t expect them to miss the 2020 season entirely, especially not the Indy 500, for which they will still have full backing from ABC Supply, and don’t expect them to bend over and let circumstances get the best of them.

No matter what kind of negativity is out there, this is still “Super Tex” we’re talking about here.

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Will A.J. Enterprises compete full-time in the 2020 IndyCar season, and if so, will they do so with two cars? The season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 15 on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.