IndyCar: What's next for Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises?

Will A.J. Foyt Enterprises compete in the 2020 IndyCar season? Will Tony Kanaan be behind the wheel? These have become the focal points of the offseason.

A few months ago, a report came out that Tony Kanaan was slated to return to A.J. Foyt Enterprises in the 2020 IndyCar season, stating that he had a handshake deal to return to the team.

The team’s Twitter account even praised a comment stating that team owner A.J. Foyt’s word is as good as a signed document.

But here we are, with the offseason between the 2019 and 2020 seasons roughly halfway complete, and Kanaan has still not been confirmed for a third season with Foyt’s team — and a 23rd season in American open-wheel racing.

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Additionally, with A.J. Foyt Enterprises having lost full-time primary sponsor ABC Supply after 15 years, there are questions about what the team’s future holds.

They are already one of the slowest teams on the grid, and they have held that unwanted distinction for several years, even with backing from ABC Supply.

Will they have enough funding to even compete in 2020? If so, will they compete with two cars on a full-time basis like that have for the last five years?

Shortly after ABC Supply confirmed that they would only be backing the team for the 104th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, Foyt made clear that his plan was for the team to continue with two full-time cars.

But again, here we are in mid-December, and nothing has been confirmed.

However, we may be closer to some sort of confirmation regarding not only the future of the team but the future of the 2004 IndyCar champion and 2013 Indy 500 champion.

Here is what Kanaan had to say about the matter, according to IndyStar.

"“We’re close. I’ll be in IndyCar next year. We don’t know the extent yet. We’re trying. Obviously, it’s no secret the team (A.J. Foyt Racing) is still looking for some funding, but I’ll be back, hopefully.“I wanted to announce before Christmas. That is my Christmas wish, but hopefully we’ll do it soon. I can assure you guys I’ll be here. Most likely, it’ll be with A.J. Foyt.”"

Great news.

As for A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ other open seat, there are rumors that Charlie Kimball, who drove full-time in IndyCar from 2011 to 2018 but was relegated to a part-time role in 2019, may end up back in a full-time role alongside Kanaan, with whom he was a teammate from 2014 to 2017 at Chip Ganassi Racing.

Unfortunately for Kanaan, however, RACER’s Marshall Pruett has reported that Kimball is most likely slated to be the team’s lone full-time driver, so Kanaan’s role may be a part-time role, a possibility that he did not rule out despite his confidence regarding returning to the team.

Kimball, or anybody, would be replacing Matheus Leist, who drove for the team in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. For several months, Leist has been the rumored driver to be cut from the team provided they alter their driver lineup in any way ahead of the 2020 season, and that is looking more and more like the unpleasant reality for the 21-year-old Brazilian.

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What will A.J. Foyt Enterprises’ driver lineup look like when the 2020 IndyCar season rolls around? Will Tony Kanaan’s role within the team continue to be full-time driver like it has been since 2018, or will he only be in a car for select races? While these questions still don’t have sure answers, there is finally some sense of clarity surrounding this organization’s future.

IndyCar: What’s next for Tony Kanaan, A.J. Foyt Enterprises?

By Asher Fair | Dec 12, 2019

Will A.J. Foyt Enterprises compete in the 2020 IndyCar season? Will Tony Kanaan be behind the wheel? These have become the focal points of the offseason.