With the announcement being made official on October 6 that Tony Kanaan was heading over to AJ Foyt Enterprises, it was also made official that the 2018 season would ultimately define their relationship. None of Foyt’s cars have won since 2013 when Takuma Sato won at Long Beach, and Kanaan has also had a similar streak: His last win was at Fontana in 2014; his only win during his tenure for Chip Ganassi Racing after replacing Dario Franchitti in the No.10.
So the pairing of two of the sport’s greats in order to rediscover success in the Verizon IndyCar Series is only natural. Kanaan is no stranger to winning and being at the front of the sport while Foyt is widely regarded as one of the greatest motorsports names to ever exist. So when the green flag drops on Kanaan’s No. 14 Chevy next season, it’ll be quick to show whether or not Foyt or Kanaan made the right move.
It’s a tossup in motorsports when it comes to a long-suffering team looking to revitalize itself by bringing in a driver with a pedigree of success like Kanaan’s. He has won in everything he’s driven in, both in open wheel and in sports cars, the pinnacle of which being the 2004 IndyCar championship as well as the 2013 Indy 500 (an accolade that makes him only the second Indy 500 winner to drive full-time for AJ Foyt Enterprises – behind Foyt himself). With Kanaan’s prowess behind the wheel the organization can build itself up around him to become a contending team once again.
However, at the same time the inverse could happen – the team could still fall short when it counts the most. Races where the driver normally performs well could become nothing more than a struggle. Although the phrase “A driver is only as good as their equipment” has been proven true time and time again, it isn’t entirely true; racing is an unpredictable business and IndyCar is no exception.
Everything is in place for the team to compete properly in 2018. There’s the new aero kit coming out for all chassis that the team will have to learn to work with. There’s the sponsorship firmly in place. There’s the owner committed to his team, which has found success before and will again. Then there’s the driver, who has only one concern: To perform.
Of the organization, Kanaan’s strengths will prove educational to his teammates and will also make the job easier for the team to get him to Victory Lane. The pressure, although still there, is lighter for both Foyt and Kanaan to perform, and there is no reason to believe that they will not compete.
What about Kenny Brak as a full time driver, Indy winner in 1999?