Tony Kanaan signs contract extension with Chip Ganassi Racing

Jerry Bonkowski

Former IndyCar champion (2004) and Indianapolis 500 winner (2013) Tony Kanaan and primary sponsor NTT Data will return to Chip Ganassi Racing for 2017.

The team announced contract extensions for both Kanaan and NTT Data Tuesday afternoon.

“We are very happy to re-sign Tony to drive the No. 10 for us, but are just as pleased to bring a great partner like NTT Data back to the team,” team owner Chip Ganassi said in a release. “Tony has played a strong role as one of the leaders of this team both on and off the track and we feel fortunate to have him back.”

Kanaan, driver of the No. 10 NTT Data Honda, joined CGR in 2014 and has finished seventh (2014), eighth (2015) and seventh (2016).

He has one win and 11 podium finishes in his CGR tenure. The 2017 season will be Kanaan’s fourth with the team and 20th Indy car season.

“I’m thrilled to be back with Chip and NTT DATA – it’s been one of the most rewarding partnerships of my career,” Kanaan said in a statement. “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.”

The Brazilian native, who turns 42 on Dec. 31, is the all-time Indy car leader in consecutive starts (267), which dates back to his first race in the now-defunct CART series in 2001 at Portland, Oregon.

Kanaan will enter the 2017 season with a record that includes 326 Indy car starts, 17 wins, 15 poles, 129 top-five and 209 top-10 finishes (1998 through 2016).