Tony Kanaan has announced that his participation in the upcoming Indianapolis 500 will be the final time he suits up for an IndyCar race.
The 48-year-old veteran has been competing in America’s top open wheel series since 1998, when CART was the most prominent competition.
He took part in his first Indianapolis 500 in 2002, and won the infamous race a single time over ten years later in 2013.
Kanaan also won the IndyCar championship in 2004 while driving for Andretti Green Racing and finished in the top five points positions six times throughout this lengthy career.
“It’s been a wonderful journey, but it’s not done yet,” said Kanaan in a short video released on social media. “I will still have the pleasure to drive through the bricks one more time. Thank you all, and I’ll see you on raceday.”
At the beginning of the 2020 season, Kanaan announced that he would compete in the oval rounds for the year and would retire after that in a campaign labeled ‘TK’s Last Lap.’
But when the pandemic altered the schedule and, more importantly, meant that fans were not allowed into the grandstands to cheer him on, the popular driver decided that he needed more time to properly send off his career.
He continued a part time schedule in 2021, and then competed in the Indy 500 alone in 2022. This year he will also only compete in one event, and will do so while driving for the Arrow McLaren team for the first time.
Kanaan’s push to finally wrap up his impressive 25-year racing career is called ‘Tony Kanaan’s Final Chapter,’ and will come to a close at the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 on May 28.
