Kanaan says Foyt can end its IndyCar win drought

Foyt last won an IndyCar race in 2013 when Takuma Sato prevailed at Long Beach and the team has since had a regular overturn of drivers and staff during its struggles. 

Kanaan joined the team after exiting Chip Ganassi Racing following a spell in which he won just one race in his first of four campaigns at the squad.

Foyt opted to replace its full driver line-up for the second year running, meaning Kanaan has been paired with rookie Matheus Leist.

The team proved competitive in the season-opening race at St Petersburg, with Leist qualifying inside the top six, and Kanaan believes it shows Foyt can perform in 2018.

“We have a lot of work to do, to try and rebuild the team with A.J.,” said Kanaan. “They had a rough year last year and I didn’t have a good year so we felt we should join forces to try and make something good happen.

“We’re not pretending that we’re going to come here and in the first year, try to win the championship. But I think we can fight for a couple of race wins and I think the goal is to be in the top eight of the championship for this first year and try to build for next year.”

“We had a pretty decent qualifying in St. Pete, we are competitive and our expectations are pretty realistic. 

“I’m excited about the new car, it is exciting to drive. There is a lot less downforce, and the car is a lot quicker in a straight line. I think a lot of fans watched the first race, and there was a lot of passing and it is a completely different beast.”

by Jake Nichol