NTT Data joins Kanaan for 2015 IndyCar season
NTT was the main backer for Ryan Briscoe in 2014.
Photo by: David Yowe
In a series of announcements coming through this week, Chip Ganassi Racing proclaimed Tony Kanaan driver of the No. 10 NTT Data Dallara/Chevrolet/Firestone Indy car in next year’s Verizon IndyCar Series. Kanaan, the 2004 champion who finished every lap of his title-winning year and won the closing race in INDYCAR’s 2014 season, joins the No. 9 Target car driven by Scott Dixon in Ganassi’s team.
Just one Target car
The moment the news broke about this deal, Twitter went wild with people bemoaning the fact that there wouldn’t be two Target cars for 2015 in INDYCAR, rather than celebrating the fact that Kanaan will be back in the No. 10 and that he has a fully funded year ahead. As anyone cognizant of the sport has known, the No. 10 had Target sponsorship for only part of the season - even with Dario Franchitti at the helm - while the retailing giant’s partners showed up on the car for much of each year. That engendered many different driving suits for the No. 10’s occupant (even last year too) and kept interest for each sponsor that had ties to Target.
The No. 10 Ganassi car has been a winning machine since 2006 with a total of 20 victories: Dario has 13, Dan Wheldon had six and Kanaan added his Auto Club Speedway victory last August. NTT Data is the official IT series partner to Chip Ganassi Racing teams throughout its large reach.
Kanaan excited for 2015
Kanaan is excited and we should be too: “I can’t wait to begin working with everyone at NTT Data,” he said. “I know and have worked with them before so this will be great. As for the team,” led by engineer Chris Simmons, “we really started to come together at the end of last season and although we ended on a high note with the win at Fontana, I think we had a legitimate chance to win a few more times. We have a year under our belt working together now and I expect to be contending more consistently in 2015.”
Accentuating the positive is something Tony Kanaan has always done and his legions of fans worldwide should be ecstatic about this news.
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