Two Teammates, Different Paths For AJ Foyt Racing As Kellett Joins Bourdais In 2021 Paddock

Dalton Kellett from Stouffville, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, started his first INDY 500 August 23, 2020 at P24 and finished P31 after completing 24 laps (Contact) - before this first opportunity to compete in the big show, he said, “I am very excited to be doing this, It is a huge moment in my racing career. I’ve been building up to this for many years. I know I sound calm and cool about this but beneath the surface I am very excited. This is a huge opportunity and I am so thankful." Image Credit: AJ Foyt Racing (2020)

Two Teammates, Different Paths For AJ Foyt Racing As Kellett Joins Bourdais In 2021 Paddock

Dalton Kellett, who starts his second year association with AJ Foyt Racing,  joins four-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion Sebastien Bourdais. Kellett will be driving the newly designated No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet along side of Bourdais in his No. 14 (TBD) Chevrolet.

“Being paired with Sebastien will be a great opportunity to continue to learn from one of the most experienced veterans in the field. I can’t wait to get back on the track for off-season testing and back behind the wheel in 2021.”

In eight races in 2020, Kellett scored a best finish of 20th twice at Road America.

NTT IndyCar Series News Conference - Tuesday, December 15, 2020

Larry Foyt - President AJ Foyt Racing
Dalton Kellett - Returning Driver (first full season), No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES video conference. Today we are happy to be joined by AJ Foyt Racing team president Larry Foyt and their newly announced second driver for the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Dalton Kellett, who will return to drive the No. 4 K-Line Insulators USA Chevrolet.

Congratulations, gentlemen, on your announcement today. Larry, would you like to kick us off and tell us how the deal came about and how great it is to have Dalton back?

LARRY FOYT: Sure, Kate, thank you. Obviously, we got to work with Dalton a little last year. He was part of the three-driver rotation in the 14 car, and obviously, the goal was to get him full-time. 2020 was even tougher for him than we expected it to be being a rookie with limited track time and having to deal with shorter race weekends, but he really rose to the challenge. I think he impressed a lot of people and we were just happy we were able to get him full-time.

THE MODERATOR: And Dalton, do you want to talk about the opportunity that you have now for 2021 to be with the team full time?

DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, I'm very excited. Thanks, first of all, everyone for joining our little press conference here. This is the biggest Zoom call that I've been on this year.

As Larry said, it was a challenging year for veterans and rookies alike, but I'm really excited to be back in the No. 4. So same team, different number. Learned a lot last year, and that was with limited track time, limited testing. So being full time in the 4 car is going to be a great opportunity. I can't wait for the season to get started.

THE MODERATOR: Well, I'm excited for your sophomore season, as well. You were one of my favorite rookies of 2020.

Q. It was a difficult year for a lot of drivers basically with the schedule changing and being so fluid, but for you, it was even more difficult because of how limited it is. Now that it's going to be full time, how important is that going to be for you to build upon your career and try to get as much experience as you can, especially working with a guy like Sebastien?

DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, that's a good point and I think having Seb on board is going to be a great asset to the program. I'm really looking forward to working with him. We had a great test earlier in the off-season at Barber Motorsports Park in October, and seeing how he works with the engineers and how exacting he is with his feedback and what he wants out of the car was pretty eye-opening.

So I think he's going to be a great asset and looking forward to working with him. Yeah, it was tough as a rookie with limited track time. But it was, like I said, going into next year, just capitalizing on the increased amount of testing and the closer to full-length weekends that we're going to have is going to be really important, and that's going be to the goal to kind of hit the ground with -- hit the ground running.

Q. A lot of guys out there would love to have a full-time ride in IndyCar. What was it about Dalton that made you decide to bring him back?

LARRY FOYT: Well, we had already started working together, you know, and the relationship was there. When we started it was not meant to be a short-term relationship. We were really just continuing what we started and really looking forward to watching him progress and seeing how Seb can help his learning curve in IndyCar. Because like Dalton touched on, it's huge to have a multi-time champion to be able to learn from in this day and age. I think it's a great opportunity for Dalton. We're excited.

Q. With his engineering degree and everything, is he almost like having an engineer in the cockpit of the race car?

LARRY FOYT: Well, we'll see. I wasn't on his car last year. I was on the other car, so I didn't get to hear a ton of his audio and feedback but during some of the tests when I was able to, I listened in and the feedback was really good.

I think what he was talking about, that Barber test, Seb has some trust in Dalton that we were able to run both cars through some different programs like a proper-two car team. For a rookie to be able to contribute to the team was really helpful.

Q. You sort of touched on this in the last question, but what did you see from Dalton this past season?

LARRY FOYT: Yeah, well, the thing sometimes you see someone's body of work in racing as they are coming up through the series and as they jump into the bigger car, you don't know what to expect, right. You just have to see, okay, how is he going to adapt to the bigger tire, more horsepower, and what we saw was he really adapted well. And he was great at looking at data, improving himself, going quicker.

I think he can really surprise a lot of people and that's what we see in him and that's why we wanted to get him full time.

Q. As a follow-up, what are your expectations for the upcoming season, for not just Dalton but the entire Foyt team?

LARRY FOYT: Well we want to win races. We obviously feel Seb can and we feel Dalton can, as well. Really, this is only his first year in IndyCar. That's a lot to ask. We're not going to be pushing him on that.

The biggest thing is let's go, let's keep improving. Let's get faster and faster, and I think Dalton has got the right mindset for that.

Last year, I think he knew the situation everybody was in with COVID, with some of the races getting cut, some of the sponsorship getting cut due to that. It was tough on teams and we had kind of put him in a tough spot because it's like, hey, we really want you to go out there and do your best but we don't want you to be out there crashing cars, which rookies a lot of times are going to make that mistake.

But Dalton did a good job to stay, to just to keep getting quicker on a good pace and not overstep the bounds too much because we really needed that as a team. He's a really good team player. That's the thing, we have to see where we shake out as a seem with Seb leading the program and starting to get some of our -- hopefully driving our setups and direction for Dalton to feel and also contribute to.

So there's a lot going on but I think we showed in St. Pete some of our basic setups, hopefully aren't too bad, and I think we'll be competitive.

Q. Firstly, happy Christmas. Secondly, how much is this going to benefit you guys in terms of consistency with Dalton returning, given that Seb is obviously new to the program this year, how much are they going to complement each other do you think with Seb's experience, but also the fact that Dalton's been with you guys kind of last season, as well, albeit kind of on a partial program?

LARRY FOYT: Yeah, thanks, good to see you all the way from Ireland. I think -- and Dalton can probably answer to that, too, because I do like to sit in in a lot of the debriefs in the engineering room and just hear them talk about things.

We saw -- you know, I was able to see sides of it from Tony trying to help a rookie like Matheus, and also as Dalton came into the fold and listening to how Tony speaks to Dalton and how Seb speaks to Dalton. It's interesting, and I think everyone has different strengths and weaknesses and different ways of explaining things.

I think Seb is definitely very analytical, as is Dalton. They both bring that mindset in that's going to be really interesting to the way they look at data, talk about the race car, and so you know, maybe even Dalton can answer to some of that. But I think they are going to get along splendidly and I think it's a really good pairing.

As a 2020 rookie contender, Dalton Kellett shared driving duties driving the No. 14 last year with Tony Kanaan and Sebastien Bourdais with a primary focus on road courses. Image Credit: Doug Mathews via NICS (2020)

Q. And for yourself, Dalton, there's a few points that Larry kind of picked up on there. If you wouldn't mind kind of going into a bit more detail into those, but also for yourself, you're stepping up to a full-time position this year, or next year. What do you think are going to be the challenges to that, but equally, what are you most looking forward to, as well?

DALTON KELLETT: I'll tackle the first question first. I think as far as working with Seb, and as a rookie, even though last year was tough, I've been pleased with great teammates and having really experienced teammates and that really showed and it really helped me get up to speed at Indy last year, I think having guys like Tony, Charlie there, that was great. Coming on with Seb is going to be a big part of the program.

What I've seen from him so far is that as Larry said, he's very analytical. He's very demanding, more so than me. I think as a rookie it can be kind of tough to come in with the confident and the kind of, this is what I want, and it has to be this way; and justifiably because you're a rookie. You don't quite have the pedigree to kind of say those things.

But also just seeing what it is that he is exacting about and kind of tailor in my feedback and kind of my expectations as far as what I want out of the car. I think that's going to be the -- at least one of the first things I'm going to learn from Seb.

In looking at data and from a simulator day and from some time testing at Barber, it seems like we have pretty complementary driving styles, and when we do like an ABA change and kind of compare apples-to-apples, do the same change on my car and then replicate that on his car. Our feedback seems to be relatively similar. You don't want -- it can be tough when you have one guy that, say, you make a rear spring change and the feedback is different, that can make it difficult for the engineers. It seems like we have kind of similar driving styles, which I think is going to help.

Moving on to your second question, the big challenges this year. I mean, it's a challenge but it's also a good thing. We're going to have a full schedule. I'll get to experience my first full-time year in IndyCar. There will be a lot more travel than we had this year and new tracks, even though I came up through the road at Indy, there's a few tracks I haven't raced on, like Long Beach and we have the Music City Grand Prix coming up which we are all excited for; so there will be some learning opportunities there.

I think last year, Indy was my only oval race, so there will be three ovals. So kind of coming to grips with the IndyCar on an oval. I would say that the Foyt team showed well at Texas last year, so really excited for that, and just excited to be here full-time and back with the team. It's going to be a good year.

Q. Dalton, I know we've talked already a lot about how difficult last year was to be a rookie with the limited track time and testing and everything. I know even though it may not have shown in the results that you put together, was there a time in the season where things started to feel easier or where you felt a little bit more comfortable in the car, if there's anything that comes to mind?

DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, I think for the -- the high point of the year for us was definitely Indy, even though it didn't end the way we wanted, but just with our pace and teammates and where we were. I was really happy with how that progression went during the month. I was definitely happy that we passed that milestone of kind of being comfortable and competitive there.

I think Mid-Ohio was kind of a bit of a turning point, like I say, even though the results weren't quite there. But we had chances for some really good performances in qualifying that were kind of curtailed just by circumstances, whether it was seeing when the yellows came out or the rain and all that. But I felt like our race pace was decent there. Just it was more of a question of extracting the potential that was there, which I think is where we kind of missed on this year.

So I think that's going to be sort of the theme this year is putting everything together and kind of making the most out of what we have, and I think having Seb there has kind of shown that we're starting off from a point that's relatively good, so we have a good base to work from.

Q. You mentioned earlier that this was always the plan to hopefully go full-time with Dalton, and you brought him in with the intention of hopefully building on what you guys have. As you had already put a veteran driver next to him, was it really important for you guys when you were looking at options for that seat to have someone that you guys could maybe stay with long term versus maybe another veteran that's around maybe three or four more years?

LARRY FOYT: Definitely was in our thought process for sure. It only makes sense to try to do that, right, because you want to have someone in your system that you're growing with. We don't currently have an Indy Lights team, something like that. It's something we've looked at and something we'd love to have in the future to keep young guys kind of in our system and coming up through our way of things.

But yeah, no, I think it's a perfect fit. When Seb came available, we felt like he did have some very good years in him. He's very hungry right now. And also, I think for Dalton, it made Dalton more excited because I think it took our team to another level, and it can help Dalton's career immensely. So that's where I think that came about.

Q. I know the K-Line sponsorship, the primary sponsor on the car for next year, I know that was -- from what I had heard, a pretty solid sponsor and someone that is an excited backer of Dalton. When you guys are making these decisions, how difficult is it to kind of weigh what comes with the driver with sponsorship versus the results they have put on the track and the age of the driver? I know there's so many things you have to weigh when you are making these decisions. How does sponsorship at times play into that?

LARRY FOYT: Well, you have to have sponsorship to be able to compete, no doubt. You certainly can't do it on race winnings alone. Every team out there, that's probably the majority of my day, honestly, is spent on sponsorship stuff. During a pandemic, it's extremely difficult.

So no, it's just a great relationship that we already had with K-Line, obviously through Dalton, but they are just super people, super company, and we wouldn't have done this if we didn't think Dalton can do well on track.

So at the end of the day, that trumps everything, and we just think there's a lot of potential there that people just haven't seen yet, and we think we can get it out of him.

Q. You mentioned in the fall that there would be a chance for you to move into a third full-time car with the right opportunity. Where are you on that? Is there a chance we could see that in 2021 or has the timeline moved as far as that's concerned?

LARRY FOYT: I would say no in 2021; barring I win the lottery or something like that. It's something on our radar for sure. I'm a big person who thinks growth is important to any business, but it has to be done the right way.

I think we suffered some growing pains as we went to -- from one car to two car a few years back that we are finally getting over. But at the same time, it just has to be the right situation. We did look at some deals, and just felt like it wasn't the right time at this -- at this juncture. We really wanted to focus on Seb and Dalton for this year.

I'm sure we'll see, we typically run three cars at Indy. We'll see if that comes about. But really wanted to focus on the two cars for 2021.

Q. Going through this process, there was a lot of drivers who were probably trying to get after this particular seat, and with all the seats starting to get taken up within IndyCar, was it a stressful period for you going through this ordeal and how relieved are you that it's done?

DALTON KELLETT: Yeah, you know, going into the off-season without something signed for the following year is always -- you were a driver yourself, you know how that feels; the uncertainty, not knowing where you're going to be next year. I was happy we had already had conversations that were relatively well-progressed, and I think having it signed even this early is great because it gets us really moving on to 2021 and we can just focus on testing and getting ready for St. Pete.

Q. And quick question for Larry. Sort of a similar question for you, as well. A lot of drivers out there, I heard Romain Grosjean may be one of those drivers going after that seat in particular. What sets Dalton apart from a lot of other drivers that you have already spoken with? Is it the reason that he's gone through the Road to Indy ladder system and has that experience with IndyCar?

LARRY FOYT: Well, honestly it goes back to what I touched on earlier. I think we knew where we were headed, even middle of last year. It wasn't something -- I know there was an article about Grosjean, but really there wasn't a conversation there to be honest other than, you know, kind of a "Hi, how are you," nice-to-meet-you thing.

I think we kind of knew what way we were going with Dalton from the beginning. It was kind of in the plan of doing a part-time, getting him some seat time and then working up to the full deal.

Darren Manning works a lot with Dalton. He's obviously a good friend of mine and I really trust and respect his opinion, so before we even put Dalton in a car, I spoke with Darren a lot about how Dalton drives and things like that.

So this has kind of been the plan, so this will be a really good chance for Dalton to get a full year, get more comfortable, get more seat time and then we can really see what he can do.

Q. What do you think the areas are Foyt can improve for next season? Obviously you're coming from a more inexperienced background, so what are you going to need from the team to really fight for Top-10s, Top-5s and wins next year, which is kind of what the team seems to be aiming at for next season?

DALTON KELLETT: I think the big thing that we're going to be focusing on is consistency across the program and having myself and Seb on board is going to be -- we're going to work well together, and when you have two drivers -- as I kind of touched on earlier why, it seems our driving styles are relatively complementary.

So from the direction of where the setup is going, I think that's going to be pretty consistent and helpful for both of us to have like a plan that we are kind of working towards.

I thought the team did a great job last year in Atlanta. I think we obviously have to continue working there and making sure that stops are quick and all that, but they were great last year. Even on the 41 car, which was a third-car crew, that can always be hard to put that together for the month of May, but we had a great crew there. So continuing with that with practice and everything.

And then for my side of it, like I said, putting everything together and just extracting the potential that we have in myself and the car and kind of putting our best foot forward.

Q. What's your focus on for next year? Seb was a big part of that in terms of being the spearhead of the on-track stuff and the setup direction, but is there any personnel changes or anything you're kind of looking at within the team that needs to change to extract that performance for next year?

LARRY FOYT: Yes, we have beefed up our engineering staff a little bit over the winter. I think we'll be probably, as we figure out exactly what places people will be in, we'll be putting that out here shortly. So we did beef that up.

We have had some new mechanics come on board. Just trying to field the weaknesses or wherever you feel you have a weakness. Pit stops have become so important, just from -- just everything is so tight. You see the speeds and the lap times through the whole field. You cannot lose anything on pit road, you just can't, not to mention what it does to a driver's psyche. We all know in this wind screen, it's hot, and these drivers are out there giving it all they can. You lose a couple spot in the pits, they will tell you about it, so you don't want to do that.

That's the biggest thing as a team. I think you touched on it. Top-10s are the goal here at first and solid qualifying. I think we lacked some pace on some of the permanent road courses that we'd like to add. Outside of Mid-Ohio, I thought Dalton was doing a great job at Mid-Ohio and showing some pace there. But Indy GP and places like that, we didn't fare very well, so we're going to work on that.

Q. First of all, I would like to congratulate Dalton and I'm looking forward to meeting you in the No. 4 car. And this question is for Larry. With Dalton in the No. 4 car and Seb in the 14, is there any word about Charlie Kimball will be doing anything with a team next season?

LARRY FOYT: Thanks, Asher. Good to hear from you. Yes, we really like Charlie. I don't know what's going to happen with Charlie next year. I know he's looking at some opportunities, so we'll just have to see where that falls. But great driver, and I'm sure he'll land somewhere, and we'll just have to see what happens.

But yeah, looking -- we'll see. We haven't figured out what we're going to do with our third car at Indy yet. Don't know for certain, but we will see. But yeah, Charlie and everything ended on really good terms, and he understood what we were doing, but enjoyed the year with him for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks to all of you for participating today.
[ht: FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

Kellett has a degree in engineering physics from Queens University in Canada. That allows the driver to better understand the communication between driver and the engineering staff.

Bourdais has a very analytical approach to his style of driving as well, making this a very cerebral combination for Foyt’s team for the 2021 season.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: Dalton Kellett, Sebastien Bourdais, Larry Foyt, AJ Foyt Racing, 2021, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Chevrolet, K-Line Insulators USA, The EDJE

Team Penske To Mentor First Diversity Focused Open-Wheel Race Team Dubbed FORCE Indy

The team’s debut race will be at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where it will compete in the support race for the NTT IndyCar series on March 5-7, 2021. “When the IMS and IndyCar acquisition happened a year ago, I was pleased to learn of the work Rod Reid was doing,” said IMS chairman Roger Penske at the announcement. Image Credit: Chris Owens via NICS (2020)

Team Penske To Mentor First Diversity Focused Open-Wheel Race Team Dubbed FORCE Indy

It was announced that in order to place some teeth into the NTT INDYCAR SERIES management agenda of inclusiveness, a new team focusing on African American involvement in motorsports is entering the Road to Indy series starting competition next year. This team effort will be mentored by Team Penske’s state-of-the-art operations in order to help it get off the ground successfully. The team is named FORCE Indy and will be managed by Coach Rod Reid, NXG Youth Motorsports President and CEO.

FORCE Indy will initially field an entry in the USF2000 series, which has the lowest barriers to entry of the Road to Indy ladder, and will look to advance all the way up to the NTT IndyCar series as the program develops.

The Cooper Tires USF2000 series is the first official step in the Road to Indy feeder series program, followed successively by Indy Pro 2000, Indy Lights, and finally the full-season ride in the NTT IndyCar series.

NTT IndyCar Series News Conference - Indianapolis, Indiana, USA - Thursday, December 3, 2020

Rod Reid - NXG Youth Motorsports President and CEO

Jimmie McMillan - Penske Entertainment Corp. Chief Diversity Officer

J. Douglas Boles - IMS President

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to the world famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. My name is Dave Furst with the NTT INDYCAR Series. Great to see you on a special day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

I want to welcome Roger Penske, chairman of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, kind enough to join us here this afternoon. Mark Miles, president and CEO of Penske Entertainment Corp.

Up on the desk, we welcome and say hello to Jimmie McMillan, the chief diversity officer with Penske Entertainment Corp. In the middle, Coach Rod Reid, 40 years of auto racing experience, some outstanding work with NXG Youth Motorsports as the president and CEO.

The only man allowed to wear a suit today, J. Douglas Boles, president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Incredibly exciting news today as we witness the launch of a groundbreaking and completely diverse team in open-wheel racing, called FORCE Indy. It will be led by Coach Reid, the principal. A team that will focus on diversity through mechanics, engineers, of course the drivers, but other key staff and personnel throughout the race team. Of course, it will do so under the mentorship of Team Penske, the legendary open-wheel race team, motorsports in a whole.

FORCE Indy will compete and open things up, the first race will be the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship opener at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, comes up in March. Going to be here before we know it.

We'll start with Jimmie on the far right. You've seen firsthand the passion that Coach Reid brings each and every day. This is also a part of the broader Speedway, IMS Race for Equality and Change. How important is this day?

JIMMIE McMILLAN: As an African American male, I cannot understate the importance of today. Someone who did not grow up with the sport, but grew to fall in love with the sport over time and over being introduced to it by others. I have strived to spread that love to other African Americans, people of color. This is a pivotal morning.

All morning I've been thinking about this might be one of those: Where was I when it all started? To have the opportunity to be here with Coach Reid, it's just amazing.

I've had the chance over the past six years to work with Coach Reid in the NXG program. And to see his heart, his passion, his dedication to provide opportunities to many folks, many kids who wanted to get into racing, their parents didn't know how, didn't know anything about the sport, but they brought their kids to Coach Reid.

I happen to be one of those parents. My sons are participating in the program. My son I know is watching from him, looking at coach, thinking, There's a future for me.

This is very pivotal for the Race for Equality and Change that we are undergoing right now. I could tell you under our leadership, certainly under Roger Penske, but also under Mark Miles, Bud Denker, Doug Boles, Allison Melangton, Jay Frye, we are all committed to changing this sport. It is an everyday laser focus on what we can do to move the needle.

This is a significant move. To have Coach Reid at the helm, I can tell you the team is being led by the right person to take this initiative in the right direction. This is not about a driver, it's not even about Coach Reid just as an owner, but this is about the commitment to provide opportunities throughout the sport, whether it's accounting, HR, legal, marketing. There's so many ways in which we can be more involved and more engaged in this sport.

Through that we're going to service the fans we already have. There have been people of color following this sport for a long time. For them, this will be a happy moment.

We hopefully also will introduce new people to this thing that we love called auto racing. As part of the Race for Equality and Change, this is a big step. This is also a big step in our social construct for providing equality and equal opportunity for people of color in all areas of our lives.

THE MODERATOR: Coach Reid, you were wearing a mask when you walked in, but I could tell you were smiling ear to ear. This is an important day, a dream come true in many ways. What does this day mean to you?

ROD REID: I have spent, as you say, almost 40 years. I won't go deep into the timeframe (smiling).

I've had an opportunity to see the sport from back when I was in my teens coming to the Indianapolis 500 all the way through to being involved with one of the first African Americans to run in Super Vee. We always dreamed of having a black enterprise that would be oriented towards people of color.

I want to be clear. This is not the first time that we've had black ownership in cars or teams. But I think this is one of the first times we will be able to do something that's sustainable because of the support and the interest from folks like Roger Penske and the Penske organization, we've been able to start on this path.

I kind of see this two way. One is that we are inviting the black community to come into motorsports through our effort as FORCE Indy. We are also inviting the motorsports industry to embrace seeing and having the presence of African Americans and people of color in the pits, in the paddock, in other places in motorsports.

I want to be very, very clear that we are about diversity. We are about more than just me as a principal and the drivers. As a matter of fact, one of our core projects that we've engaged in in terms of putting this team together is to make sure that we have those positions like mechanics and engineers and others in the mix.

Today I want to talk about who I'm really celebrating, the stars of Force Indy. That is these three gentlemen sitting in front here. That's Stu Kelly, Nadeem Ali and Derek Morris. They are part of the beginning and initial core crew that we're having. They have been spending a tremendous amount of time working so far to get us to where we are today.

I just want to mention very quickly that they're not just guys that love racing. They all individually have been doing that. Stu has been drifting. That Nadeem has been involved heavily in go-karts. Derek has run stockcars. They have good backgrounds from the university level, both in engineering, management, et cetera.

They've all come through Nexgeneracers, the NXG Youth Motorsports. That's what this is about, to bring those and give opportunity to those who not only deserve it but have worked towards this opportunity, getting a chance from us being able to say, I can now be involved in motorsports.

I want to applaud those guys, and thanks for being part of FORCE Indy.

THE MODERATOR: There is so much, as you know, most everyone in this room, that goes into putting a race team together, forming a race team. Rod, what does the fact that Team Penske is going to be there as a mentor, what kind of impact is that for this team?

ROD REID: There's no question that being mentored by the best in the business is a big plus for FORCE Indy. We have been just so honored to be a part and to be able to have an alliance with the Penske organization that will actually support us, give us the tutelage, if you will, to go and become successful.

They have, without question, Team Penske has earned I believe like 18 Indy 500 wins, 16 championships. They're absolutely the best. We're going to have an opportunity to align with them. We're going to start off in Concord, North Carolina, so that we can really learn, then we hope to bring that team back here to Indianapolis.

It's an invaluable experience to be working with the Penske organization.

THE MODERATOR: Doug, certainly an exciting day, but really for the industry as a whole this is a pretty exciting day. You worked with Rod for years and years now. What kind of drive does this guy have?

J. DOUGLAS BOLES: He's certainly driven. The thing I love most about Coach is how passionate he is, but how unselfish he is. You see that in the three guys he's called out here.

He's had a dream since the 1980s to develop a team like this where it wasn't just about an African American driver or African American owner. It was really about an African American business in a space that hasn't always seen a lot of African Americans in it.

For Coach to take along immediately guys that have been through racing, have been through the NXG Youth Motorsports program that's been here for 15 plus years, 2300 underrepresented youth have come through the program because of Coach Reid.

His commitment to come out here on weekends, take these kids, introduce them for a different sport. Jimmie talked a little bit about it. It's not just about the sport. It's about how do you introduce them to a lot of life skills that our sport teaches, trying to show them opportunities here.

The one thing I want folks to take away, I think Coach does too, this is not just about a race team this, this is a business.

When people see this announcement and they think, I don't know anything about racing, to Jimmie's point, it is a great opportunity to learn it. More importantly, it's a great opportunity for people that are interested in accounting, PR, marketing, things that aren't necessarily in motorsport, to be involved in our sport as a whole.

It's a great day for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fantastic day for Coach Reid and for Penske Entertainment Corp. This is a huge day for motorsports internationally as a whole to have this announcement today. We can't wait to see it flourish over the next few years, see where it goes, because this is just the beginning. It's not stopping at USF2000 we hope as we go forward, this is just a beginning, a continuation of Rod's dream.

Dewey Gatson, better known as Rajo Jack or his pseudonym Jack DeSoto, (July 28, 1905 – February 27, 1956) was an American racecar driver. He is known as one of the first African American racers in America. He received the nickname RAJO from the parts he used to improve the performance of the many client cars he worked on throughout his career (see later exhibit).  Image Credit: Driving Line (2016)

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. I noticed you're going to run No. 99. Explain the importance of that, why you chose that number.

ROD REID: It's so important for us to know where we've come from. There's a lot of history. African Americans have been in motorsports ever since the beginning of the car, the sport itself.

A gentleman in the 1920s by the name of Dewey Gaston, he went by the nickname Rajo Jack. He actually ran No. 33 for a lot of years, was very, very successful with that number.

RAJO MOTOR COMPANY was famed for producing improved functioning head and valve solutions for people who wished to greatly improve the overall power and reliable performance of the Ford Motor Company cars they owned. Dewey Gaston became a "go to" resource and distributor for this company's solutions at his shop located in Pasadena, California. Image Credit: Driving Line (2016) 

He was staging a comeback in the early '50s, late '40s. He brought a car that he thought would be extremely successful. That car was a big block engine, thought he was going to put it up front. It was No. 99. He was never able to win in that car. I think he finished the best with like a fourth in one of his races. Then he stopped.

I thought it would be fitting for us to take on that heritage and use the No. 99 to move forward. With the help of the Penske organization, we wanted to put No. 99 in the winner's circle.

Q. Are the plans to run one USF2000 car or two?

ROD REID: We're actually working on that. There are a lot of moving parts. If you follow USF2000, they have some rule changes and so forth. Right now we're going to start with one car. We are currently vetting drivers. We're going to work on getting that announcement to you guys as soon as we determine that. For right now I think we're going to start off the season with just one car.

Our hope is that we will grow an organization that can serve more than just one driver.

Q. Rod, you mentioned already what an impact you feel like this can be for the entire racing community. Could you maybe expound on that a little bit. What do you feel like from your experience around this sport the last 40 years, what does this day mean for motorsports?

ROD REID: Well, I think first of all, it demonstrates visually that there's a commitment on the part of the leadership in motorsports, especially when we look at again I talked about the best in the business, a gentleman like Roger Penske, who has had an opportunity to really see what we do, and do something about it. This Race for Equality and Change is an unbelievable program that's allowed us to sort of have a stage.

But I think looking broadly at the black community in particular, there hasn't really been this invitation to the black community to say, You know what, motorsports is important to you, should be important to you as it is to all of us, we welcome you. We want you to come in as fans, enthusiasts, potentially having a career in motorsports.

If the community doesn't know about it, are not aware of it, not exposed to it, I don't think that's going to happen. I think that's important.

Why is that important for motorsports? Because now we won't overlook the kind of talent you see sitting in the front row. I think there's other talent across the board, people of color. I think motorsports can benefit from having all of our entire community involved in the sport.

Q. How does having a team that's based around this diversity initiative, how much more powerful do you feel that can be compared to we've have a couple black drivers in INDYCAR in the past, some other folks throughout the paddock, but having an entire team centered around that, how much more powerful do you feel that can be?

ROD REID: I think one of the things that will happen is that others along the pit road will see us, we hope throughout the ladder system. We hope there are other teams, not just USF2000 teams, but up the ladder, INDYCAR will say, I'm used to seeing these guys, maybe there's some talent over there.

Our idea is to grow that talent so maybe we have an a mechanic that's working at a Ganassi, maybe have someone driving a trailer or working in the office. What we're trying to do is have someone in PR like Tracey Royal Communications, having them be a part of the community as a whole.

I think there's a strong opportunity for the entire motorsports community to see this.

Q. Jimmie, you've only been in your position for a couple months. You mentioned at that point how much potential you saw in diversity in INDYCAR. Looking ahead, how can this team serve as a jumping off point for what you want to do?

JIMMIE McMILLAN: Absolutely, it's a pipeline or a fuel line, if you will, where we're going to push a lot of energy, a lot of opportunity for a variety of folks who haven't got that opportunity thus far.

If you look at the sport, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that despite efforts by others, the sport still remains largely white. Some of the things that we've heard in our process of trying to evaluate those issues is a lack of applicants, a lack of people who have interest in the sport or who apply for positions when they're available, people who don't have the training that they need to jump on a team or be a part of a team in some way.

From my viewpoint, there's also a lack of education. Some of it is because people are not interested in the sport or they're not interested in coming to the race because they don't see anyone who culturally looks like them. This is going to be a great step to do that merger that Coach Reid is talking about where the sport is reaching out to the community, but now you've given the community a reason to come to the racetrack and root for a team. This is going to be tremendous in that effect.

Also, as we continue to grow and develop, we don't expect for folks to stay with FORCE Indy forever. As Coach Reid said, we're trying to graduate, matriculate people and hope they populate, like pipeline or fuel line, the entire sport. That we can get that going in a way that creates opportunity amongst other teams.

It's not the only pipeline, but other teams start to realize there are talented African Americans and people of color that can do work and be valuable assets to your team.

When we talk to the teams, they say that. They're very interested in two things, one getting younger, and two getting more diverse. They just need a pathway and help to do it.

Thankfully we have this opportunity thanks to Mr. Penske and Rod and everyone here. We have a real opportunity to create change in motorsports.

Q. We've seen so much action around the social justice initiative this year. What do you feel in your experience can the impact be of Roger Penske putting his support behind this?

JIMMIE McMILLAN: It's daily effort. I can tell you that. Every day it's the top of my agenda. I have a whiteboard with a number of initiatives. The energy and enthusiasm and the effort and the work that is going into changing everything from how we do business internally as the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, INDYCAR and IMS Productions, who we hire, who we have in leadership, all the way to our community relationships, the work we've done with NXG to raise over half a million dollars to support that program, continuing to grow sponsors, the opportunities we're looking at in terms of the entire paddock, talking to the teams, helping them also to diversify, now this. That's all in a very short period of time.

I think the job we all have is to get the work done to sustain the momentum that Roger has started and sparked in all of us to keep the momentum going. That is something that we didn't have. We haven't had. When you have it, you give it to people like the people you see in front of you, these three young men, you give it to a Coach Reid, I think you're going to see some amazing and incredible results.

I just hope our fans are out there and they're ready and willing and able to come to the track and cheer this team on and cheer these young men on. I'm sure there are going to be young women, as well. To cheer them all on as they really do something historic.

ROD REID: Back in May when so much pain was in the country, I think all corporations that had any sensitivity to what's going on in our world, in American companies, I say that very, very warmly, that American companies all of a sudden opened their eyes and said, There's a lot of injustice. This just didn't start happening this year.

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mr. Penske early on when he took over the property. One of the things we talked about was this whole notion of a lot of African Americans not feeling welcome. Why is that? Part of it is that invitation. Part of it is that whole notion that we aren't really here. I think that's the biggest difference when you talk about how has it impacted.

Now we have strong leadership in corporations, especially here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We have a lot of strong leadership who is saying, We want to make a difference. Not just because it's the moment, but because we want to do something that's not only sustainable but that is genuine. I think that is the biggest benefit from what happened.

We can always talk about the negative part. But I think when we look around the room here, we can say that FORCE Indy, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and all of the organizations that operate in this sport are taking a good look at what we're doing. I think it's a reason to celebrate.

Q. Doug, this is an 18-race season, USF2000. They're going to be here at the road course Grand Prix weekend. This is a very competitive series. Oliver Askew, Colton Herta, Rinus VeeKay.

J. DOUGLAS BOLES: If you look back at the Road to Indy Series, especially starting at USF2000, we have had 25-ish drivers that ran Indianapolis 500 this year that had come up through one of the rungs of that ladder. 100 plus I think over the history of Indy.

It is the place to begin, to cultivate as Coach said not just the drivers, but the mechanics, the team leaders, the folks that will make a difference not just on FORCE Indy but hopefully over time we're making a difference across the paddock and teams.

It is really competitive. I've gotten to know Coach, I know how competitive he is. I have a lot of confidence that this team is going to come out of the box and be competitive.

One of the things we talked about, I'm really excited about, you mentioned INDYCAR Grand Prix weekend, the 2300 kids over the last 15 years who have had an opportunity to race on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the racetrack he sets up every time he's here. Hopefully we have an opportunity to bring them out, get them to an opportunity to compete as they have the last few years on INDYCAR Grand Prix weekend over in the parking lot by the museum. But connect them directly to this brand-new team that will be competing here, to really begin to build that bridge that we haven't had from NXG Youth Motorsports to real professional motorsports. That's going to be a fun day when the kids get to see what they have an opportunity to do.

Q. How big of an opportunity do you think this is for the sport as a whole, particularly in the U.S., given what's going on at the moment?

ROD REID: I think it's a great opportunity for the sport if they can take a look at our example. This should be like wildfire. I mean, people should go, You know what, we think we really want to take a look at potential talent out there.

I don't mind if all of a sudden there are three, four, five different organizations that are wanting to come through the Road to Indy that are considering being diverse. I think that would be a home run for us.

Q. Can you take me through how all of this came together, how all of you have had to work together to make this possible.

ROD REID: I can tell you that it was a blessing to sit down with Mark Miles, Doug Boles, be reintroduced to Roger Penske. A quick side-bar. We talked about the fact that we had been in the same company, I had met him back '80s, '90s, I can't say how long ago. I was five years old, Roger (laughter).

But we had a chance to connect and reconnect, if you will, and talk about what Nexgeneracers, the NXG Youth Motorsports was doing here at the Speedway. We knew that we had had a partnership, even though it wasn't a formal one, for a lot of years, with us being able to bring those kids and those families into the track perhaps for a lot of them the first time.

We started there. Just kept talking. Said, You know what would be a good way to continue this relationship? We talked about the fact that I think having a presence on the track, being part of the show, is a real key thing.

That's how it kind of came about.

Q. I understand Myles Rowe had a test in USF2000 back in July. Have either of you spoken with him at all, are in talks with him at this point?

ROD REID: We have spent the last couple months vetting a lot of drivers, maybe those who are testing cars, maybe those who have been overseas in the UK driving, those who are in other support series, F4, et cetera.

I can tell you there's a lot of talent out there. There are a lot of deserving drivers. Our goal is to sit down and make a decision and choose one of them that we think fit our criteria.

Very quickly, that criteria includes being an American, it includes being someone that has been given an opportunity to go from karts to cars as part of that transition. We're also looking for someone that is youthful and can grow with us as we start to develop our team.

Probably the most important thing is they've got to fit what our mission is. We're really all about the full team. This is not just about the driver, as you've heard from everyone here.

Q. Rod, how important is it to be based in North Carolina near Team Penske's shop?

ROD REID: We thought initially with the alliance that we've been able to have, again I'll just talk about how thankful I am that they've agreed to work with us, we thought that would be a good place to start.

I mentioned that we hope to come back to Indianapolis in short order. But I think it's extremely important to have an opportunity to work with the best. That's why we're there.

Q. A few miles from Team Penske's shop is GoPro motorsports complex. They host a lot of major karting events. How involved have you been with that facility, see some potential talent?

ROD REID: We've been there a couple of times. At least I've had a chance to go down. I think my crew of guys here have had a chance to go over there and have a little fun.

I think that track, and there are many other tracks from coast-to-coast, that we have young drivers. There are a couple of young ladies that have been competing in go-karts that we know about. Those are working in an area down in NOLA.

I think it's across the board that there are really good opportunities for young people in karting to get into the sport.

Q. You said earlier you will start with Formula 2000. Are there plans in the long-term future to move up to Indy Lights or INDYCAR?

ROD REID: We think it would be a great opportunity to move up the ladder as we become more proficient at what we do. Our focus is going to be on learning as much as we can, using what we learn. We will measure our success by how well we can do in the garage and on the track.

Moving up I think would be a natural progression, as anyone would in motorsports. So absolutely those are things that we would consider.

Q. This project FORCE Indy, is it just concentrating on African American drivers or just also to other people in Europe in any kind of motor racing?

ROD REID: Our focus is heavily towards American drivers, men and women, that typically would not have an opportunity to touch motorsports. That would be our focus.

When we talk about people of color, having a diverse team, we fully will go beyond whether they're black and brown or other. But our focus right now is definitely on American drivers and crew and engineers, et cetera.

Q. Next year obviously marks the 30th anniversary of Willie T. breaking the color barrier. How significant is to it have a team operating under the FORCE Indy banner? How will you incorporate Willie knowing he's an international history maker in what he's done?

ROD REID: I think it's fantastic. I've been really fortunate enough to have known Willie, was around before he came to Indianapolis. He actually was running Trans-Am when we were doing Super Vee, if you recall that.

I think it's fantastic this celebration for him next year. I'm hoping there are a lot of opportunities for him to kind of showcase who he is. I know he's got a movie out and things like that.

We definitely applaud his efforts.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks so much.
[FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

What is common to this trade of motorsports, FORCE Indy has yet to come to an agreement with a main title sponsor and is still vetting young drivers for its first ever entry. 

Coach Rod Reid has already been considering numerous drivers, and believes there is plenty of talent available. This grand FORCE Indy effort will grab all of our attention come 2021 - stay tuned.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: FORCE Indy, Rod Reid, NXG Youth Motorsports, Jimmie McMillan, Penske Entertainment Corp., J. Douglas Boles, IMS, Cooper Tire, USF2000 series, 2021, The EDJE

Tony Kanaan Reunites With Chip Ganassi Racing For Partner Car Season Ride With Jimmy Johnson

Jimmy Johnson picks tri-athlete friend, Tony Kanaan to pick up the oval race event duties of the No. 48 Aeroscreen Dallara during the 2021 & 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES seasons. Here, TK negotiates Turn 9b at Sonoma Raceway in his last race for Chip Ganassi Racing in 2017. Both NTT and Bryant have hopped on board to sponsor TK's pursuit of a second INDY 500 championship to match up with the one he got with KV Racing Technology in 2013. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2017)

Tony Kanaan Reunites With Chip Ganassi Racing For Partner Car Season Ride With Jimmy Johnson

Tony Kanaan accepts position with Chip Ganassi Racing to drive a car he will share with Jimmy Johnson for the 2021 & 2022 seasons. Jimmy Johnson will drive all events held on road and temporary street courses and Tony Kanaan will drive the No 48 on the oval race events. 

This contract will give Tony the opportunity to be entered and compete in the INDY500, a race he won the championship in 2013 for KV Racing Technology.

NTT IndyCar Series News Conference - Monday, November 23, 2020

Tony Kanaan - Chip Ganassi Racing

Press Conference Begin

THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everybody. Great to see everyone today virtually. My name is Dave Furst. A very special announcement this morning from Chip Ganassi Racing that Tony Kanaan, 17-time race winner and of course the 2013 winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the 2004 NTT INDYCAR Series champion, TK will be returning to the team as part of a multiyear deal with Chip Ganassi Racing next year that will include four oval races for the series: Double-header at Texas Motor Speedway, of course the 105th running of the Indianapolis 500 and a return to Worldwide Technology Raceway. With that we welcome in TK and say congratulations.

Tony, this is the Last Lap 2.0? Is that how this works now?

TONY KANAAN: I don't even know anymore. I don't know what to call it. It's been a surreal last few days. This thing happened so quick. Although people would think different that this has been going on, this was obvious, it was never obvious. It took a lot of work from a lot of parties to make it happen, but it's cool.

So yeah, I don't know what to call it. Let's just call it I'm sharing the 48 with Seven-Time.

THE MODERATOR: That's right, this is the second half, if you will, of the 48 car on the team with seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson driving the road and street courses. This is a really good partnership. You two have gotten to know each other pretty well over the last couple years, haven't you.

TONY KANAAN: Yeah, coincidence or not, we share the same passion of triathlon. We're sponsored by the same bike company, which is Trex. We've been sharing workouts for a long time.

Even before I made this deal happen, when Jimmie announced that he was going to race in INDYCAR, he was here in Indianapolis. He came here to work out at Pit Fit. We went cycling together. It's going to be -- I think we're going to be even fitter than we've ever been. We've been pushing each other already, so I don't know how that's going to be possible.

But yeah, it's a good fit.

THE MODERATOR: Before we get to questions, obviously it's an opportunity to return to Chip Ganassi Racing, which of course will celebrate its 13th NTT IndyCar Series championship, sixth, of course, with Scott Dixon, but Bryant returns, so does NTT. This is all coming together. This is a very special announcement here today.

TONY KANAAN: Yeah, if it wasn't for them and Chip, obviously this would not have happened. Bryant has been with me since 2003. NTT has been with me since I've joined Ganassi, and since I left Ganassi they came with me, as well, and now they're back.

You know, I have to blame a lot, if there is somebody to blame, number one, it would be my sponsors that when I came back saying maybe we should come back next year, David from NTT and then Justin and Margo from Bryant said, why not.

And then Jimmie for making that phone call. That phone call -- you know what is one of those things that you remember exactly the day, the clothes you were wearing, where you were and so on? I was actually on my bike working out, which is not a surprise, here at home, and the phone rang, and it was Jimmie. I'm like, whoa, I thought he was going to invite me to do a triathlon or something like that, and he popped the question, and I said, are you joking? I don't think we can pull this off.

But yeah, without the sponsors that would have never happened. And obviously Chip giving me the opportunity to come back.

I mean, how cool is that; know what I mean? I woke up this morning, I feel extremely lucky, man. I'm going to go back to a team with my best friend Dario Franchitti, my other best friend Scott Dixon, and now Jimmie. How cool is that to write a story afterwards when it's all over. I feel blessed. I can't thank everybody enough for pulling all this effort together, my family, my wife. She kind of knew that I wasn't giving up. I guess she's okay to put up with me for another couple years like that.

Q. I'm not real good at math, but if we've got a car with a seven-time cup champion and you're a 2004 INDYCAR champion, isn't that an eight-time champion car you've got there?

TONY KANAAN: Yeah, I think so. We can call it the eight-time. That's a good hashtag, #eighttime.

Q. I did a lot of interviews with you toward the last Indy 500 and last year's race at Gateway. You could tell you weren't ready to hang it up. How can you describe just the change in emotion from what has happened to you since that time where you admitted, hey, I want to come back but I don't have any rides, to today you're returning to a team that's one of the best in the business and also a team you've previously driven for?

TONY KANAAN: Yeah, I mean, I would say probably if it wasn't for the pandemic, I wouldn't probably have changed my mind. There were some talks about doing the 500 and on and off and this and that, but I wasn't clear.

And then when I said, this is not the way I want to go, I was fully aware that this was what I wanted, but that didn't mean that's what was going to happen.

But like anything in my life, it never came easy, and I made the decision, and if it didn't go through, I was going to have to own it. I put my head into it. I said, oh, well, I'm not going to give myself an option, I'm going to make it work, and luckily, like I said before, I have great partners like NTT and Bryant. And as soon as I came back with them, 7-Eleven is back, too, Big Machine is coming back, all of them.

But the two biggest ones were NTT and Bryant really that made this happen.

I was lucky then, but then that was step one, get the sponsorship. Step two, it was trying to find a place that would fit right, that would make the right decision and so and so, and that was a little bit more complicated. There was a few sleepless nights and talking to Jimmie every day, like come on, what's happening, and trying to -- if you think about it, look how many pieces of the puzzle we had to put together.

Jimmie had to get his deal first, which we didn't even know if it was going to be Ganassi at the time. Yeah, the deal happened really quick, but we've been talking about this on and off for quite a while. But in the beginning I really said argh, this is never going to happen. That was the pessimistic side of me thinking it was going to be impossible to pull it off.

Q. How, does Jimmie have one more mentor with you because I imagine you'll be at all the races in one capacity or another?

TONY KANAAN: Yeah, I mean, look at Jimmie. Jimmie has the best mentor in the house, which is Dario Franchitti. That's not me. It's Dario's role. I think I can contribute for sure. I'll be there if he needs me, but with Dario -- obviously with me he's more like hey, how do I need to make my neck stronger, how do I make my shoulders stronger and this and that. I think the driving side, we have the best driver's coach in the business to do that, and that's not my intention to do so. But if he needs help, I'll definitely be around. But yeah, we've been talking a lot. Jimmie is an extremely committed guy, and he's been concentrating a lot on the task. That's what the guy does. We talk pretty much every day.

We haven't had a chance to celebrate together yet because of the pandemic and stuff, but after what he made me go through, I think it's more than worth it that he needs to buy me a few drinks.

Q. I wanted to clarify something with you first. You'd mentioned that you and Jimmie had been talking about this off and on for a little while. How recently did this become what felt like a realistic possibility? Was it over the last couple days, last couple weeks?

TONY KANAAN: A week ago. A week. Yeah, a week. You know, the talks were always there. As long as you're out of contract, you are talking to everybody, right. So I basically did. I was in negotiations with Larry. I was always up front with him. We talked to other teams. And in the meantime everything else was happening.

We got it done in amazingly record time, for how complicated the deal was.

Q. You said that if not for the pandemic that 2020 very likely would have been your last year. I imagine the lack of fan interaction both at the 500 and at other races that you were running in 2020 had to have played into this. How important is that hopefully at some point in 2021 or 2022 that we have that back for you to put a cap on things for your career?

TONY KANAAN: Well, I think that was the only reason really that I said I wanted to come back. I mean, there is no other reason -- I mean, yeah, do I want to win the 500? 100 percent. Am I in the best place to do so? 100 percent now. Those are the details. But the sole decision to come back from day one was because it wasn't fair for the fans.

Never in a million years did I thought I would come back for two more times, which became a pleasant surprise because then I give myself another caution that if it's not sort of a normal year next year then I have hopefully for sure a normal year in 2022. But that was the only reason really.

Q. The ability to return to a team like Chip Ganassi Racing, I know when someone -- an INDYCAR driver, I just was looking through it, there haven't been too many INDYCAR drivers that have spent a significant part of their career there and been able to come back for a second time. What do you imagine that opportunity and that ability these next two years to be like?

TONY KANAAN: I mean, first of all, that shows how much respect and in good terms I've always been with the teams that I've worked with. I've never closed a door. I spent four years there, and I told Chip at the time I didn't think I delivered as much as I should have and I needed to go, and we went away.

To be honest, come back, having an opportunity like this in the last two years of my career, it's something that I'm not taking for granted. I mean, I talked to Chip last night, and we have one goal. It's to make this team win the 500. Chip just told me, I added another big chance to do so with you, and that's my role, and that's what I'm here for.

Like I said, I feel very humbled that I have these eight races in the next two years to do it. I don't think commitment is a problem with me. I think you guys have been following me for quite a while. I think I'm in shape, and I'm ready to do so.

Arguably some people said my best results came on the ovals, so let's please the people that think that and let's go win another 500.

Q. I imagine you'll be one of the most active people in the lobbying effort to try to get some more ovals on the schedule for 2022 before you hang things up?

TONY KANAAN: I already sent a text to Mark Miles and Roger Penske saying, how about this track, how about that track. More ovals for sure.

Q. What was it about the first stint with the Ganassi team that's got you wanting to come back to this team? Clearly you've got a great vibe with those guys and you know so many guys as well as you do, but to be able to come back and do this again with them.

TONY KANAAN: Right, as a race car driver you want to race for the best team, for the winning team. They have proven on and off that they are one of the top teams to beat, and as a race car driver, being selfish, that's where you want to be. It doesn't matter who you want to. You want to be on a winning team and a big organization that has a lot of resources and so on.

It's not a hard decision; know what I mean? It's like you're asking a kid if he wants to go for an ice cream. It was obvious.

I have a lot of friends there. I kept a lot of friends there since I left, so it's just -- like I got so many texts this morning from the boys in that shop, and it's just like, hey, welcome back, and we just started talking. I talked to Barry. Barry Wanser, which is the team manager there, our sons Leo and Robert are best friends. Robert spends sleepless nights here at the house when Leo is here for holidays and stuff, and it felt like I never left really. The relationship and the respect was always there, so it's not new, I guess.

Q. Was there something Jimmie said specifically that got you hooked in this conversation, or was it just kind of something that was always there and you just needed it all to fall together?

TONY KANAAN: Yeah, Jimmie just said let's make a dream team and let's make history together. We're two 45-year-old guys that some people believe we can do it but a lot of people believe we can't, so let's prove them wrong. He didn't have to say much, man.

Q. I wanted to ask, are you able to tell us how many other options you had, and were they good options, and did that kind of bolster your self-belief that you could go and do a Ganassi car justice?

TONY KANAAN: It wasn't that many because if you think about it, you're trying to look for -- I wanted to do the four ovals again when I said that, and really the realistic option was Larry, because none of the other teams wanted to split a car or do anything like that.

Vaguely a long time ago I talked to Ed, but Ed and I, we wanted the same thing, so it was not a possibility there. So not really. To be honest, I did -- did I make a ton of phone calls? 100 percent, but it was never a negotiation in place because it didn't make sense.

So then it went to trying to make a decision, so I just go and try to do Indy with all my sponsors and that's it. That would open up more possibilities. But the realistic one was Larry, and then obviously the most obvious one was this one because it was just like meant to be, I guess. How often do you see somebody like Jimmie trying to -- I'm not doing the -- I guess it's just one of those things in life that happens once in a lifetime.

And I have to apologize because you wrote the most -- a great article that I loved it, and now you're going to have to rewrite it I guess in a few years.

Q. We need more great races to talk about. I also wanted to ask if this opens the door for you to be part of Chip's Cadillac team in the IMSA enduro run or maybe more of them?

TONY KANAAN: That's totally up to Chip. Obviously he put me in a car before, he gave me my Daytona 24-hour win, so I'm available. But that's his decision. We haven't really talked about it. It's one of those things that I know if he needs somebody and if he wants me to do it, I'll be available. If not, I'm pretty sure he will have plenty of capable guys. I have a guy like Scott Dixon that you probably know of him that is probably ahead of the line there.

Q. Obviously this is a bit of an adjustment in terms of the final laps now coming in a car that's able to win races, and it's a really competitive opportunity for you. How do you feel about the enjoyment that you're going to feel because I know obviously every driver wants to be at the front and winning races, but are you still going to be able to enjoy this opportunity with the little bit of added pressure that's going to come with driving a car that's capable of winning the races and being at the front?

TONY KANAAN: 100 percent. I think -- my entire career was racing under pressure, and I think I perform better when I'm under pressure. It adds a lot to it. The enjoyment, it's always going to be there. Once you're driving a race car, in my opinion, you always enjoy it, but you enjoy it even more when you're winning, and you add the pressure to it, I think it's -- for me it's the best combination. I mean, Chip is in the business to win races. That's all he cares. I mean, and he won't save you if he has something to tell you.

To me it's a great problem to have, that butterfly in your stomach from now on. It's like, wow, now I have to do it. I have some tough teammates there that I'm going to have to be on top of my game because the team is going to give me everything I need with no excuses to win races.

Been there before a few times, and I think it's totally manageable.

Q. And you mentioned earlier about leaving Ganassi and that it was just the right time for you and you felt like it was the correct decision at the time. That was that really. Does it feel like any kind of unfinished business going back there, you can help them out and make a big impact on this organization, and it's kind of like a bit of unfinished business from the last time you were there, I guess?

TONY KANAAN: 100 percent. I got a second chance to redeem myself and give Chip another 500 win, and hopefully I will do that, work with my teammates to make the team stronger, as well, and if I can win -- try to help them to do so, this is something that, again, I keep saying it's probably one of the best opportunities of my career. It's the best opportunity for me to leave this series, because I am telling you this time for sure in two years I will not be racing when I'm 50, but I said that two years ago.

To leave on a high note, that would be great. I will do everything I can to do it.

Q. What advantage is this to yourself going back to a team obviously that you know inside out in terms of getting up to speed with the car, you've worked with Dixie, you've worked with Dario, but obviously now you've got Alex Palou coming in and Marcus Ericsson who obviously you haven't worked with. How much of an advantage for you is it going into the team now?

TONY KANAAN: I mean, I think, like I said, it's not new. I know the guys. I mean, we talked about it today with Barry. They have my seat. They know my measurements. I was just there three years ago. It's just going to be like we took -- like it was a long "pandemic" and we're just coming back to work and that's it. Getting to know Palou will be nice. I think he's a young gun that has a lot of potential for the future. Ericsson, I know Ericsson; we've been cycling together for quite a bit. I have not worked with him. And Dixon is Dixon. We hang around all the time. He actually just texted right now congratulating me. He's in England.

Really it's not -- I don't need a transition. I think it's just going to be back to work.

Q. And the aim obviously is to win the 500 with Chip then, correct? Is that the focus?

TONY KANAAN: I told Chip I'll win four races for him next year if that was good enough. He said, that's totally fine. So yes. Yeah, the 500 would be the priority for sure.

Q. Edmund Jenks, Motorsports Journal - I was just doing a little review of your career and noticed that you didn't finish worse than eighth in the time you won the championship, and you had a very consistent run with KB Racing Technologies when you won there for your Indy. Fact, Lotus, come on, you finished P4 in a Lotus and P5 in the season. I mean, that's just an interesting reflection. What gets me, though, is this is a -- I recognize as you recognize what a great chance it is to be with Ganassi again. I just think it's a tremendous opportunity. What do you see are the biggest challenges? You've been there before. You've got all these people, a couple new drivers to know, but what are the real challenges for you?

TONY KANAAN: Two things: One, they have improved the car there since I left, so to try to get used to the car as quick as I can, and I think the biggest challenge is not doing it every race. This year I felt it quite a bit on the first race to try to get back up, like you're not doing day in, day out. I've done this for 23 years driving pretty much every weekend or most of the weekends, and when you take a break like we did this year, the first time you get back in the car, especially with the limited testing because of COVID, it took me a little bit.

I think we have a pretty good program with that. I think I'm going to be testing the car eventually in the oval before I go to the first race, which is good. Those I think will be the two biggest challenges for me.

Q. Edmund Jenks, Motorsports Journal - You've got some new wrinkles this past year with two-race weekends, so you're able to kind of keep that in your wheelhouse, and good practice, I guess, for Indy 500, shaking everything down how the team works. The other thing is you have a lot of season open to you. What other challenges would you be going after? Would you be, say, thinking about with Chip Ganassi organization checking out the electric SUV racing circuit or anything like that?

TONY KANAAN: Early in the year -- no, later this year, actually, in the middle of this year, we announced that I'm doing Tony Stewart's SRX series, which is six races during the summer. Luckily they do not coincide with any of the INDYCAR races, so that's another six races there. That makes up to 10. And then we're looking around to some other things, too, maybe do some of the IMSA races, the long races, and there is some possibility of stock cars in Brazil. I think I'll be, now that I have more time, probably busier than I've ever been. Yeah, that is one thing for sure, another six races with Tony Stewart, and that will be a lot of fun.

Q. Do you think Jimmie will look for you advice in INDYCAR, or maybe, this would be funny, if he would show you some ropes in NASCAR?

TONY KANAAN: I think -- he's already asking me tons of questions, and actually the good thing is I am actually asking him tons of questions about NASCAR, but just because I'm sure I couldn't say, not because I'm going to race there. Jimmie is asking me because he needs to know, because that's his job. And for me I'm just -- I have a guy that won so much that I love to hear the stories.

So we've been telling each other stories quite a bit, so hopefully I'll help him with some of my experience so he can be successful in INDYCAR, as well.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks again for being with us today and another congratulations to Tony Kanaan and Chip Ganassi Racing, 24 seasons and counting now, TK. What a great way to head into this holiday week.
[ht: FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports]

Having two very accomplished drivers shar this car for the season in this way is really something special. As was pointed out in the ZOOM Call, Johnson with his 6 NASCAR Championships, and Kanaan with his IndyCar Championship, this Ganassi No. 48 Aeroscreen Dallara is a 7 Championship car opening up for the 2021 season.

... notes from The EDJE

TAGS: Tony Kanaan, Jimmy Johnson, No. 48, Chip Ganassi Racing, Partner Car Ride, INDY 500, Multi-Year Contract, NTT, Bryant, 7-Eleven, Big Machine, The EDJE