Kanaan confirms five-race farewell IndyCar campaign

2013 Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan will call time on his NTT IndyCar Series career in 2020 with a five-race oval programme.

Kanaan, 45, has raced in the top level of American single-seaters for the past 22 years, claiming the series title in 2004 and 17 total victories, but will call time on his full-time career this season.

Kanaan announced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that he will embark on a five-race programme in 2020, driving in the oval rounds at Indianapolis, Texas, Richmond, Iowa and Gateway for AJ Foyt Racing.

"I look back at all these years racing in IndyCar and the first thing that comes to my mind is how fortunate I've been to be in the top level of the sport for this long. I walked into this sport as a 23-year-old with lots of hopes and dreams and I can say, without a doubt, that I accomplished everything I wanted," Kanaan said.

"I'm 45 now; I have fans, wins, podiums, records, a championship and an Indy 500. I feel and know I can still do this for a long time, but like everything else in life there is also a cycle in racing. For a long time, I've been asked when I would retire, and my answer was always the same: The day I wake up in the morning and feel like I can't do this anymore, that's when I'm going to retire. 

"Unfortunately, there are other things one should take into consideration when planning the future, and probably the most important one is what are the options that are available. For 2020, my best option was to race the five ovals of the NTT IndyCar Series season, the sport that gave me so much and that I will always love.

"I'm not done with racing, that's for sure. I decided that this year I would step back a bit and enjoy these five races, have time for my family and my fans, and also give back to the sponsors that always stood by me."

Kanaan has left the door open to future Indy 500 appearances. He currently sits second on the overall IndyCar starts list on 377, 30 behind Mario Andretti.

Kanaan's first appearance of the 2020 season will come at the Indianapolis 500 on May 24.