Tony Kanaan and NTT Data will both return to Chip Ganassi Racing Teams next year.
Story By: MARK ROBINSON / INDYcar SERIES MEDIA
Photos By: DAVE DALESANDRO / RACERSGUIDE.COM
INDIANAPOLIS IND.- October 12, 2016- Tony Kanaan and sponsor NTT Data will remain with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams next year in the Verizon IndyCar Series.
NTT Data will serve as primary sponsor of the No. 10 Chip Ganassi Racing Teams Honda in 10 events as part of a multi-year deal.
NTT Data began its relationship with the team in 2013 at the Indianapolis 500 partnering on the No. 8 NTT Data Indy car. Following the Indianapolis 500, NTT Data maintained an associate partnership with CGRT on the No. 83 Indy car of Charlie Kimball.
In addition, Ganassi fielded a second Prototype at the IMSA Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway with Kanaan at the helm of the No. 02 NTT Data Prototype. NTT Data became a primary sponsor on the No. 8 entry driven by Ryan Briscoe for the 2014 Verizon IndyCar Series season and then for the No. 10 entry driven by Kanaan starting in the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season. NTT Data is the official IT services partner to Ganassi.
“We are really excited to be heading into our fifth year of partnership with Chip Ganassi Racing Teams,” John McCain, CEO of NTT Data. “We’ve enjoyed being not just a sponsor on the car, but an actual partner in the race program with our technical contributions to the team. It’s been great for us to be able to share the race program with our clients and employees and I think it’s safe to say we’ve created quite a few race fans over the last few years. We’re really looking forward to having Tony back in the No. 10 NTT Data Honda and we can’t wait to see him up on the podium next year.”
Kanaan, the 2004 Verizon IndyCar Series champion and 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner, will return for his fourth season with Ganassi. He scored his first win for Ganassi at the season finale at Auto Club Speedway in 2014 and will continue the legacy of the No. 10 car which boasts 20 wins from Kanaan, Dario Franchitti and Dan Wheldon dating back to 2006.
Next year will mark Kanaan’s 20th Indy car racing season and he is the all-time Indy car leader in consecutive starts with 267 dating back to the Portland race in 2001. The Brazilian has 326 Indy car starts, producing 17 wins, 15 poles, 129 top-five and 209 top-10 finishes (1998-present).
“I’m thrilled to be back with Chip and NTT Data – it’s been one of the most rewarding partnerships of my career,” said Kanaan. “It’s been great having a partner in NTT Data that is so committed to making our on-track performance as strong as it can be and I think it’s really shown in our growth together over the last few years. Our 2016 season was strong, but our results didn’t always reflect our performance and we definitely have some unfinished business heading into 2017.”
