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2004 IndyCar champion Tony Kanaan has recently been appointed as Arrow McLaren's team principal. Before this, he was an advisory member of the Indianapolis-based team.
In light of this, NASCAR royalty and former crew chief Ray Evernham has come forward to congratulate Tony Kanaan. The 67-year-old via his X account, took the time to cast light on Kanaan's promotion to a vital role in the Arrow McLaren racing team.
"Congratulations my friend. Well deserved you will be great," Evernham wrote.
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Tony Kanaan himself was on cloud nine with his role for the upcoming season of IndyCar and via the outfit's official website, he added:
"A lot has happened since my last Indy 500 less than two years ago, to say the least. I’ve embraced every opportunity to grow with the team and I’m excited to officially step into the Team Principal role, and having Kevin join to take on the business side of our team is part of our winning strategy. We’re always looking for good people and talent to make the team stronger, and he and I will work well together."
Having competed in 296 races in the highest class of open-wheel racing in America, Kanaan's appointment makes a lot of sense. Moreover, the 50-year-old is also a champion in the sport as he secured the driver's title in 2004.
Zak Brown on Arrow McLaren's 'positive momentum' with Tony Kanaan and Kevin Thimjon
While Ray Evernham and Tony Kanaan sounded like happy blokes following Arrow McLaren's recent announcement, McLaren Racing CEO, Zak Brown also chipped in on the issues, echoing their sentiments. Moreover, he felt that with Kanaan and the new President Kevin Thimjon, the Indianapolis-based team has further added to the 'positive momentum' ahead of the 2025 IndyCar season.
In light of this, Brown had the following to say:
"A few months ago, I said if we can find extra horsepower to add to the team, we’ll add it, and Kevin is the perfect example of that. Under Tony’s leadership, the team has been moving forward quickly, and he and Kevin will work well together to keep that positive momentum up. Our sights are set on how we stabilize and grow strategically while competing at the top." Brown said [via Arrow McLaren].
The 2024 IndyCar season was a fruitful one for the team. They managed to end the campaign in fifth place with their star driver Pato O'Ward. The Mexican driver was able to put on board 460 points alongside three wins and six top-five finishes.
Arrow Mclaren is going into the 2025 season with O'ward (89 IndyCar races), the 20-year-old Nolan Seigel (12 IndyCar races), and Christian Lundgaard (52 IndyCar races). Keeping in view the relatively less experienced line-up of the team, Tony Kanaan will play a pivotal role in the competitive 17-race calendar.
The 50-year-old will also have the added responsibility of making sure that the Papaya Orange team is in contention for the championship throughout 2025.
