IMSA: Kanaan to make Ford GT debut at Rolex 24

Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar star Tony Kanaan will complete Ford's four-car assault on the Rolex 24 at Daytona in January. The 2004 IndyCar Series champion and 2013 Indy 500 winner will join the cast of Ford GT regulars at IMSA's season opener, and will share the No. 69 GT Le Mans entry with Andy Priaulx and Harry Tincknell.

"I'm very excited and couldn't wait for the opportunity," the Brazilian told RACER. "I was jealous from Day 1. I was in the other Ford [DP] program last year when the GTs came out at Daytona and then watching the team win Le Mans, it was jealousy – good jealousy – that I wanted to be part of it."

Multimatic owner Larry Holt delivered the good news over the phone, and with the chance to race a Ford GT at Daytona, Kanaan will take a trip back to where his Rolex 24 journey started three decades ago.

"When Larry from Multimatic called and said he wanted me to drive, it became my best Christmas gift of the year," Kanaan added. "My first time at Daytona I raced in a Ford Mustang; that was 1997, so it will be great to race another Ford car 20 years later."

Kanaan and Scott Dixon's 2015 Rolex-winning teammates, NASCAR's Kyle Larson and Jamie McMurray, weren't part of the announced lineup for the 2017 race.