Veteran Russell Ingall will return to V8 Supercars to contest his 19th straight season as a full-time driver in 2014.

After much speculation, the 49-year-old confirmed on Tuesday he had signed with fledgling Holden outfit Lucas Dumbrell Motorsport (LDM) for the upcoming championship.

The announcement comes barely three months after Ingall raced what was dubbed `The Enforcer’s Last Stand’ at the season-ending Sydney 500 in December.

But the 2005 champion insisted the new deal didn’t mark a “comeback”.

“I wasn’t comfortable last year with how things were presented by some parties about my so-called retirement – I always maintained that if there was a suitable full-time opportunity for this season that I would take it,” he said.

“I haven’t changed my mind and made a comeback. I never left the sport or intended to leave the sport. There were some good offers to join some well-credentialed teams for the endurance races, but a full-time opportunity was always my main focus.”

Ingall will drive a Triple Eight Race Engineering-built Holden Commodore VF, LDM’s sole entry this year.