|
|
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2007) |
 IndyCar Series logo |
|
| Category | Open-wheel cars |
|---|---|
| Country or region |  United States Canada Japan |
| Inaugural season | 1996 |
| Drivers | 27 |
| Teams | 15 |
| Constructors | Dallara, Panoz[1] |
| Engine suppliers | Honda, Cosworth[2] |
| Tyre suppliers | Firestone |
| Drivers' champion |  Scott Dixon |
| Teams' champion | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Official website | IndyCar.com |
 Current season |
|
The IndyCar Series [3] is the premier series of the Indy Racing League. The championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART. Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and overseas drivers, George aimed to create a lower-cost alternative. In 2008, the IndyCar Series merged with the Champ Car World Series, ending a 30-year period in which American open wheel racing was split into at least two major groups.
Contents |
Due to the legal settlement with CART, the IRL was unable to utilize the name IndyCar until the beginning of the 2003 season. From 1996, the premier series was simply referred to as the USAC's Indy Racing League, with no genre designation. From 1998, the series garnered its first title sponsor, and was advertised as the Pep Boys Indy Racing League. The contract was not renewed after the second year. In 2000, the series sold its naming rights to Internet search engine Northern Light for five seasons, and the series was named the Indy Racing Northern Light Series. After only two seasons, however, the sponsorship agreement ended when Northern Light reevaluated its business plan and ended all sponsorships[4].
After being the Firestone Indy Racing League for and 2002, the IndyCar Series was adopted for 2003, as the series was now legally entitled to use it. In 2006, IndyCar forged an alliance with Simmons-Abramson Marketing (headed by Gene Simmons of the heavy metal band Kiss), promising to be "actively engaged in the league's marketing, event, public relations, sponsorship, merchandising and branding efforts -- from its IndyCar Series to the venerable Indianapolis 500". Simmons also co-authored the new IndyCar theme song, "I Am Indy". [5] For the 2008 season, DIRECTV became the Premiere Official Sponsor of the IndyCar Series. [6]
Since the series inception, IndyCar series events have been broadcast on several networks, including ABC, CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, and TNN.[7] However, beginning in the 2009 season, Versus will begin televising the races for the next 10 years, televising at least 13 races per season. ABC will continue to broadcast the Indianapolis 500 until 2012, as well as four additional races. Versus will also begin airing one hour pre-race shows the day before the race. [8]
In the UK the IndyCar Series races have all their broadcasts on the Sky Sports family of networks. The viewing figures of the IndyCar races in the UK outnumber that of the NASCAR races which are also broadcast on Sky Sports. The Indycar Series also has highlights of all the races on the five British terrestrial channel and Five US. The broadcasts on five are usually on after midnight but they still pull in some impressive figures for five of 20,000 viewers when they usually get 5,000 for that slot. Overall every single IndyCar race is watched by roughly 100,000 people in the UK including all the showings and highlights.
The IndyCar Series is not an open formula, but neither is it a one-make or "spec" series. Instead, chassis and engine manufacturers apply to the league to supply cars for three-year cycles. Currently, Dallara provides the chassis to almost all teams, while Honda is the sole engine provider.
In the series' first season (1996) 1992 to 1995 model year CART chassis built by Lola and Reynard were used. The current Indycar came into being in 1997. Tony George specified new technical rules for less expensive cars and production-based engines. The move effectively outlawed the CART chassis and turbocharged engines that had been the mainstay of the Indianapolis 500 since the late 1960s.
Starting with the 2003 season, the series rules were changed to require chassis manufacturers to be approved by the league before they could build cars. Prior to that, any interested party could build a car, provided it met the rules and was made available to customers at the league mandated price. In total, four manufacturers have built IndyCar chassis:
Superficially, IndyCar machines closely resemble those of other open-wheeled formula racing cars, with front and rear wings and prominent airboxes. Originally, the cars were unique, being designed specifically for oval racing; for example, the oil and cooling systems were asymmetrical to account for the pull of liquids to the right side of the cars. The current generation chassis however, are designed to accommodate the added requirements of road racing.
Indy Racing League officials have confirmed that the series will continue to use the current batch of Dallara chassis through 2010.
Due to the quirks of the unification efforts of 2008, the ChampCar World Series spec Panoz DP01, with a Cosworth engine, was run in an IRL points event in the 2008 Toyota Grand Prix in Long Beach.
At its inception, the IRL used methanol racing fuel, which had been the defacto standard in American open wheel racing since the 1964 Indianapolis 500 Eddie Sachs - Dave MacDonald crash. Methanol had long provided a safer alternative to gasoline. It had a higher flash point, was easily extinguishable with water, and burned invisible. With the IRL's introduction of night races in 1997, the burning of methanol fuel was visible for the first time, seen with a light blue haze. With this in mind, in an effort to make it more visible in case of fire during daylight hours, additional mixtures were placed in the fuel. As a safety feature, the methanol would burn with a color.
In 2005, driver Paul Dana brought the sponsorship of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to his team in the IRL. EPIC is a consortium of ethanol producers that advocate the increased use of ethanol. EPIC were anxious to address public concerns of that era that ethanol use led to engine damage and poor performance when used in street cars. As a marketing effort, it was believed that sponsoring a car in the IRL could be used as a tool to promote education and awareness of ethanol use, and to curb the spread of erroenous information.
Dana was killed in a crash in 2006, but the IRL had already begun a transition to ethanol. For the 2006 season the fuel was a 90%/10% mixture of methanol and ethanol. Starting in 2007, the league advertised "100% Fuel Grade Ethanol," the first competetive series to utilize renewable fuel. The mixture was actually of 98% ethanol and 2% gasoline, provided by Lifeline Foods of Saint Joseph, Missouri. The additives satisfies the U.S. government's demand that the alcohol be unfit for human consumption, and adds visible color in case of fire.
To compensate for the loss of power due to the use of ethanol, the displacement was increased back to 3.5L. Since ethanol gets better fuel mileage than methanol, the fuel tanks in the car were decreased.
Compared to methanol, human contact with the current IRL fuel is much less harsh, and the fumes much less irritating. The fumes are often compared with the sweet smell of apple cider or apple cobbler. Unlike methanol, ethanol is not caustic and does not cause chemical burns when it comes in contact with the skin. It also is less polluting when spilled compared to methanol.
The initial 1996 IRL season, as well as the first two races of the 1996-97 season, featured 1994 and 1995 model year chassis, left over from the rival CART series competition. Those chassis/engine combinations were essentially the same rules utilized by teams which participated in the 1995 Indianapolis 500, which was sanctioned by USAC. The Menard engine used in 1996, however, was an updated powerplant from the 1995 version.
Starting in 1997, IRL cars were powered by 4.0 L V8, methanol burning, production-based, normally-aspirated engines, produced by Oldsmobile (under the Aurora label) and Nissan (badged as Infiniti). Per IRL rules, the motors sold for no more than $80,000, and were rev-limited to 10,500 rpm.[9] They produced around 700 hp (520 kW).[9]
The engine formula was changed with the 2000-2004 formula. The displacement was dropped from 4.0L to 3.5L, and the requirement for the block to be production-based was dropped. This formula was used through 2003.[10] In 2004, in the wake of several crashes including the fatal crash of Tony Renna and the severe crash of Kenny Bräck, the displacement was further reduced to 3.0L to curb top speeds.
Historically, Honda, Toyota and Chevrolet competed for the engine supply business, as Infiniti was never competitive and switched to sponsoring the feeder Infiniti Pro Series (now the Indy Lights Series).
As part of General Motors' discontinuance of the Oldsmobile name, the Olds motor was rebadged as the Chevrolet starting with the 2002 season.[11] However, the effort could not compete with the Toyota and Honda programs starting in 2003. In August, 2003, Chevrolet announced its "Gen IV" motor, a rebadged Cosworth motor. At the time, Cosworth was owned by Ford. On November 4 2004, Chevrolet stated that it would be ending its IRL engine program effective with the end of the 2005 season, citing costs that exceeded value, according to then-GM Racing Director Doug Duchardt. "The investment did not meet our objectives," he was quoted as saying.
In 2003, Toyota came to the IRL from the rival AAA/USAC/CART/OWRS/CCWS series. Toyota won their first race in Miami, as well as the Indianapolis 500 the series title. However, Toyota had just one podium in the last seven races of 2004, and only Penske Racing fielded competitive Toyota-powered cars in 2005. In November 2005, Toyota company officials announced the company's withdrawal from American open-wheel racing and the immediate discontinuation of its IRL program, coinciding with its entrance into NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series in 2004, and its discontinuation of its ISMA program. It is doubtful that Infiniti, Chevrolet, or Toyota will ever race in the series again.
Honda also came to the IRL in 2003, and by 2005 was clearly the dominant engine manufacturer. Starting in 2006, they became the only engine manufacturer in the IRL, and will continue in that capacity until 2010. The Honda engine is designed and produced by Ilmor Engineering Ltd, which is partially owned by Roger Penske.
Since the IRL has only one engine manufacturer, that manufacturer concentrates on minimizing engine failure and minimizing costs instead of defeating rivals. The engines have proven themselves to be quite durable -- there have been no catastrophic engine failures at Indy for the past 2 years, which also lowers the number of crashes. Most of the engines, including those used for the Indy 500, are used for multiple races and are intended to last 1,200 miles (1,931 kilometers) between rebuilds.[12] The Honda motors are only available via lease arrangement from Honda, which costs approximately $US 2.9 million per season per car. Honda techs travel with the series, as well as attending all IRL team testing sessions. Virtually all teams like the current arrangement.[13]
IRL engines are rev-limited to 10,300 rpm and produce approximately 650 hp. The valve train is a dual overhead camshaft configuration with four valves per cylinder (As in Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters). The crankshaft is made of alloy steel, with five main bearing caps. The pistons are forged aluminum alloy, while the connecting rods are machined alloy steel. The electronic engine management system is supplied by Motorola, firing a CDI ignition system. The engine lubrication is a dry sump type, cooled by a single water pump.
A new IndyCar chassis and engines are expected in 2011. Dallara will be the sole chassis supplier.
An engine manufacturer summit took place in Indianapolis on June 24, 2008. The goal of the meeting was to set standards for the 2011 IndyCar Series engine package and encourage more manufacturers to produce engines for the series. Auto manufacturers Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Ford, Ferrari, GM, Honda, Mazda, and Volkswagen were represented at the meeting, alongside engine suppliers AER, Cosworth, Cummins, Ilmor, John Judd, Speedway and Zytek Engines.[15][16]
A second manufacturer's meeting took place on September 17. Five auto manufacturers were present at the meeting including Honda, Audi, Alfa Romeo, and Porsche. [17] The new engines are rumored be a turbocharged in-line 4 cylinder [18], and will output about 750 HP.[19]
A third meeting is expected to be held in late October.[20] [21]
In 2009, 27 cars will be fielded by 15 different teams. The 2009 entry list comprises:
| Driver | Number | Sponsor | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | 3 | Marlboro | Team Penske |
| Ryan Briscoe | 6 | Marlboro | Team Penske |
| TBA | 02 | TBA | Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing |
| Graham Rahal | 06 | Hole In the Wall Camps | Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing |
| TBA | 5 | Plantronics/iRise from | KV Racing Technology |
| TBA | 8 | TBA | KV Racing Technology |
| Scott Dixon | 9 | Target | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| Dario Franchitti | 10 | Target | Chip Ganassi Racing |
| TBA | 2 | TBA | Vision Racing |
| Ed Carpenter | 20 | Menards | Vision Racing |
| TBA | 34 | TBA | Conquest Racing |
| Alex Tagliani | 36 | TBA | Conquest Racing |
| TBA | TBA | TBA | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
| TBA | 15 | Dad's Root Beer | Dreyer & Reinbold Racing |
| Vitor Meira | 14 | ABC Supply Co. | A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
| TBA | 17 | TBA | Rahal Letterman Racing |
| TBA | 18 | TBA | Dale Coyne Racing |
| TBA | 19 | Sonny's Barbecue | Dale Coyne Racing |
| Dan Wheldon | 4 | Delphi/ National Guard |
Panther Racing |
| EJ Viso | 33 | PDVSA | HVM Racing |
| TBA | TBA | TBA | HVM Racing |
| Danica Patrick | 7 | Motorola | Andretti Green Racing |
| Tony Kanaan | 11 | 7-Eleven | Andretti Green Racing |
| Marco Andretti | 26 | TBA | Andretti Green Racing |
| Hideki Mutoh | 27 | Formula Dream | Andretti Green Racing |
| Raphael Matos | 12 | Symantec | Luczo Dragon Racing |
Teams that participate part time include:
| Driver | Number | Sponsor | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Fisher | 67 | TBA | Sarah Fisher Racing |
Current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Sam Hornish, Jr. currently leads all IndyCar Series drivers with 19 career victories and 3 championships. Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan are the active leaders, each entering the 2008 season with 13 wins and a single championship. Scott Sharp is the all-time series leader in race starts with his tally standing at 146 at the end of the 2007 season, when he decided to leave the series to pursue sports car racing. The active leader is Hélio Castroneves who has 97 starts entering 2008. In 2007, the IndyCar Series was the only major racing series with three female drivers including Danica Patrick, the series' most popular driver 3 years running (2005, 2006, 2007), Sarah Fisher, the series' most popular driver 3 years running (2001, 2002, 2003) and Milka Duno.
Following the merger of CART/Champ Car into the Indy Racing League in 2008, the IRL acquired all intellectual property and historic records. For all other previous national champions from 1902-2007, see: American Open Wheel National Champions
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: IndyCar Series |
