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Championship Car
American open-wheel car racing, generally and commonly known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2025, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by IndyCar and is known as the IndyCar Series. Competitive events for professional-level, open-wheel race cars have been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies, and traces it roots as far back as 1902. A season-long, points-based, ''National Championship'' of drivers has been officially recognized in 1905, 1916, and each year since 1920 (except for a hiatus during WWII). As such, for many years, this discipline of motorsports was known as Championship car racing (or Champ car racing for short). That name has fallen from use, and the term ''Indy car'' racing (derived from the Indy 500) has become the preferred moniker. The machines, typically referred to as "Indy cars", are a formula of single-seat, open cockpit, open-wheel, purpos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2023 Indianapolis 500
The 2023 Indianapolis 500, branded as the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge for sponsorship reasons, was a 500-mile (804.7 km, 200 lap) race in the 2023 IndyCar Series, held on Sunday, May 28, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States. The Indianapolis 500 traditions#Month of May, month of May activities formally began on Saturday, May 13 with the Grand Prix of Indianapolis, GMR Grand Prix on the Oval track racing#Combined road course, combined road course. Practice on the oval was slated to begin on May 16 but was canceled due to rain and as a result, the first practice was held on May 17. List of Indianapolis 500 pole-sitters, Time trials took place on May 20–21, while Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice, along with the Pit Stop Challenge, took place on May 26. Marcus Ericsson of Chip Ganassi Racing entered the race as the defending winner. 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner and 2004 IndyCar Series, 2004 se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oval Track Racing
Oval track racing is a form of motorsport that is contested on an oval-shaped race track. An oval track differs from a road course in that the layout resembles an oval with turns in only one direction, and the direction of traffic is almost universally counter-clockwise. Oval tracks are dedicated motorsport circuits, used predominantly in the United States. They often have banked turns and some, despite the name, are not precisely oval, and the shape of the track can vary. Major forms of oval track racing include stock car racing, open-wheel racing, sprint car racing, modified car racing, midget car racing and dirt track motorcycles. Oval track racing is the predominant form of auto racing in the United States. According to the 2013 National Speedway Directory, the total number of oval tracks, drag strips and road courses in the United States is 1,262, with 901 of those being oval tracks and 683 of those being dirt tracks. Among the most famous oval tracks in North Ameri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roger Penske
Roger Searle Penske (born February 20, 1937), also known as "the Captain", is an American auto racing team owner, businessman, and former professional driver. Penske is the owner of Team Penske, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, IndyCar, and other auto racing-related businesses. Penske is the founder and chairman of the Penske Corporation, a holding company for his various businesses. Penske is also a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. Early life and education Penske was born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, in 1937 into a devout Episcopalian family. He was heavily involved with his church as a boy, singing in the church's choir and serving in the ministry as an acolyte. His father Jay was a successful corporate executive for a metal fabrication company who encouraged his son to become an entrepreneur. As a teenager he bought older cars, repaired them and sold them at a profit from his family's home outside Cleveland, Ohio. After he graduated from Shaker Heights High Sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2008 IndyCar Series
The 2008 IndyCar Series was the 13th season of the IndyCar Series. It was the 97th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing. It began on March 29, 2008, and ended on September 7 after 17 point-scoring races, plus a non-championship event on October 26. The season was historically significant, as IndyCar became the single major open wheel racing series in the United States. After 12 years of direct competition, the managements of Indy Racing League and Champ Car announced an agreement to become a single entity in February, which led to the cancellation of the 2008 Champ Car World Series. A number of teams, drivers and race events joined the series, bolstering numbers and signalling a new era for open wheel racing in the United States after years of sporting and financial hardship. Scott Dixon, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, achieved his second championship and the first 'unified' title by winning six races, including his first victory at the Indianapolis 500 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1996 Indianapolis 500
The 80th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 26, 1996. This was the first Indy 500 contested as part of the new Indy Racing League, under the overall sanctioning umbrella of USAC. It was the third and final race of the 1996 IRL season. Veteran driver and former AIS champion Buddy Lazier won the race, his first career win in top-level Indy car competition, just over two months after he suffered a broken back in a crash at Phoenix. Lazier's victory marks the last (as of 2025) Indy victory for Ford, the second of two all-time victories for Reynard, and the first victory for Firestone since 1971. The race was surrounded by months of controversy, and was a key component of "the Split", the name given in racing circles to the twelve-year organizational dispute in American open-wheel racing between the upstart Indy Racing League (IRL) and the established Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). Most of the top teams and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1979 Indianapolis 500
The 63rd 500 Mile International Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, on Sunday May 27, 1979. Brothers Al Unser, Al and Bobby Unser combined to lead 174 of the 200 laps, but Al dropped out around the midpoint, and Bobby slipped to 5th place at the finish nursing mechanical issues. Al was driving Jim Hall (racing driver), Jim Hall's radically new Chaparral Cars#2K, Chaparral 2K Ground effect (cars), ground effect chassis in its Indy debut. The car would be victorious the 1980 Indianapolis 500, following year with Johnny Rutherford behind the wheel. Second-year driver Rick Mears took the lead for the final time with 18 laps to go, and won his first Indianapolis 500. Mears would win again in 1984 Indianapolis 500, 1984, 1988 Indianapolis 500, 1988, and 1991 Indianapolis 500, 1991, to become the third driver (along with A. J. Foyt, Al Unser, Al Unser Sr., and later Hélio Castroneves) to win the Indy 500 a record four times. It was also Mears' f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rear Mid-engine, Rear-wheel-drive Layout
In automotive design, an RMR, or rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout is one in which the rear wheels are driven by an engine placed with its center of gravity in front of the rear axle, and thus right behind the passenger compartment. Nowadays more frequently called 'RMR', to acknowledge that certain sporty or performance focused front-engined cars are also "mid-engined", by having the main engine mass behind the front axle, RMR layout cars were previously (until ca. the 1990) just called MR, or mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout), because the nuance between distinctly front-engined vs. front ''mid-engined'' cars often remained undiscussed. In contrast to the fully rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout, the center of mass of the engine is in front of the rear axle. This layout is typically chosen for its favorable weight distribution. Placing the car's heaviest component within the wheelbase minimizes its rotational inertia around the vertical axis, facilitating turn- ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roadster (automobile)
A roadster (also spider, spyder) is an open two-seat car with emphasis on sporting appearance or character. Initially an American term for a two-seat car with no weather protection, its usage has spread internationally and has evolved to include two-seat convertibles. The roadster was also a style of racing car driven in United States Auto Club (USAC) Championship Racing, including the Indianapolis 500, in the 1950s and 1960s. This type of racing car was superseded by rear-mid-engine cars. Etymology The term "roadster" originates in the United States, where it was used in the 19th century to describe a horse suitable for travelling. By the end of the century, the definition had expanded to include bicycles and tricycles. In 1916, the United States Society of Automobile Engineers defined a roadster as: "an open car seating two or three. It may have additional seats on running boards or in rear deck." Since it has a single row of seats, the main seat for the driver and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Front-engine, Rear-wheel-drive Layout
A front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (FR), also called Système Panhard is a powertrain layout with an engine in front and rear-wheel-drive, connected via a drive shaft. This arrangement, with the engine straddling the front axle, was the traditional automobile layout for most of the pre-1950s automotive mechanical projects. It is also used in trucks, pickups, and high-floor buses and school buses. Front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout A front mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout (FMR) places the engine in the front half of the vehicle but ''behind'' the front axle, which likewise drives the rear wheels via a driveshaft. Shifting the engine's center of mass rearward aids in front/rear weight distribution and reduces the moment of inertia, both of which improve a vehicle's handling. FMR cars are often characterized by a long hood and front wheels that are pushed forward to the corners of the vehicle, close to the front bumper. 2+2-style grand tourers often have FMR l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indianapolis 500 By Year
This article discusses the year-by-year history of the Indianapolis 500 race. Years 1909–1910 The first motorcycle and automobile races and demonstration runs are held the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in August 1909. After a series of accidents, the original surface of crushed stone and tar is deemed unsuitable for racing. In the fall of 1909, the entire track is paved in brick, immediately giving the track the nickname "The Brickyard." An exhibition meet is held in December 1909, and racing meets are held throughout the summer of 1910. :''See Indianapolis Motor Speedway race results'' 1911–1919 1911: A historic event in the history of American automobile racing. After two years hosting multiple race meets, the Speedway management decided from 1911 onward to conduct one major racing event per year. With the then-fantastic marathon distance of 500 miles, and a substantial purse, 40 cars qualify. Ray Harroun, an engineer for the Marmon Co. receives the checkered flag at an av ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Formula One
Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the world's premier forms of motorsport since its 1950 Formula One season, inaugural running in 1950 and is often considered to be the pinnacle of motorsport. The word ''Formula racing, formula'' in the name refers to Formula One regulations, the set of rules all participant cars must follow. A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as List of Formula One Grands Prix, Grands Prix. Grands Prix take place in multiple countries and continents on either purpose-built List of Formula One circuits, circuits or closed roads. A List of Formula One World Championship points scoring systems, points scoring system is used at Grands Prix to determine two annual World Championships: List of Formula One World Drivers' Champions, one ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Memorial Day
Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. It is observed on the last Monday of May. It is the unofficial beginning of summer in the United States. Memorial Day is a time for visiting cemeteries and memorials to mourn the military personnel who died in the line of duty. Volunteers will place American flags on the graves of those military personnel in national cemeteries. The first national observance of Memorial Day occurred on May 30, 1868. Then known as ''Decoration Day'' and observed on May 30, the holiday was proclaimed by Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic to honor the Union soldiers who had died in the American Civil War. This national observance followed many local observances which were inaugurated between the end of the Civil War and Logan's declaration. Many cities and people ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
