Cory Witherill (born December 17, 1971) is a Native American Navajo race car driver from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in the

Indy Racing League The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...

Infiniti Pro Series Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a program ...

Indy Lights Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a progra ...

, and ARCA series. He made an incredible bump day run on a brand new engine to qualify for the 2001

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

, becoming the only full-blooded Native American to race in the Indy 500. He finished 19th. In 2002 and 2003, with the collapse of the IRL team he drove for, he went to the

driving for Ron

Hemelgarn Racing Hemelgarn Racing is an American auto racing team owned by Ron Hemelgarn. The team debuted in 1985, and competed in the CART and Indy Racing League ranks until the team originally shut down in 2010. The team returned to competition in 2015, and cur ...

. In 2002, he had 8 podium finishes and 1 win at

Nashville Superspeedway Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee, United States (though the track has a Lebanon postal address), about southeast of Nashville. The track was built in 2001 and is currently hosting the Ally 400, ...

. He attempted to become the first full-blooded Native American in

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

Personal life

He currently lives in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

, with his wife Jennifer Khasnabis (former reporter for

MotorWeek ''MotorWeek'' is an automotive news and information program focused on car road tests, previews, and maintenance tips. The program is produced by Maryland Public Television for PBS and also airs on the commercial cable/satellite channel MAVTV. ...

TV). Their first child, Graham Liston Witherill, was born in September 2009. In late 2017, the couple announced they were separating, and subsequently filed for divorce.

Career results

CART PPG/Dayton Indy Lights

IndyCar Series

( key)

Indianapolis 500

Infiniti Pro Series

External links

Driver Database Profile
* IndyCar Series drivers Indianapolis 500 drivers Indy Lights drivers Navajo sportspeople ARCA Menards Series drivers American Speed Association drivers Living people 1971 births Racing drivers from Los Angeles U.S. F2000 National Championship drivers {{US-autoracing-bio-stub