1999 Firestone Firehawk 500K
The 1999 Firestone Firehawk 500K was the second round of the 1999 CART FedEx Champ Car World Series season, held on April 9, 1999, on the Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Tochigi, Japan. This was the first Champ Car race since the 1995 Indianapolis 500, in which Al Unser Jr. is absent on the starting grid. Report Race There was drama at the start when polesitter Gil de Ferran spun while taking the green flag. As a result, the start was delayed, and de Ferran was able to take back his starting position: pole. He led the early stages but then began to drop back with tire problems and Maurício Gugelmin took the lead. Gugelmin led comfortably until the first round of stops, when he overshot his pitlane, losing time. He was also given a black flag for running over pit equipment, which put him a lap down and out of contention. Adrián Fernández took the lead and led comfortably until Juan Pablo Montoya closed right up to him. Fernández held him off, and Montoya's challenge was en ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Indy Japan 300
The Indy Japan 300 presented by Bridgestone was an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race held at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan. The 2008 race marked the historic first ever win for a woman driver in American open wheel racing when Danica Patrick of Andretti-Green Racing took the checkered flag. The first American open-wheel race in Japan was held in 1966 at Fuji Speedway. Jackie Stewart won the Fuji Japan 200, which was held as an exhibition race, and no championship points were awarded. USAC did not return. For a short period in the late 1980s and early 1990s the CART series explored the prospects of holding a race in Japan. Possible locations would be either Suzuka, Fuji, or a street course in another city. The FIA objected, citing conflicts with Formula One and other interests. In addition, rules were put into place requiring that any CART race outside of North America be held on an oval. Despite the objections, in 1991 CART made their first trip across the Pacific O ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Juan Pablo Montoya
Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born 20 September 1975) is a Colombian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to , IndyCar between 1999 and 2022, and the NASCAR Cup Series between 2006 and 2024. Montoya won seven Formula One Grands Prix across six seasons. In American open-wheel racing, Montoya won the CART Championship Series in 1999 with Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) and is a two-time winner of the Indianapolis 500. In endurance racing, Montoya won the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2019 with Team Penske and is a three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona with CGR. Montoya began kart racing at the age of five, progressing to car racing in Colombia and Mexico at age 17, finishing runner-up in the Copa Formula Renault and winning the Nationale Tournement Swift GTI Championship. He also competed in the Barber Saab Pro Series, the Formula Vauxhall Lotus Championship and the British Formula 3 Championship. In 1997 and 1998, Montoya raced in the Internationa ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jimmy Vasser
James "Jimmy" Vasser Jr. (born November 20, 1965) is an American former racing driver who competed primarily in the Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART series and Champ Car World Series, Champ Car. Vasser won ten CART series races and won the 1996 PPG Indy Car World Series, 1996 CART championship with Chip Ganassi Racing. Vasser was the last American to win the CART title. Vasser won the 1996 U.S. 500, and had a best finish of 4th at the Indianapolis 500 twice (1994 Indianapolis 500, 1994 and 2001 Indianapolis 500, 2001). Vasser was co-owner of KV Racing Technology, winning the 2013 Indianapolis 500 with driver Tony Kanaan. He currently co-owns Vasser Sullivan Racing, claiming the GTD Pro teams title at the 2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship. Driving career Vasser made his Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART debut in 1992 and qualified for the 1992 Indianapolis 500, Indianapolis 500, as the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year#Fastest rookie qualifier, fastest rookie qualifier. ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Andretti Green Racing
Andretti Global is an American motorsports organization with teams competing in the IndyCar Series, Indy NXT, Formula E, and joint entries in IMSA and the Australian Supercars Championship. Starting in 2026, Andretti will also operate the Cadillac Formula One team in collaboration with General Motors. The team was founded as Forsythe/Green Racing by Gerald Forsythe and Barry Green in 1993, and began competing in the CART Indy Car World Series the following year. Green and his brother Kim took over the team in 1995 and renamed it to Team Green. In 2002, the team was again renamed to Andretti Green Racing after 1991 CART champion Michael Andretti purchased a stake in the team; it began competing in the Indy Racing League in 2003. Andretti acquired full control in 2009 and rebranded the team to Andretti Autosport. The team restructured in September 2023 in pursuit of a Formula One entry and rebranded to Andretti Global, with Dan Towriss becoming a minority owner. In 2024, Andret ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Paul Tracy
Paul Anthony Tracy (born December 17, 1968) is a Canadian professional auto racing driver who participated in Champ Car World Series, the IndyCar Series, and the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). He started kart racing at age five and quickly became successful and began car racing at sixteen, finishing third in the 1985 Formula Ford 1600 championship with one win and Rookie of the Year honors. Tracy became the youngest Canadian Formula Ford champion in the 1985 CASC Formula 1600 Challenge Series and was the youngest Can-Am race winner the following year. He raced in the American Racing Series for three years between 1988 and 1990, winning the series title with nine wins from fourteen races in 1990. Tracy's CART career began in the 1991 season with Dale Coyne Racing. However, following one race, he drove three races for Penske Racing. He competed with Penske in eleven races during the 1992 season, finishing on the podium three times. In the 1993 season, Tracy finished ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Della Penna Motorsports
Della Penna Motorsports was an auto racing team that competed in the Toyota Atlantic, IndyCar, and CART series from 1990 to 2000. The team was founded by Argentinian businessman and engineer John Della Penna, who himself raced in Formula Atlantic during the 1980s. Della Penna got its start in Toyota Atlantic with support from driver Jimmy Vasser in 1990, and by the following season was consistently scoring wins. After Vasser left to drive in CART, Della Penna took a two-year sabbatical from the series, with the hopes of returning with young, untested talent. In 1994 Della Penna signed Richie Hearn to drive in Toyota Atlantic with the hopes of moving up to CART by 1997. Hearn finished second in points that season and won the championship the following season. Della Penna joined the upstart Indy Racing League in 1996 with the goal of transitioning into CART the following year. In five races between 1996 and 1997, Hearn placed 3rd at the Indianapolis 500, scored a pole position at ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robby Gordon Motorsports
Robby Gordon Motorsports is a motorsports constructor and racing team owned by Robby Gordon. The company was formed in 2005 as a race team for Gordon's NASCAR career, competing in the sport from 2005 to 2012 in the Cup Series and Xfinity Series. While in NASCAR, the team recorded one win (at Richmond in 2004) and 30 top-ten finishes. After 2012, Gordon shut down the team's NASCAR operations. RGM became the constructor of vehicles for Stadium Super Trucks, a new racing series owned by Gordon. NASCAR 2000 In 2000, after spending the 1999 season racing in Champ Car open-wheel racing, Team Gordon, owned by Robby Gordon, John Menard, and Mike Held, moved to competition in the NASCAR Cup Series; the team struggled and closed after the end of the season, with Gordon moving to drive for Morgan-McClure Motorsports. 2004 In 2004, Gordon and Menard bought back the former Team Menard base in North Carolina. There, Gordon started his own Busch Series team, deciding to run part-time for ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Robby Gordon
Robert Wesley Gordon (born January 2, 1969) is an American semi-retired auto racing driver. He has raced in NASCAR, Championship Auto Racing Teams, CART, the IndyCar Series, the Trans-Am Series, International Motor Sports Association, IMSA, International Race of Champions, IROC and the Dakar Rally. While no longer competing in IndyCar and NASCAR racing, he is active in top-tier off road motorsports such as Best in the Desert, BITD, National Off-Road Racing Association, NORRA, and SCORE International. Gordon owns and competes in the Stadium Super Trucks (SST), a series he formed in 2013 and whose championship he won in 2013 and 2014. He also operates the Speed family of brands, which includes the energy drink Speed Energy that has sponsored his racing efforts since 2010. Off-road racing Gordon, the son of off-road racer Bob Gordon (racer), "Baja Bob" Gordon, started out competing in off road racing. He won five consecutive SCORE International off-road class championships from 1986 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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PacWest Racing
PacWest Racing was a Champ Car racing team owned by Bruce McCaw founded in 1993. The team's first full-time season was the next year, 1994, with drivers Dominic Dobson and future Indy Racing League co-champion Scott Sharp. In 1995, the team switched to former Formula One driver Maurício Gugelmin and a fading Danny Sullivan, who would be replaced late in the season by Juan Manuel Fangio II after an injury. In 1996, Mark Blundell took over Fangio's seat. 1997 became PacWest's breakout year, with the team taking four wins - three from Blundell and Gugelmin's sole CART victory at Vancouver. The team was since considered a major team, and was figured to be in contention for the championship in 1998. The next three years, however, turned out to be a disappointment. 2001 saw Blundell, who retired after the previous season's end, replaced with 2000 Indy Lights Champion Scott Dixon, who earned PacWest's final victory at Nazareth, in which Dixon's teammate Gugelmin withdrew after the dea ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tony Kanaan
Antoine Rizkallah "Tony" Kanaan Filho (born 31 December 1974), nicknamed "TK", is a Brazilian racing driver who is the team principal of Arrow McLaren. He is best known for racing in Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) from 1998 to 2002, and the IndyCar Series from 2002 to 2023. He is the 2004 IndyCar Series champion. Career Formula car racing Formula Europa Boxer Kanaan began competing in Formula Europa Boxer for the 1994 season. Kanaan drove for Cram Competition in a Tatuus-Alfa Romeo in motorsport, Alfa Romeo. Kanaan won the series championship on the strength of 5 race wins. Italian Formula Three Kanaan competed in Italian Formula Three Championship, Italian Formula Three in 1995 Italian Formula Three season, 1995 for Tatuus in a Dallara, Dallara 395-Opel. Kanaan won a race and secured 9 podiums to win 111 points, ranking 5th. Indy Lights series Kanaan began to compete in Indy Lights in 1996 Indy Lights season, 1996 for Tasman Motorsports, returning for the 1997 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Michael Andretti
Michael Mario Andretti (born October 5, 1962) is an American former racing driver, and current team owner. Statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of American open-wheel car racing, Andretti won the 1991 CART championship, and amassed 42 race victories, the most in the CART era and fifth-most all time. Since his retirement, Andretti has owned Andretti Autosport, which has won four IndyCar Series championships and five Indianapolis 500 races. He is the son of Mario Andretti, a multi-time champion, and is the father of IndyCar Series driver Marco Andretti. Early life and education Andretti was born on October 5, 1962, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania to race car driver Mario Andretti, a four-time IndyCar champion and one-time Formula One champion and his wife, Dee Ann (née Hoch). His brother Jeff Andretti competed in IndyCar. His uncle, Aldo Andretti, was an open wheel racer until an accident ended his ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Forsythe Championship Racing
Forsythe Championship Racing was an American racing team that competed in the Champ Car World Series owned by Gerald Forsythe. The Champ Car effort ceased operations after the 2008 unification of North American open wheel racing. The team won the 2003 championship with driver Paul Tracy. History 1981–1985 Forsythe Racing began sponsoring Lee Brayton's entry for his son Scott in 1981. Forsythe later started his own team, racing in CART part-time in 1982 with Héctor Rebaque and Danny Sullivan who drove for the team in the 1982 Indianapolis 500 and finished 13th and 14th, respectively. Later that season Rebaque won at Road America. Before Indy, Sullivan finished third at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Also that season Al Unser Jr. made his CART debut for the team at Riverside International Raceway and finished fifth. Moderate success continued from 1983 to 1985, most notably with rookie driver Teo Fabi who won four races in 1983, and started on the pole position at Indianapolis. 1 ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |