The 2002 Indy Racing League (IRL) was one of transition, with two reigning
CART
A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs.
A handcart ...
championship teams,
Team Penske
Team Penske (formerly Penske Racing) is an American professional auto racing organization, competing in the IndyCar Series, NASCAR Cup Series, IMSA SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship. Debuting at the 1966 24 Hours of Day ...
and
Target Chip Ganassi Racing, joining the series with full time entries. The
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produc ...
engine was rebranded as a
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
, and both
Honda
commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.
Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...
and
Toyota
is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...
announced their participation in the series starting in 2003 while
Infiniti
(stylized in all caps) is the luxury vehicle division of the Japanese automaker Nissan. The brand began on November 8, 1989, initially in North America. The marketing network for Infiniti vehicles included dealers in over 50 countries in the 201 ...
announced its withdrawal.
Sam Hornish Jr. won 5 races on his way to his second straight championship ahead of Penske juggernaut
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
, winner of two races including a second straight Indy 500, on his way to second in the championship. The season was also notable for seeing six drivers win their first career Indy Racing League races.
Confirmed entries
Schedule
Results
BOLD indicates a Superspeedway.
Note: All races running on Oval/Speedway.
Race summaries
Grand Prix of Miami
This race was held on March 2 at
Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole. The race was dominated by Sam Hornish Jr. who at one point had a lap on the entire field. On lap 193 of 200, while Hornish was leading by more than 20 seconds, fourth placed Robbie Buhl's engine expired, bringing out the yellow and packing up the field. The green came back out on Lap 197, but Airton Dare crashed immediately in turn 2 on the restart. The race finished under yellow, with Hornish on the top step of the podium. Gil de Ferran and Helio Castroneves were second and third respectively, for Team Penske in their first race of their first full season in the IRL.
Top ten results
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#9-
Jeff Ward
#11-
Eliseo Salazar
#52-
Tomas Scheckter
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#44-
Alex Barron
#99-
Anthony Lazzaro
#14-
Airton Daré
Bombardier ATV 200
This race was held on March 17 at
Phoenix International Raceway.
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
won the pole.
Top ten results
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#11-
Eliseo Salazar
#7-
Al Unser Jr.
#2-
Jaques Lazier
#91-
Buddy Lazier
#98-
Billy Boat
#55-
Rick Treadway
#20-
Hideki Noda
Inaugural Yamaha Indy 400
This race was held on March 24 at
California Speedway
Auto Club Speedway (known as California Speedway before and after the 2008–2023 corporate sponsorship by the Automobile Club of Southern California) was a , D-shaped oval superspeedway in unincorporated San Bernardino County, California, ne ...
.
Eddie Cheever won the pole.
Top ten results
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#2-
Jaques Lazier
#34-
Laurent Rédon
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#91-
Buddy Lazier
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#19-
Jimmy Vasser
#9-
Jeff Ward
Inaugural Firestone Indy 225
This race was held on April 21 at
Nazareth Speedway.
Gil de Ferran won the pole.
Top ten results
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#24-
Sarah Fisher
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#44-
Alex Barron
#51-
Eddie Cheever
#98-
Billy Boat
#99-
Anthony Lazzaro
#12-
Shigeaki Hattori
86th Indianapolis 500
The Indy 500 was held on May 26 at
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a motor racing circuit located in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the home of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400, and and formerly the home of the U ...
.
Bruno Junqueira sat on pole. The race end was one of the most controversial in history as
Paul Tracy passed
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
just as the yellow was coming out for a crash. Race officials ruled that the pass occurred after the yellow and declared Castroneves the winner.
Top ten results
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#26-
Paul Tracy
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#44-
Alex Barron
#51-
Eddie Cheever
#20-
Richie Hearn
#39-
Michael Andretti
#31-
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, Inter ...
#9-
Jeff Ward
#6-
Gil de Ferran
Boomtown 500
This race was held on June 8 at
Texas Motor Speedway.
Tomas Scheckter won the pole.
Top ten results
#9-
Jeff Ward
#7-
Al Unser Jr.
#14-
Airton Daré
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#12-
Shigeaki Hattori
#98-
Billy Boat
#91-
Buddy Lazier
#99-
Richie Hearn
#44-
Alex Barron
Radisson Indy 225
This race was held on June 16 at
Pikes Peak International Raceway.
Gil de Ferran won the pole.
Top ten results
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#7-
Al Unser Jr.
#34-
Laurent Rédon
#51-
Eddie Cheever
#14-
Airton Daré
#44-
Alex Barron
SunTrust Indy Challenge
This race was held on June 29 at
Richmond International Raceway
Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It currently hosts one NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It formerly h ...
.
Gil de Ferran won the pole.
Top ten results
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#52-
Tomas Scheckter
#7-
Al Unser Jr.
#14-
Airton Daré
#20-
Richie Hearn
#9-
Jeff Ward
#54-
Robby McGehee
#44-
Alex Barron
Ameristar Casino Indy 200
This race was held on July 7 at
Kansas Speedway.
Tomas Scheckter won the pole.
Top ten results
#14-
Airton Daré
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#91-
Buddy Lazier
#44-
Alex Barron
#98-
Billy Boat
#20-
Richie Hearn
Firestone Indy 200
This race was held on July 20 at
Nashville Superspeedway.
Billy Boat won the pole.
Top ten results
#44-
Alex Barron
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#20-
Richie Hearn
#12-
Raul Boesel
#51-
Eddie Cheever
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#7-
Tony Renna
Inaugural Michigan Indy 400
This race was held on July 28 at
Michigan International Speedway.
Tomas Scheckter won the pole.
Top ten results
#52-
Tomas Scheckter
#53-
Buddy Rice
Albert Lee "Buddy" Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American former race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.
Career
E ...
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#7-
Tony Renna
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#23-
Sarah Fisher
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#20-
Richie Hearn
Belterra Casino Indy 300
This race was held on August 11 at
Kentucky Speedway.
Sarah Fisher won the pole, the first by a female driver in a major open wheel series.
Top ten results
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#91-
Buddy Lazier
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#7-
Al Unser Jr.
#78-
Tony Renna
#23-
Sarah Fisher
#44-
Alex Barron
#24-
Robbie Buhl
Gateway Indy 250
This race was held on August 25 at
Gateway International Raceway
Gateway Motorsports Park (currently known as World Wide Technology Raceway for sponsorship reasons) is a motor racing facility in Madison, Illinois, just east of St. Louis, close to the Gateway Arch. It features a oval that hosts the NASCAR Cu ...
.
Gil de Ferran won the pole.
Top ten results
#6-
Gil de Ferran
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#44-
Alex Barron
#52-
Buddy Rice
Albert Lee "Buddy" Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American former race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.
Career
E ...
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#24-
Robbie Buhl
#7-
Al Unser Jr.
#12-
Raul Boesel
#2-
Vítor Meira
#51-
Eddie Cheever
Delphi Indy 300
This race was held on September 8 at
Chicagoland Speedway
Chicagoland Speedway is an inactive tri-oval Oval track racing#Intermediate, intermediate speedway in Joliet, Illinois. It has hosted various major races throughout its existence, including NASCAR and IndyCar races. The track is currently own ...
.
Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole.
Top ten results
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
#7-
Al Unser Jr.
#91-
Buddy Lazier
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#51-
Eddie Cheever
#21-
Felipe Giaffone
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#2-
Vítor Meira
#52-
Buddy Rice
Albert Lee "Buddy" Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American former race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.
Career
E ...
#15-
Dan Wheldon
Daniel Clive Wheldon (22 June 1978 – 16 October 2011) was a British motor racing driver who won the 2005 IndyCar Series Drivers' Championship for Andretti Autosport, Andretti Green Racing (AGR). He won the Indianapolis 500 in 2005 Indianapol ...
Gil de Ferran was injured during a crash in this race and would miss the season finale at Texas.
Chevy 500
This race was held on September 15 at
Texas Motor Speedway.
Vítor Meira won the pole.
Top ten results
#4-
Sam Hornish Jr.**
#3-
Hélio Castroneves
Hélio Castroneves (; born Hélio Alves de Castro Neves; 10 May 1975) is a Brazilian auto racing driver. He competes part-time in the IndyCar Series, driving the No. 06 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing. He is one of four drivers to have w ...
#2-
Vítor Meira
#8-
Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing Leagu ...
#44-
Alex Barron
#52-
Buddy Rice
Albert Lee "Buddy" Rice (born January 31, 1976) is an American former race car driver. He is best known for winning the 2004 Indianapolis 500 while driving for Rahal Letterman Racing, and the 2009 24 Hours of Daytona for Brumos Racing.
Career
E ...
#91-
Buddy Lazier
#51-
Eddie Cheever
#78-
Tony Renna
#34-
Laurent Rédon
Max Papis filled in for the injured
Gil de Ferran at Penske; however, he finished 21st due to a blown engine.
By winning the race,
Sam Hornish Jr. won his second championship in a row.
Points standings
* Ties in points broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., and then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.
See also
*
2002 Indianapolis 500
*
2002 Infiniti Pro Series season
*
2002 CART season
*
2002 Toyota Atlantic Championship season
* http://www.champcarstats.com/year/2002i.htm
* http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf (p. 119–121)
Footnotes
References
{{Indy Racing League Seasons
Indy Racing League
IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two Auto racing, racing series: the premier IndyCar Serie ...
IndyCar Series seasons
Indy Racing League
IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two Auto racing, racing series: the premier IndyCar Serie ...