Subscription

Car Racing

Motorcycle Racing

Racing in Oz

Shop

2005 INDYCAR IRL 

2005 INDYCAR CHAMPIONSHIP

• PRE SEASON, KANAAN (2004 CHAMPION): "I'm going to try and win again this year but it will be very difficult, especially to set records like I did last year ... We accomplished such a good thing in 2004 that I don't have as much time at home ..."

2005 SEASON END AWARD WINNERS:

• Championship driver: Dan Wheldon; $1 million championship bonus
• Herff Jones Championship Driver Award (ring): Dan Wheldon
• TAG Heuer Championship Driver Award (watch): Dan Wheldon
• Championship team: Andretti Green Racing
• Championship team sponsor: Klein Tools, Jim Beam
• Championship team manager: John Anderson
• Chief Mechanic of the Year Award ($25,000): Mike Horvath, Andretti Green Racing Engine
• Manufacturer champion: Honda
• Bombardier Rookie of the Year Award ($50,000): Danica Patrick
• The Rising Star Award: Patrick Carpentier
• Argent Mortgage Fastest Lap Award ($25,000): Dario Franchitti
• Second place championship driver: Tony Kanaan
• Second place championship team: Andretti Green Racing
• Third place championship driver: Sam Hornish Jr.
• Third place championship team: Marlboro Team Penske
• BOSCH Platinum Award ($20,000): Sam Hornish Jr.
• Marlboro Pole Award ($20,000): Sam Hornish Jr.
• Manufacturer Recognition Awards: Firestone Racing, Delphi, Dallara, Panoz, Xtrac, Chevrolet, Toyota, K&N Filters.
• Delphi Safety Award: Bob Falcon
• IRL Marketer of the Year Award: XM Satellite Radio
• Promoter of the Year Award: Infineon Raceway

2005 INDYCAR RACE RESULT

• R16 of 16, Oct 16, 2005 Fontana
  Winner: Franchitti ; pole: Franchitti

• R15 of 16, Sept. 25, 2005 Watkins Glen ROAD RACE
  Winner: Dixon ; pole: Castroneves
  *** Wheldon wins 2005 championship ***

• R14 of 16, Sept. 11, 2005 Chicagoland Speedway
  Winner: Wheldon; pole: Patrick (3rd career pole)
  *** Wheldon's record 6th win ***

• R13 of 16, Aug. 28, 2005 Infineon Raceway, Sonoma ROAD RACE
  Winner: Kanaan; pole: Briscoe
  *** first permanent road course race for IndyCar ***
  *** maiden pole for Ryan Briscoe ***

• R12 of 16, Aug. 21, 2005 Pikes Peak International Raceway, Fountain
  Winner: Wheldon; pole: Catroneves
  *** Honda wins 2nd consecutive IRL Manufacturers title ***

• R11 of 16, Aug. 14, 2005 Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, 1 1/2 mile oval
  Winner: Sharp ; pole: Patrick (2nd career pole)

• R10 of 16, July 31, 2005 Michigan International Speedway, Brooklyn
  Winner: Herta ; pole: Herta

• R9 of 16, July 24, 2005 The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis
  Winner: Hornish Jr ; pole: Hornish Jr

• R8 of 16, July 16, 2005 Nashville Superspeedway, Lebanon
  Winner: Franchitti ; pole: Schekter

• R7 of 16, July 3, 2005 Kansas Speedway, Kansas City
  Winner: Kanaan ; pole: Patrick (career maiden pole in IndyCar)

• R6 of 16, June 25, 2005, 2005 Richmond International Raceway
  Winner: Castroneves ; pole: Hornish Jr.

• R5 of 16, June 11, 2005 Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth
  Winner: Schekter; pole: Schekter

	*** 2005 INDIANAPOLIS 500 ***
	May 29, 2005: Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis Winner: Wheldon; pole: Kanaan

• R4, April 30, 2005 Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi, Japan
  Winner: Wheldon; pole: Hornish Jr *** Wheldon's 3rd win from 4 races ***

• R3, April 3, 2005 St Petersburg Florida *** ROAD RACE ***
  Winner: Wheldon; pole: Herta

• R2, March 19, 2005 Phoenix International Raceway
  Winner: Hornish Jr.; pole: Herta; Infiniti Pro winner: Jon Herb

• R1, March 6, 2005 Homestead Miami Speedway
  Winner: Wheldon; pole: Schekter; Infiniti Pro winner: Travis Gregg

• ROAD & STREET RACING FOR THE FIRST TIME IN IRL HISTORY
• 2 ROAD RACES IN 2005: They will be held at Infineon Raceway, Sonoma and Watkins Glen International.
• 3 LITRE ENGINE: 2005 engine will have 3 litre capacity instead of 3.5 litre engine used last season.
• 2005 ROOKIE DRIVERS: Danica Patrick, Ryan Briscoe (AUS), Patrick Carpentier - moved from Champcar, Tomas Enge (CZE) - he competed in 2 races last season

2005 INDYCAR DRIVERS / TEAMS

CHANGES

• DANICA PATRICK'S DEBUT - WITH RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING
  "... Since I first started racing when I was just 12 years old, my dream has always been to run the Indianapolis 500 ... When I signed with Bobby in 2002 he told me to be patient, because this was a lengthy process designed to advance me to the highest levels of racing. Back then it was easy to say I could be patient, but as a driver you never want to settle to be happy with the status quo. Today all those years of hard work, moving to England at 16, all the sacrifices have paid off, because I am ready to race in the IRL IndyCar Series"
• BRISCOE JOINS GANASSI RACING
  23 year old Australian Ryan Briscoe will make his Indycar debut in 2005. He has been a test driver for Formula 1 Toyota team as well as winning the inaugural F3 Euro championship in 2003.
  BRISCOE: "... I came because of the professionalism of this team. It's a better option for my career and I am one hundred percent convinced I'm going in the right direction ... I am very happy to be in the IndyCar Series and looking forward to racing in the Indianapolis 500."
  CHIP GANASSI: "... We talked with Ryan about four or five years ago and knew he was a talent ... Ryan was at the top of our list ... Ryan has experience in varied open wheel cars, he has testing experience and he's a nice guy. He's also a student of the sport, interested in cars and how they work. He doesn't just get in and work the pedals ...Our team is going to try and get him to the front in IRL"
• ENGE JOINS PANTHER RACING
  28 year old Czech driver Tomas Enge who made his debut last season (2 races with Patrick Racing) will partner Tomas Scheckter in Panther Racing.
  ENGE: "... I had a brief introduction to IRL oval racing in 2004; it's a different type of racing from what I'm accustomed to ... Over the winter I thought what I could do to be better in the series and with this opportunity to work with Panther, I could never say no. I have a fast teammate in Tomas and I hope we succeed better than people think we will ... Panther Racing is one of the best in the business and I relish the chance to drive for them. This is a great opportunity to show what I am capable of ... I have seen the motivation of all the people here and we know that Chevrolet wants to leave the Indy Racing League on a high note. I think that coupled with Panther's experience we will have a chance to fight for some great results"
• RICE & MEIRA TO STAY WITH RAHAL LETTERMAN RACING
  RICE: "... Last year I came to Rahal Letterman as a substitute driver and I had to work on a race-to-race basis. Now I'm fired up for the future with Rahal Letterman Racing. We enjoyed a tremendous 2004 season. The team has a solid partnership with Argent, Pioneer and Honda, and that gives us a foundation to contend for the IRL IndyCar Series championship for years to come. Needless to say, I'm very thankful to Bobby, Dave, the team and the sponsors and I can't wait to get started on the 2005 season."
  MEIRA: "... I am thrilled to continue with Rahal Letterman Racing and to team with Buddy Rice and Danica Patrick ... I am looking forward to having a full off season to test the Honda/G-Force and prepare to run a full season effort. Last year was tough as I was adjusting to a new team and situation while focusing on a race weekend. Even with that extra burden we were still able to enjoy some success. As a team we have high expectations for this season, and I have some high expectations for myself."

2005 INDYCAR TEAMS:

• Andretti Green Racing , Dallara Honda
  Bryan Herta
  Tony Kanaan (BRA)
  Dan Wheldon (UK)
  Dario Franchitti (UK)
• Dreyer & Reinbold Racing , Dallara Honda
  Roger Yasukawa
• Fernandez Racing, Panoz Honda
  Scott Sharp
  Kosuke Matsuura (JPN)
• Ganassi Racing, Toyota
  Scott Dixon (NZ)
  Ryan Briscoe (AUS) *** rookie ***
  Dan Wheldon (UK)
• Panther Racing, Chevrolet
  Tomas Enge (CZE) *** rookie ***
  Tomas Scheckter (SA)
• Rahal Letterman Racing , Panoz Honda
  Buddy Rice
  Vitor Meira
  Danica Patrick *** rookie ***

LAST SEASON (2004):

• Brazilian driver Tony Kanaan won the 2004 Indycar championship with 3 race wins and 3 poles .
• 2004 FINAL STANDING:
  1 Kanaan 578 points
  2 Wheldon 498
  3 Rice 473
  4 Fernandez 415
  5 Castroneves 408
  6 Franchitti 394
  7 Hornish Jr. 374
  8 Herta 348
  9 Meira 344
  10 Dixon 327