IndyCar Series facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
IndyCar Series

Logo used since March 10, 2019
Category	Open-wheel racing
Region	United States Canada
Inaugural season	1996
Drivers	33 (including part-time drivers running only in the Indianapolis 500 and other select races)
Teams	12 (including part-time teams running only in the Indianapolis 500 and other select races)
Chassis suppliers	Dallara
Engine manufacturers	Chevrolet Honda
Tire suppliers	Firestone
Drivers' champion	Álex Palou (2023)
Makes' champion	Chevrolet (2023)
Official website	indycar.com
Current season

The IndyCar Series, also known as the NTT IndyCar Series because of its sponsor, is the top level of American open-wheel car racing in the United States. This exciting racing series has been around since 1996. It was started by Tony George, who owned the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He wanted to create a new racing league to compete with another series called CART.

In 2008, the IndyCar Series joined forces with CART's main competitor, the Champ Car World Series. This brought together the history and records of both series. The most important race in the series is the Indianapolis 500, which first happened way back in 1911. Open-wheel racing used to be super popular in the U.S. But a big disagreement in 1994, known as "The Split," caused its popularity to drop. Even though the two series merged in 2008, the sport is still working to get back to its previous level of fame. Today, the Indianapolis 500 is still a huge event that many people love to watch.

What is IndyCar Racing?

How the Series Got Its Name

When the series first started in 1996, it was simply called the Indy Racing League. Then, in 1998, it got its first main sponsor, Pep Boys, and was known as the Pep Boys Indy Racing League. In 2000, the series changed its name again to the Indy Racing Northern Light Series after a company called Northern Light.

The name IndyCar Series became official in 2003. This was because a legal agreement from 1996 with CART had ended, allowing the series to use the name. Over time, the old "IRL" name was used less and less. By 2008, the series was just called IndyCar. The company that runs the series also changed its name to IndyCar in 2011.

Different companies have sponsored the series over the years. Izod was the main sponsor from 2009 to 2013. Then, Verizon Communications took over from 2014 to 2018. Since 2019, a Japanese company called NTT has been the main sponsor and technology partner. They even extended their sponsorship in 2023!

IndyCar Race Cars and Technology

IndyCar Series cars are special. While all teams use the same main car body, called a chassis, different companies can make the engines. Currently, Dallara builds the chassis for all teams. Engines are provided by Honda and Chevrolet.

Chassis: The Car's Body

Early IndyCar Chassis (1996–2011)

In the very first IndyCar season in 1996, teams used older car bodies from the CART series. But in 1997, new rules came in for cheaper cars and engines. This meant the old CART car bodies and powerful engines were no longer allowed.

A G-Force GF05 IndyCar, which won the 2000 Indianapolis 500.

Over the years, several companies built IndyCar chassis. Dallara started making cars in 1997. Their cars became very successful, winning many races. Since 2008, Dallara has been the only company supplying new chassis to the IndyCar Series.

Another company, G Force, also made chassis starting in 1997. Their cars won the Indy 500 in 1997 and 2000. Later, G Force was bought by Élan Motorsport Technologies, and their chassis were renamed "Panoz." Panoz cars won the Indy 500 in 2003 and 2004. However, by 2006, fewer teams were using Panoz cars, and they eventually stopped providing support to IndyCar teams.

A Panoz GF09 IndyCar chassis during practice for the 2007 Indianapolis 500.

IndyCar machines look a lot like other open-wheel race cars. They have front and rear wings and big air intakes. At first, the cars were designed mostly for oval tracks. But later, they were changed to also work well on road courses.

A Dallara IR05 IndyCar chassis at the 2007 Bombardier Learjet 550.

The DW12 Chassis (2012–2014)

In 2010, IndyCar decided that all teams would use the same chassis starting in 2012. Dallara won the contract to continue as the single chassis supplier. The new chassis, called the Dallara IR-12, was designed to control costs and improve safety. One important safety feature was the partial cover around the rear wheels. This helps stop cars from climbing over another car's back end in a crash.

The 2012 DW12 chassis during practice for the 2012 Indianapolis 500.

After a sad accident in 2011 where driver Dan Wheldon passed away, the chassis was nicknamed DW12 in his honor.

Aero Kits (2015–2017)

From 2015 to 2017, teams started using special "aero kits" made by their engine manufacturers. These kits changed the car's aerodynamics, making them faster and look different depending on the engine company. However, they also made racing more expensive. After two years, the aero kits were frozen, meaning no more changes were allowed. Starting in 2018, all cars went back to using the same aero package to help save money.

A 2017 DW12 chassis with the Honda aero kit before the 2017 Indianapolis 500.

Universal Aero Kit (2018–Present)

Since 2018, all IndyCar cars use a new, universal body kit called the 'IR18'. This new design looks more streamlined, like the race cars from the 1990s and 2000s. It helps reduce costs for teams and makes the racing more even. The new kit also has fewer small parts that can break off, which means less debris on the track and fewer repair bills.

The IR18 chassis in its Road Course setup at the 2018 Kohler Grand Prix.

A big safety improvement, called the "aeroscreen," was added in 2020. This system combines a Halo (a protective bar above the driver's head) with a strong windscreen. It helps protect drivers from flying debris and serious head injuries.

How the Cars Shift Gears

IndyCar Series cars use a special 6-speed semi-automatic gearbox. Drivers change gears using paddles on the steering wheel. This system is called an "Assisted Gearchange System" (AGS). The clutch is only needed to start the car from a standstill. Once the car is moving, drivers don't need to use the clutch to shift gears.

Brakes for Stopping Power

IndyCar cars use carbon brake rotors and special brake calipers. From 1996 to 2011, thinner carbon brakes were used for oval races. Thicker steel brakes were added in 2005 for road and street courses, where cars need to slow down quickly for sharp turns. Since 2012, all tracks use carbon brake rotors for strong stopping power.

Wheels and Tires

The wheels on IndyCar cars are made of a strong, light aluminum alloy. They are supplied by companies like BBS and O.Z. Racing.

Firestone has been the official tire supplier for the series since 1996. They have been the only tire supplier since 2000. Firestone makes special tires for IndyCar races. For road and street courses, there are different tires for dry and wet conditions. For oval races, a single type of tire is used, but the right rear tire is slightly larger than the left rear. This difference, called "stagger," helps the car turn better at high speeds on ovals.

Cockpit and Driver Safety

IndyCar Series cars have carbon-fiber seats with 6-point safety belts to keep drivers secure. The steering wheels are designed by Cosworth and have many buttons. These buttons let drivers make changes to their cars during a race.

A Cosworth steering wheel in a race car.

The cockpits are still open, but they have strong protection around them, including a foot protection area and special padding. As mentioned before, the "aeroscreen" was added in 2020. This system protects the driver's head from flying objects, making the cars even safer.

An aeroscreen on a race car.

Fueling the Race Cars

From Methanol to Ethanol

When the Indy Racing League started, cars used methanol fuel. Methanol had been used in American open-wheel racing since 1964 because it was safer than gasoline. It was less likely to catch fire and could be put out with water. However, methanol flames are invisible. To make fires more visible during daylight races, special mixtures were added to the fuel.

In 2005, IndyCar started to switch to ethanol fuel. By 2007, the series was using "100% Fuel Grade Ethanol," which was actually 98% ethanol and 2% gasoline. This made IndyCar the first racing series to use a renewable fuel. The small amount of gasoline makes the alcohol unfit for drinking and adds a visible color if it catches fire.

Compared to methanol, ethanol is much safer for people to be around. Its fumes are less irritating and often smell sweet, like apple cider. Ethanol also doesn't cause chemical burns if it touches skin, and it's less polluting if spilled.

Since 2023, Shell USA has been supplying 100% ethanol-sourced fuel for the IndyCar Series.

Fuel Tank Capacity

The fuel tanks in IndyCar cars are made of rubber and covered with a strong Kevlar blanket for safety. Since 2012, the tanks hold about 18.5 US gallons (70 liters) of fuel.

Engines: The Power Behind the Speed

Early Engines (1996)

In the very first IndyCar season, cars used engines that were similar to those from the rival CART series. These engines were V-8s.

Second Generation Engines (1997–2011)

Starting in 1997, IndyCar cars used 4.0-liter V8 engines. These engines were designed for racing and ran on methanol fuel. They could produce about 600-700 horsepower.

A Honda Indy V8 engine in a car.

Companies like General Motors (under the Oldsmobile name) and Nissan (as Infiniti) made these engines. Infiniti's engines weren't as powerful as Oldsmobile's at first, but they improved over time. Chevrolet took over from Oldsmobile in 2002.

In 2003, Toyota and Honda joined the series. Honda quickly became the strongest engine maker. After 2005, Chevrolet and Toyota left the series. This meant Honda became the only engine supplier for IndyCar from 2006 to 2011. During this time, Honda focused on making engines reliable and affordable, rather than just powerful. These engines were very durable and rarely failed.

Third Generation Engines (2012–Present)

A new era for IndyCar engines began in 2012. This brought back competition between engine manufacturers. The new engines are 2.2-liter twin-turbo V6 engines. They are very fuel-efficient and can produce between 550 and 750 horsepower, depending on how much boost is used. These engines are supplied by Chevrolet and Honda.

In 2012, Lotus Cars also provided an engine, but it wasn't competitive, and they left the series in 2013. A "push-to-pass" system was brought back in 2012. This system gives drivers a temporary boost of about 60 horsepower, which they can use to try and overtake other cars.

Starting in 2024, IndyCar plans to introduce hybrid systems to the cars. These systems will use a motor, inverter, and battery to recover energy from the car's braking. This will make the cars even more advanced!

Turbochargers for Extra Speed

Turbochargers were brought back to IndyCar in 2012. Since 2014, all cars use a twin-turbocharged setup. These turbos increase the engine's power. An American company called BorgWarner supplies the turbocharger kits for all IndyCar cars to help save costs.

Performance: How Fast Do They Go?

IndyCar Series cars are incredibly fast! On the Indianapolis Motor Speedway oval, they can reach top speeds of about 235–240 mph (378–386 km/h). On other large ovals, they go about 215–220 mph (346–354 km/h). On road courses, street courses, and smaller ovals, speeds are around 200–210 mph (322–338 km/h).

IndyCar Race Tracks

The Indy Racing League started as a series that only raced on oval tracks. Besides the famous Indy 500, races were held at tracks like Phoenix and Loudon. A new track was even built at Walt Disney World in Florida for the first IRL race in January 1996.

Over time, IndyCar started racing on ovals used by NASCAR. However, after some big accidents and low attendance, tracks like Charlotte, Atlanta, and Las Vegas were removed from the schedule. In 2001, IndyCar began racing on ovals that CART used, such as Homestead and Gateway. New 1.5-mile ovals like Kansas, Kentucky, and Chicagoland were also added.

A big change happened in 2005 when IndyCar started holding races on road courses and street circuits for the first time. A street race in St. Petersburg was added, along with races at Sonoma and Watkins Glen. When the Champ Car World Series ended in 2008, IndyCar took over some of their popular races, including the street races in Long Beach, Detroit, and Toronto.

In 2011, the series returned to Las Vegas Motor Speedway. However, a serious crash happened during the race, which sadly resulted in the death of driver Dan Wheldon. This event led to many changes. As a result, most oval races on 1.5-mile speedways were removed from the calendar, except for Texas Motor Speedway. More races were then held in cities like Houston, Baltimore, and São Paulo.

Since 2012, the IndyCar calendar has been a mix of about one-third oval races, one-third races on permanent road courses, and one-third races on temporary street courses in big cities. In 2019, IndyCar even raced on a current Formula 1 track for the first time, at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

The COVID-19 pandemic affected the 2020 season. The Indianapolis 500 was not held on its usual date for the first time since 1911. Some traditional street races were canceled, but to make up for it, some tracks held "double-header" races, meaning two races in one weekend.

IndyCar Teams

Many different teams compete in the IndyCar Series. Here are some of the main ones:

How Drivers Earn Points

IndyCar uses a point system to decide the champion. Drivers earn points based on where they finish in each race.

• The winner gets 50 points.
• The second-place driver gets 40 points.
• Third place gets 35 points.
• Fourth place gets 32 points.
• From fourth to tenth place, points decrease by two for each position.
• From eleventh to twenty-fifth place, points decrease by one for each position.
• Any driver who starts the race but finishes lower than twenty-fifth still gets five points.

Bonus points are also awarded:

• One point for the driver who gets the "pole position" (starts first) in qualifying for most races.
• One point for any driver who leads at least one lap in a race.
• Two extra points for the driver who leads the most laps in a race.

For the Indianapolis 500, special qualifying points are given to all 33 cars.

If two drivers end up with the same number of points at the end of the season, the champion is decided by who has the most first-place finishes. If it's still a tie, they look at who has the most second-place finishes, and so on.

IndyCar Champions Over the Years

The IndyCar Series has a rich history of champions. Since the merger in 2008, the championships from earlier series are also counted as part of one continuous history, going back to 1909.

Season	Drivers' Champion				Engine Manufacturers' Champion	Rookie of the Year	Most Popular Driver
	Driver	Team	Chassis	Engine
1996	Scott Sharp	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Lola	Ford-Cosworth	not awarded	not awarded	not awarded
	Buzz Calkins	Bradley Motorsports	Reynard	Ford-Cosworth
1996–97	Tony Stewart	Team Menard	Lola G-Force	Menard Oldsmobile	Oldsmobile	Jim Guthrie	Arie Luyendyk
1998	Kenny Bräck	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Dallara	Oldsmobile	Oldsmobile	Robby Unser	Arie Luyendyk
1999	Greg Ray	Team Menard	Dallara	Oldsmobile	Oldsmobile	Scott Harrington	Scott Goodyear
2000	Buddy Lazier	Hemelgarn Racing	Riley & Scott Dallara	Oldsmobile	Oldsmobile	Airton Daré	Al Unser Jr.
2001	Sam Hornish Jr.	Panther Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	Oldsmobile	Felipe Giaffone	Sarah Fisher
2002	Sam Hornish Jr.	Panther Racing	Dallara	Chevrolet	Chevrolet	Laurent Rédon	Sarah Fisher
2003	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing	G-Force	Toyota	Toyota	Dan Wheldon	Sarah Fisher
2004	Tony Kanaan	Andretti Green Racing	Dallara	Honda	Honda	Kosuke Matsuura	Sam Hornish Jr.
2005	Dan Wheldon	Andretti Green Racing	Dallara	Honda	Honda	Danica Patrick	Danica Patrick
2006	Sam Hornish Jr.	Penske Racing	Dallara	Honda	not awarded	Marco Andretti	Danica Patrick
2007	Dario Franchitti	Andretti Green Racing	Dallara			Ryan Hunter-Reay	Danica Patrick
2008	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing	Dallara			Hideki Mutoh	Danica Patrick
2009	Dario Franchitti	Chip Ganassi Racing	Dallara			Raphael Matos	Danica Patrick
2010	Dario Franchitti	Chip Ganassi Racing				Alex Lloyd	Danica Patrick
2011	Dario Franchitti	Chip Ganassi Racing				James Hinchcliffe	Dan Wheldon
2012	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Andretti Autosport	Dallara	Chevrolet	Chevrolet	Simon Pagenaud	James Hinchcliffe
2013	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing		Honda	Chevrolet	Tristan Vautier	Tony Kanaan
2014	Will Power	Team Penske		Chevrolet	Chevrolet	Carlos Muñoz	Juan Pablo Montoya
2015	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing	Dallara	Chevrolet	Chevrolet	Gabby Chaves	Justin Wilson
2016	Simon Pagenaud	Team Penske		Chevrolet	Chevrolet	Alexander Rossi	Bryan Clauson
2017	Josef Newgarden	Team Penske		Chevrolet	Chevrolet	Ed Jones	Conor Daly
2018	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing	Dallara	Honda	Honda	Robert Wickens	James Hinchcliffe
2019	Josef Newgarden	Team Penske		Chevrolet	Honda	Felix Rosenqvist	not awarded
2020	Scott Dixon	Chip Ganassi Racing		Honda	Honda	Rinus VeeKay	Alexander Rossi
2021	Álex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing		Honda	Honda	Scott McLaughlin	Romain Grosjean
2022	Will Power	Team Penske		Chevrolet	Chevrolet	Christian Lundgaard	not awarded
2023	Álex Palou	Chip Ganassi Racing		Honda	Chevrolet	Marcus Armstrong	not awarded

1. In 1996, Scott Sharp and Buzz Calkins were co-champions because of a tie.
2. Scott Dixon was not considered a rookie in 2003 because he had raced in CART before.
3. In 2006, Sam Hornish Jr. won the championship over Dan Wheldon because he had more wins, even though they had the same points.
4. From 2006 to 2011, Honda was the only engine maker, so no engine manufacturers' championships were given.
5. In 2015, Scott Dixon won the title over Juan Pablo Montoya because Dixon had more wins (3 to 2).

Special Trophies for Different Race Types

Since 2010, IndyCar has given out two extra trophies for different types of racing:

• The A. J. Foyt Oval Trophy for the best driver on oval tracks.
• The Mario Andretti Road Course Trophy for the best driver on road and street courses.

These trophies encourage drivers to specialize in different types of tracks. A team could even have two drivers for one car: one for ovals and one for road courses.

Season	A. J. Foyt Oval Trophy	Mario Andretti Road Course Trophy
2010	Dario Franchitti	Will Power
2011	Scott Dixon	Will Power
2012	Ryan Hunter-Reay	Will Power
Season	A. J. Foyt Former Oval Trophy	Mario Andretti Former Road Course Trophy
2013	Hélio Castroneves	Scott Dixon
2014	Juan Pablo Montoya	Will Power
2015	Juan Pablo Montoya	Will Power
2016	Josef Newgarden	Simon Pagenaud
2017	Hélio Castroneves	Josef Newgarden
2018	Will Power	Scott Dixon
2019	Simon Pagenaud	Scott Dixon
2020	Scott Dixon	Josef Newgarden
2021	Pato O'Ward	Álex Palou
2022	Pato O'Ward	Will Power
2023	Josef Newgarden	Álex Palou

IndyCar Statistics

Most Championships by Driver

Scott Dixon has won the most IndyCar championships, with six titles!

Driver	Total	Seasons
Dixon, ScottScott Dixon	6	2003, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2018, 2020
Franchitti, DarioDario Franchitti	4	2007, 2009, 2010, 2011
Hornish Jr., SamSam Hornish Jr.	3	2001, 2002, 2006
Newgarden, JosefJosef Newgarden	2	2017, 2019
Power, WillWill Power		2014, 2022
Palou, ÁlexÁlex Palou		2021, 2023
Sharp, ScottScott Sharp	1	1996
Calkins, BuzzBuzz Calkins		1996
Stewart, TonyTony Stewart		1997
Bräck, KennyKenny Bräck		1998
Ray, GregGreg Ray		1999
Lazier, BuddyBuddy Lazier		2000
Kanaan, TonyTony Kanaan		2004
Wheldon, DanDan Wheldon		2005
Hunter-Reay, RyanRyan Hunter-Reay		2012
Pagenaud, SimonSimon Pagenaud		2016

Most Championships by Team

Chip Ganassi Racing has won the most team championships in IndyCar.

Most Championships by Engine Manufacturer

Honda has won the most championships as an engine manufacturer.

Where to Watch IndyCar Races

In the United States, IndyCar races are shown on NBC Sports channels. This includes NBC and USA Network. The Indianapolis 500 is also shown on NBC. You can also stream races online through services like Peacock.

In the United Kingdom, races are shown on Sky Sports F1. In Canada, TSN broadcasts IndyCar. In Australia, Stan Sport shows the races. Many other countries also have their own broadcast partners.

Images for kids

• 

  IndyCar Series logo from 2008.

• 

  IndyCar Series logo from 2016–2018.

• 

  IndyCar Series logo from 2019–present.

• 

  Max Chilton at the 2018 Grand Prix of Portland.

• 

  Takuma Sato at the 2019 Indianapolis 500.

• 

  Hélio Castroneves at the 2021 Indianapolis 500.

See also

In Spanish: IndyCar Series para niños

• IndyCar Series drivers
• List of Indycar races
• List of IndyCar Series teams
• List of IndyCar Series racetracks
• Indianapolis 500
• American open-wheel car racing