Mario Domínguez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mario Domínguez
Mario Domínguez at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008
Nationality	Mexican
Born	(1975-12-01) December 1, 1975 (age 49) Mexico City
IRL IndyCar Series career
Debut season	2008
Racing licence	FIA Silver
Starts	7
Wins	0
Poles	0
Best finish	27th in 2008

Mario Domínguez (born December 1, 1975, in Mexico City) is a Mexican racing driver. He has competed in major racing series like CART, CCWS Champ Car, and the IndyCar Series.

Mario Domínguez: A Racing Star

Starting Out in Racing

Mario Domínguez began his racing journey in 1987. He started by driving go-karts, which are small, open-wheel vehicles. He was very good at it, winning three go-karting championships. He even represented Mexico in the World Karting Championships in Spain, Italy, and France.

After his success in go-karts, Mario moved on to different racing series in Mexico. He eventually won the Mexican Formula Three Championship in 1998. This win helped him move to the American Indy Lights series in 1999. He finished 8th in the championship in 2000 and 4th in 2001.

Racing in Champ Car

Mario Domínguez made his big debut in the CART/Champ Car series in 2002. This was a major step in his career. He was named "Rookie of the Year" in his first season. A rookie is a new player or competitor in a sport.

His first Champ Car victory came in 2002 at the Honda Indy 300. This race was shortened because of rain and the safety car. In 2003, he became even more competitive. He won the Grand Prix Americas race in Miami.

Best Season and Team Changes

Mario had his best season in 2004, finishing 5th in the overall standings. This success led him to join the Forsythe team in 2005. However, he didn't have as much success with Forsythe.

In 2006, after a few races where he had accidents with his teammate, Mario left Forsythe. He then joined Dale Coyne Racing. For the last three races of that season, he raced for the Rocketsports team with sponsorship from Pemex, a Mexican company.

Formula One Test

In 2005, Mario also had a special opportunity. He tested a Jordan Grand Prix Formula One racing car. This test happened at the Silverstone circuit in England. Formula One is considered the highest class of international racing.

Later Champ Car Races

In 2007, Mario raced for Forsythe again for a few races. He later filled in for injured drivers at other teams, like PKV Racing and Pacific Coast Motorsports. He also substituted for a suspended driver at Minardi Team USA.

Mario Domínguez practicing for the 2008 Indy 500.

Competing in the IndyCar Series

In 2008, Mario Domínguez announced he would join the IndyCar Series. This was after he finished third in the final Champ Car race at Long Beach. He tried to qualify for the 2008 Indianapolis 500, but he didn't make it into the race.

His first official start in the IndyCar Series was at the Milwaukee Mile. After a race in Texas, his team took a break to improve their cars. They returned to race on road courses for the rest of the season. Mario's best finish that year was 13th place at Watkins Glen. He finished 27th in the overall points standings.

FIA GT Racing

In 2009, Mario was offered a chance to race for the K Plus K Motorsport team in the FIA GT series. This was not his first time in sports car racing. He had previously raced for Risi Competizione in the American Le Mans Series in 2006.

Racing Career Summary

Here is a quick look at Mario Domínguez's career in open-wheel racing:

See also

In Spanish: Mario Domínguez para niños