At the conclusion of the season,Danica Patrick was voted Most Popular Driver for the third consecutive year.[1]
All races were televised on theESPN family of networks. In addition, all races were broadcast live on theIMS Radio Network, andXM IndyCar Channel 145 and simulcast onXM Sports Nation.
2007 was also the first season that all IndyCar Series entrants utilizedDallara spec-chassis throughout the season, althoughPanoz chassis were still used by part-time, underfunded entrants for theIndianapolis 500 only, but without factory support from the manufacturer.
All cars utilized a 100% fuel blend ofethanol. In the2006 season, cars utilized a 90%–10% blend ofmethanol and ethanol. From 1965 to 2005, Indy cars inUSAC,CART, and IRL used a 100% methanol blend.
All cars re-utilized 3.5-liter displacement engines. From 2004 to 2006, the IndyCar Series used 3.0-liter engines, from 2000 to 2003, 3.5-liter engines, and from 1997 to 1999, 4.0-liter engines. The increase in displacement was to counter the expected horsepower loss resulting from the switch to a 100% ethanol fuel blend.
Fuel cells in the cars were reduced from 30 gallons to 22 gallons to offset the improved mileage experienced by ethanol.[2]
All cars carried a rear-mounted safety light (similar toFormula One and other single-seater formula racing championships), to be controlled by race officials.
On short ovals and road courses, front wings may have been set at any angle between negative 5 and positive 5 degrees.
Race day morning warm-up practice sessions were eliminated. As a result, pre-qualifying practice sessions were extended by 15 minutes.
If qualifications were canceled for an event, the starting lineup was based on entrant points. In previous seasons, top practice speeds had been used.
Series officials had the discretion to determine the rookie status of any driver, regardless of the number of races started in previous seasons.[3]
IndyCar Series teams that participated in theIndy Pro Series earned bonus testing days for the 2007 calendar year. The bonus testing days were awarded following participation in designated 2007 IPS events, and were shared by the team's IndyCar Series driver and IPS driver. They could have been conducted at any IndyCar Series venue except Indianapolis or Mid-Ohio.
The full schedule was ratified on October 13, 2006. Instead of a single schedule announcement, the venues for the 2007 season were announced separately between August and October 2006. Before that, the only race beyond the Indianapolis 500 that had been confirmed was the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on April 1, 2006.[6]
August 10, 2006 –Milwaukee (June 3). The race moved from July to the weekend following the Indy 500.[8]
August 17, 2006 –Texas (June 9) andKentucky (August 11). Kentucky switched to a night race.[9] On December 8, 2006, the IRL announced that the Texas race would be lengthened to 550 kilometers (228 laps/342 miles).[10]
September 19, 2006 –Kansas (April 29) andWatkins Glen (July 8). Kansas became the final race before the Indy 500. The change was made to avoid hot and humid July temperatures.[12]
October 13, 2006 –Michigan (August 5). The race was to be moved forward from the last weekend in July, which was the new date for NASCAR'sAllstate 400 at the Brickyard. After a first tentative date of July 22, the IRL and Michigan scheduled the event in August to accommodate new venues.[20] The announcement finalized the 2007 IndyCar schedule.[21][22]
On December 14, 2006, it was announced that Marquis Sports Marketing, aDallas-based company, was in coordination to add another race to the 2007 schedule. A non-points, exhibition race in the streets ofBiloxi, Mississippi was in the planning stages for September or October 2007 as an effort to revitalize thehurricane-ravagedGulf Coast. The race would be the first step in what were plans to build an oval track in the area by 2009.[23] However, none of these efforts eventually came to fruition.
Daytona (September 26–27, 2006) – A highly anticipated compatibility test took place at Daytona International Speedway, utilizing a 10-turn, 2.73-mile (4.39 km) combined road course layout. Drivers participating includedVítor Meira,Sam Hornish Jr.,Scott Dixon,Dan Wheldon andTony Kanaan. No major incidents were reported.[24]
Indianapolis (October 2–3, 2006) – A two-day Firestone tire test took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Four drivers took part in the test, focusing on new 3.5 liter Honda engines utilizing a 100% ethanol fuel mixture.Tony Kanaan,Jeff Simmons,Dan Wheldon,Hélio Castroneves participated. The top speed reported was 224.3 mph (361.0 km/h) by Kanaan. Jeff Simmons crashed exiting turn two on the backstretch. He was uninjured.[25]
Daytona (January 31 – February 1, 2007) – Seventeen cars tested nearly 1,700 laps around the combined road course.Hélio Castroneves completed the fastest lap at 1:12.3538.[27]
Homestead (February 21–22, 2007) – A full open test was held under the lights. Nineteen car and driver combinations participated. On the first day of testing,Dan Wheldon turned the fastest lap, at 214.858 mph (345.780 km/h). Wheldon, however, later crashed his car. TheIndy Pro Series also tested at the track during daylight hours.[28]
Mid-Ohio (June 13, 2007) – A one-day open test featured eighteen car and driver combinations.Dario Franchitti drove the fastest lap (1:07.6667) on the 2.258-mile (3.634 km) circuit.[29]
Iowa (June 22, 2007) – Half-day open test.Scott Dixon was fastest at 182.857 mph (294.280 km/h).[30]
Detroit (July 24, 2007) – Helio Castroneves conducted a brief compatibility test on roads that comprise the circuit.[31]
Pole position winner:Dan Wheldon- 24.9438 seconds, 214.322 mph (344.918 km/h)
Race Summary: The start of the race was delayed about 30 minutes due to a short shower and was interrupted by a brief mist on lap 67. Even with the weather conditions the race was able to take place and complete all 200 laps. The race was dominated by driverDan Wheldon who led 179 laps and won despite a mistake in the pits, which led to a pit stop over 22 seconds. Wheldon restarted 9th after the miscue, but retook the lead within 11 laps, and never looked back. Wheldon won for the third year in a row atHomestead and allowed only four other cars to finish on the lead lap. This marked the first race by a major racing series to use renewable fuel, as a 100%ethanol blend was used by all cars.
Pole position winner:Hélio Castroneves- 1:01.6839, 105.052 mph (169.065 km/h)
Race Summary: Pole winnerHélio Castroneves led 95 of the 100 laps, holding offScott Dixon for the win by 0.6007 seconds, the closest finish on a road circuit in IRL history. On the first lap, five cars were involved in a spin, includingTony Kanaan. In practice, Kanaan had crashed his qualified car, but the team made repairs so he could start in the 6th position rather than using a backup. The spin dropped him to the rear of the field. After a series of pit stops under yellow,Dan Wheldon took the lead. On a lap 35 restart, Castroneves bumped Wheldon from behind, and slipped by to take the lead for good. In the best run by aFoyt team in a few season,Darren Manning ran as high as third until a late spin dropped him to 13th. After the first lap spin, Tony Kanaan recovered to finish third.
Pole Position winner:Hélio Castroneves 26.6416 seconds, 205.393 mph (330.548 km/h)
Race Summary: For the second time in two oval races this season,Dan Wheldon dominated much of the race. However, unlike at Homestead, he would not be victorious, and even lost use of his two-way radio. With about 15 laps to go, the final sequence of pit stops for fuel began, and threatened to shuffle the field. Tony Kanaan's AGR team used a late-pit strategy, which saw him take on less fuel and a shorter stop. With four laps to go, Kanaan took the lead and held off Wheldon to claim his first victory of the season. With Kanaan's win, the first three races of the season have produced three different winners representing three different teams. During practice, bothKosuke Matsuura andDanica Patrick turned in some of their best on-track performances thus far this season. Neither were factors during the race however, and Matsuura, in fact, crashed out on the first lap in front of his home country.
AAMCO Pole Award:Tony Kanaan 25.5476 sec, 214.188 mph (344.702 km/h)
Race Summary: Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon dueled until the first pit stop when Kanaan and his teammate Danica Patrick made contact during the stop and Kanaan lost several laps due to repairs. The only other car that could run with Wheldon for the remainder of the race was teammate Scott Dixon until Dixon was brought in for a penalty for entering the pits improperly. Wheldon dominated the remainder of the race which finished under caution after a solo crash by Scott Sharp with 2 laps to go. This race made history as it was the first major open-wheel race to feature three female drivers: Patrick,Sarah Fisher, and rookieMilka Duno. It also registered the highest average speed of any race at Kansas Speedway.
Race Summary: Rain fell overnight, and in the morning, but the race started on-time as scheduled. In the early segments of the race, the competition was intense asHélio Castroneves,Tony Kanaan,Marco Andretti, andScott Dixon all took their turn at the lead. After a caution period, with rain only a few miles away, a restart on lap 107 could have decided the winner. As the green came out,Tony Kanaan got the jump on Marco Andretti, and took the lead in turn 1. Moments later,Phil Giebler crashed, bringing the yellow out once again. Before safety crews could clear the track, heavy rain fell, and the race was red flagged after lap 113. After nearly three hours, the race resumed, with Kanaan leading. On the 156th lap, the field went back to green afterMarty Roth's crash, however, in turn four, Tony Kanaan came up on the back of Jacques Lazier, sending Lazier into the wall, and sending Kanaan's car into a spin. He blew a tire and coasted into the pits. Moments later, the field assembled for what was expected to be the final restart before the rains came. Franchitti, working lap 163, held the lead into the backstretch. Behind him, Marco Andretti tangled withDan Wheldon, and Andretti's car flipped down the backstretch. Before the track could be cleared, a heavy rainstorm fell on the track, and the race was called after 166 laps withDario Franchitti declared the winner.
Race Summary: PolesitterHélio Castroneves appeared to have the race in hand until his rear wing support snapped coming out of turn 4 on lap 201. His car spun across the front stretch and into the inside retaining wall. Shortly after the restartPenske Racing teammateSam Hornish Jr.'s rear wing bent in a similar place, although mildly enough to allow him to finish the race, but he was forced to relinquish second place. These two somewhat bizarre part failures allowedAGR teammatesTony Kanaan andDario Franchitti to cruise to a 1–2 finish. On lap 89,Danica Patrick andDan Wheldon touched wheels, sending Patrick spinning. Both recovered to finish in the top ten, however, the incident led to a post-race confrontation where Patrick grabbed and pushed Wheldon, starting a feud between the two. Neither driver received any penalty.[1]
AAMCO Pole Award:Scott Sharp 24.3334 sec 215.260 mph (346.427 km/h)
Race Summary:Sam Hornish Jr. had built up a sizeable lead by lap 196 whenA. J. Foyt IV lost his right rear wheel, causingSarah Fisher to check up and several contenders includingHélio Castroneves,Dan Wheldon, andScott Dixon to be collected in the resulting melee. After the restart, Andretti Green teammatesTony Kanaan andDanica Patrick attempted to mount an attack on Hornish but he was able to hold them off to collect his first win of the season. Danica Patrick's resulting 3rd place was the best finish of her career.
Race Summary: The first IndyCar Series race at theIowa Speedway was one of attrition with several experienced drivers involved in incidents. First,Dan Wheldon spun, collectingTomas Scheckter, although Wheldon was later able to return to the track over 100 laps down. Next,Tony Kanaan spun, collectingJeff Simmons. The largest incident of the day come on a restart withEd Carpenter,Danica Patrick,A. J. Foyt IV andDario Franchitti running four-wide down the front straight. Carpenter, Foyt, and Patrick made contact entering turn one andKosuke Matsuura spun into the wall trying to miss them. The final 100 laps were more orderly with fewer cars on the track and Franchitti was able to hold off teammateMarco Andretti for his second victory of the season.
Race Summary: Qualifying was rained out and the field was set by entrant points. As a result, points leaderDario Franchitti started the race from the pole. Franchitti dominated the race, leading all but 9 laps on his way to his third win of the season, and eighth consecutive top-5 finish. He opened up a 65-point lead in the championship ahead ofScott Dixon. The race was under yellow as soon as it went green whenSam Hornish Jr. spun his Penske car on the inside of Turn 4. When the green flag flew on lap 4, Franchitti opened up a lead, before another caution period on lap 61 for debris. Lap 64 saw the leaders make pit stops, and it wasTony Kanaan who made the pit exit first. He led until lap 72, when Franchitti took advantage of a sluggish restart from his AGR teammate to retake the lead. He led the next 88 laps until a single car crash involvingJeff Simmons.Hélio Castroneves led for a solitary lap, before serving a drive-through penalty for illegal blending under the pace car. The pace car then picked up what driverJohnny Rutherford believed was a puncture while leading the field, and had to switch to one of the others. Ultimately an excess amount of rubber debris had built up on the car's tires. Franchitti led the rest of the way, despite another caution for contact between Hornish andKosuke Matsuura. Franchitti held on to win by 0.4194 seconds from the Ganassi pair of Dixon andDan Wheldon, with Kanaan coming home 4th.Buddy Rice continued on his recent success, rounding out the top five despite starting on the outside of the sixth row.
Race Summary: Castroneves led the first 19 laps, and on lap 20, under growing pressure fromScott Dixon, crashed in turn 11, bringing out the first yellow of the race. The green came out on lap 23, with Dixon leading. Lap 25 saw the second caution of the race, a spin byA. J. Foyt IV at Turn 8. As Dixon pitted,Vítor Meira grabbed the lead, which he would hold until lap 33. Meira's pit strategy was misjudged, and ran out of fuel, causing the 3rd full course caution.Dan Wheldon would lead lap 33, before pitting, allowingMarco Andretti to take the lead on lap 34. Andretti led until his final pitstop on lap 44, which would give Dixon the lead until the finish.Sam Hornish Jr. ended up 2nd, with theAndretti Green trio ofDario Franchitti, Andretti andTony Kanaan rounding out the top 5. Dixon also cut into Franchitti's massive points lead, reducing it from 65 to 47, after Dixon accumulated the maximum 53 points for the win, and most laps led (23) compared to the 35 that Franchitti earned for 3rd position. After the race, there was a bizarre incident in the pit lane. On the track, Hornish Jr. and Kanaan clashed on the track (sidepod to wheel), which caused damage to each racecar. Then, Kanaan faked a turn on the reigning champion, while coming into the pitlane on the slow-down lap. This made Hornish Jr. come towards Kanaan to discuss events on the track. Sam Hornish, the father of the Penske driver, then pushed Kanaan, making his frustration known. He was then tackled to the ground by someone standing nearby. Marco Andretti stepped in and stopped his fatherMichael from getting involved, andJaime Camara, theIPS driver forAGR, was also involved in breaking up the melée. In total, some 15 to 20 people were involved in the incident.
Race Summary: Castroneves' sixth pole of the season tiedBilly Boat's record for most poles in a season, set in 1998. On the first lap, Andretti Green teammatesDanica Patrick,Tony Kanaan, andMarco Andretti tangled, resulting in Andretti's car flipping over Kanaan's rear tire and landing upside-down. Andretti was uninjured. On the final fuel stop,Scott Dixon'sChip Ganassi Racing crew was able to short-fill and get him out ahead of rivals Castroneves andDario Franchitti. This was Dixon's third win in a row, tyingKenny Bräck (1998) andDan Wheldon (2005) for the longest win streak in league history.
Race Summary: The race start was delayed4+1⁄2 hours due to persistent rainy conditions. As a result, the US telecast was moved toESPN Classic. Once the race began, it became a war of attrition marked by two significant incidents. The first came whenHélio Castroneves andVítor Meira hooked wheels just past the start-finish line, slamming both cars hard into the outside wall. Castroneves was visibly upset with Meira after the incident and walked all the way to the infield care center, later complaining of knee pain and being diagnosed with only a bruised knee. On Lap 139, polesitterDario Franchitti and leaderDan Wheldon hooked wheels on the back-stretch, sending Franchitti sideways and later sailing upside down, landing on the cars ofScott Dixon andA. J. Foyt IV. Franchitti's car was the same one he had driven to victory in theIndy 500.[43] The incident collected seven cars and all drivers, including Franchitti, were uninjured. A lengthy caution followed with just seven cars remaining running and on the lead-lap.Andretti Green Racing was set to capture a 1–2–3 finish untilDanica Patrick suffered a punctured right-rear tire with 13 laps to go, forcing her to pit, leaving AGR driverTony Kanaan to hold off teammateMarco Andretti for his third win of the season. The carnage resulted in career-best finishes forKosuke Matsuura (4th),Ryan Hunter-Reay (6th), and Foyt (8th) despite his car not running at the finish. There was no race at Michigan on the2008 calendar, and as of 2025, this is the last time IndyCar has raced at the track.
AAMCO Pole Award:Tony Kanaan 24.4307 sec 218.086 mph (350.975 km/h)
Race Summary: Starting from the pole for the first time sinceKansas in April, theAGR car ofTony Kanaan led the opening 38 laps, right up to the first round of pitstops, under caution, after a crash on lap 36 involvingTeam Penske'sSam Hornish Jr. &Ganassi'sDan Wheldon.Dario Franchitti would leapfrog his AGR teammate on the pitstops, taking the lead on lap 39 for the restart on lap 44. Franchitti would lead until the second round of pitstops, under green flag conditions. Franchitti was the first to pit, on lap 91. This allowed Kanaan andScott Dixon into the lead and second positions respectively. Both drivers would pit the following lap for their second pitstops.A. J. Foyt IV took the lead, and he would two laps, before pitting on lap 94. On the pitstops, Kanaan and Dixon had passed Franchitti, allowing them to be first and second, when everyone had made their pitstops. The race continued under green, until lap 126, when a caution was flown for debris in turn 3. Yellow-flag pitstops would occur, and a fast pitstop from the #9 crew allowed them, to lead for the restart on lap 132. Kanaan would pass Dixon the very next lap, and would hold the lead until the final round of pitstops. As Kanaan, Dixon and most of the other frontrunners pitted on lap 179, Foyt returned to the lead. As Foyt pitted on lap 181, the final yellow was flown, after an incident which began on pitlane. The AGR cars of Franchitti andDanica Patrick collided on pit entry, causing damage to Franchitti's right front wing endplate. He would need the nosecone replaced, but would not lose a lap. Meanwhile, while Patrick was exiting pit road, she got on the gas too early, causing her to spin and bringing out a caution. She would be bump-started by theDelphi safety crew. On the next lap, while driving her #7 car back to pit lane, her right rear tire blew in turn 2, making her spin again, this time hitting the wall and narrowly sliding past the safety truck. Foyt would lead the field to the restart on lap 190, but Kanaan was not to be denied, taking the lead for good on lap 191. Leading 131 of the 200 laps, the Brazilian won his 4th race of this season, and moved back into the championship running. Dixon finished 2nd, to further close on Franchitti's championship lead. The Scotsman, suffered his second backflip in a row, after hitting the #55 car ofKosuke Matsuura. He put all the blame on himself, saying that he thought the race was not over. He was the last of the cars on the lead lap, finishing in 8th, giving up 16 of his 24-point championship lead. Foyt finished a career-high 3rd, just holding off the final AGR car ofMarco Andretti and hisVision Racing teammateTomas Scheckter.
Race Summary: Points leaderDario Franchitti took the lead at the start, and held it for 58 of the first 63 laps. On the 69th lap, Franchitti'sAGR teammateMarco Andretti was exiting the pits, and entered the track directly in front of Franchitti. In turn two, the two cars made contact, and Andretti was spun out into the barrier. Franchitti suffered a badly damaged front wing, but stayed out on the track. The race went back to green with eight laps to go, withScott Dixon andHélio Castroneves in close pursuit. Both Dixon and Castroneves were able to pass Franchitti's ill-handling machine, and went on to finish 1st–2nd.Tony Kanaan, however, stayed behind Franchitti and refused to pass him, and helped his teammate by preventing anyone from passing either, which protected Franchitti's third-place finish. With the victory,Scott Dixon took over the championship points lead. Franchitti's contact withMarco Andretti, son of team co-ownerMichael Andretti, sparked an in-house feud as the elder Andretti considered Franchitti's actions "impatient."
Race Summary: After a six-year absence, open wheel racing returned to the Belle Isle circuit. Minor track modifications intended to increase passing opportunities, however, saw lead changes only during pit stops, and several crashes. On the 31st lap,Sam Hornish Jr. tangled with lap carSarah Fisher, which took both cars out, along withVítor Meira.Darren Manning hit the back ofDanica Patrick's car, causing her to spin, but both continued. Later in the race,Hélio Castroneves crashed out withTomas Scheckter as the two were battling for position.Danica Patrick then climbed to the lead for nine laps by pitting out of sequence. After the final series of pit stops, a four-car battle at the front ensued, and held significant season championship implications. With time running out,Tony Kanaan was leading, and second placeBuddy Rice ran out of fuel. Third placeScott Dixon, the championship points leader going into the race, took evasive action to get by Rice, which crashed out both cars. The pileup collected points contenderDario Franchitti as well.Danica Patrick slipped by the crash and took a career-best second place, while Kanaan went on to win. Franchitti managed to continue and limped to a sixth-place finish. Tempers flared asAGR co-ownerMichael Andretti was quick to accuse Dixon of intentionally taking out Franchitti by letting off the brakes and rolling into the path of Franchitti. The incident tightened the championship chase, and moved Franchitti into the points lead by only three points with one race remaining.
Race Summary: The final race of the season sawDario Franchitti enter with a three-point lead overScott Dixon in the championship chase.Tony Kanaan held third, the only other driver mathematically eligible for the title.Penske teammatesSam Hornish Jr. andHélio Castroneves dominated most of the race, leading a combined 146 laps.Tony Kanaan saw his championship hopes go away early in the race when a flat tire forced an unscheduled pit stop. He would eventually finish 6th in the race. Single-car crashes byMarco Andretti and laterVítor Meira were the only significant on track incidents of the day. Meira's crash on lap 136 caused damage to theSAFER barrier, and a long 15-lap caution ensued as track workers repaired the barrier. It set up a dramatic fuel strategy, as both Franchitti and Dixon decided to pit to top off their tanks, and thus gamble on stretching their fuel to the end of the race. With the laps winding down, most of the leaders ducked into the pits for a quick fuel stops. That left Dixon leading, Franchitti second, andDanica Patrick third. Patrick headed for the pits on lap 195, but spun at the entrance, bringing out the caution. Both Dixon and Franchitti attempted to conserve fuel under the yellow, and prepared for a two-lap sprint to decide the race winner, and ultimately the season championship. The green came out with two laps to go, and the two battled side by side. On the final lap, entering turn three, Dixon ran out of fuel. Franchitti slipped by to take the lead, win the race, and clinch the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship title. With Franchitti reportedly heading toNASCAR, along with possiblySam Hornish Jr., it marked what could be the final IndyCar Series race for the2006 and 2007Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar Series champions respectively.
Any driver who qualifies but does not start (DNS), earns half the points had they taken part.
RY Rookie of the Year
R Rookie
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.
Dario Franchitti
Ryan Hunter-Reay
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Scott Dixon
Vítor Meira
Tomas Scheckter
Ryan Briscoe
Kosuke Matsuura
