The1996PPG/FirestoneIndy Lights Championship Powered ByBuick consisted of 12 races. CanadianDavid Empringham captured three wins on his way to the championship.[1]
This was the last season where all teams used the Lola T93/20-Buick spec car, which was replaced in the 1997 season by the Lola T97/20-Buick spec car.
The scoring system was 20-16-14-12-10-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 points awarded to the first 12 (twelve) finishers, with 1 (one) extra point given to the driver who took pole-position, and another extra point given to the driver who led most laps in the race.
| 1996Indy Lights season | |
|---|---|
| PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship | |
| Season | |
| Races | 12 |
| Start date | March 3 |
| End date | September 8 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |  David Empringham |
The following drivers and teams competed in the series:
| Rd. | Date | Track | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 3 | O Homestead-Miami Speedway | Homestead, Florida |
| 2 | April 14 | R Long Beach Street Circuit | Long Beach, California |
| 3 | April 28 | O Nazareth Speedway | Nazareth, Pennsylvania |
| 4 | May 25 | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| 5 | June 2 | O Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin |
| 6 | June 9 | R The Raceway at Belle Isle Park | Detroit,Michigan |
| 7 | June 23 | R Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon |
| 8 | June 30 | R Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 9 | July 14 | R Exhibition Place | Toronto, Ontario |
| 10 | August 4 | R Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières,Quebec |
| 11 | September 1 | R Streets of Vancouver | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 12 | September 8 | R Laguna Seca Raceway | Monterey, California |
Held March 3 atHomestead-Miami Speedway.David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held April 14 atLong Beach, California Street Course.Gualter Salles won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held April 28 atNazareth Speedway.Claude Bourbonnais won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held May 25 atMichigan International Speedway.David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held June 2 at TheMilwaukee Mile.Mark Hotchkis won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held June 9 atBelle Isle Raceway.David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held June 23 atPortland International Raceway.Tony Kanaan won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held June 30 atBurke Lakefront Airport.Mark Hotchkis won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held July 14 atExhibition Place.Jeff Ward won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held August 4 at theTrois-Rivières, Quebec Street Circuit.Hélio Castro-Neves won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held September 1 atPacific Place.Jeff Ward won the pole.
Top Five Results
Held September 8 atMazda Raceway Laguna Seca.Tony Kanaan won the pole.
Top Five Results
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Points | 20 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
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