The2003 IRL IndyCar Series brought some of the biggest changes in its history. The league adopted the nameIndyCar Series, after a settlement withCART prohibiting its use had expired. Several formerCART teams brought their full operations to the IRL, most notably major squadsChip Ganassi Racing andAndretti Green Racing, as well as former CART engine manufacturersToyota andHonda, replacingInfiniti who shifted its efforts to the new feeder seriesInfiniti Pro Series. Many of the IRL's old guard includingRobbie Buhl,Greg Ray, andBuddy Lazier had difficulty competing in this new manufacturer-driven landscape. The league also added its first international race this year, taking over the CART date atTwin Ring Motegi.
The season's most successful entrants were Ganassi andTeam Penske that had made the switch already the year before. New ZealanderScott Dixon won the opening race of the season atHomestead and ran very consistently all year long to win his first title at the age of 23.Gil de Ferran won Penske's third consecutiveIndianapolis 500 in May and finished second to Dixon in the title race. The finale however was marred by a severe incident that nearly killed former series' champion and Indy 500 winnerKenny Bräck. De Ferran won the race with Dixon in second being well enough to seal the title. Bräck would eventually recover; however,Tony Renna, a Ganassi development driver, lost his life in a test crash atIndianapolis after the season had officially ended.
2003 was also the first and only engine title for Toyota and also the first Asian and Japanese car manufacturer to win anIndyCar SeriesIRL-era engine manufacturer's title and thus ending a seven-year American engine manufacturer's supremacy. As of 2024, 2003 was also the last chassis manufacturer title victory forG-Force Technologies to date.
Hélio Castroneves came up just short of the three-peat in the 500. He got hung up in lap traffic which enabledGil de Ferran to get by and lead the final 30 laps for his only 500 triumph.
This race was the fastest circuit race ever in motorsport history, with an average speed of 207.151 mph (333.306 km/h) over 400 miles (643.6 km).[4] This also makes it the de facto fastest ever 400 mile motor race beating the NASCAR record set during the 1999Kmart 400.
The race was also notable for a frightening, but non-fatal, accident involvingTomas Scheckter and1999 Indianapolis 500championKenny Bräck. Scheckter was uninjured, but theSwede was launched into the air after wheel-to-wheel contact on the backstretch and violently clobbered the catch fencing.Debris was scattered across the track, and the already long period of yellow flag laps prompted IRL race control to end the race at lap 195 of 200. Because the race reached 1 lap past the halfway point the race was considered official.Gil de Ferran, Bräck's former title rival inCART, won in his finalIndyCar race, joiningRay Harroun andSam Hanks (both of whom retired immediately after winning an Indianapolis 500) as drivers who retired from U.S. open wheel competition in the winner's circle.
Any driver who qualifies but does not start (DNS), earns all 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.
Scott Dixon
Toyota
Dan Wheldon
Gil de Ferran
