Scott Dixon (left) won his second Drivers' Championship whileHélio Castroneves (right) finished second in the championship.
The2008 IndyCar Series was the 13th season of theIndyCar Series. It was the 97th recognized season of top-levelAmerican open wheel racing. It began on March 29, 2008, and ended on September 7 after 17 point-scoring races, plus a non-championship event on October 26.
The season was historically significant, as IndyCar became the single major open wheel racing series in the United States. After 12 years of direct competition, the managements ofIndy Racing League andChamp Car announced an agreement to become a single entity in February, which led to the cancellation of the2008 Champ Car World Series. A number of teams, drivers and race events joined the series, bolstering numbers and signalling a new era for open wheel racing in the United States after years of sporting and financial hardship.[1][2]
Scott Dixon, driving forChip Ganassi Racing, achieved his second championship and the first 'unified' title by winning six races, including his first victory at theIndianapolis 500, becoming the third driver in a row to complete the IndyCar–Indy 500 double in the same season.Hideki Mutoh, driving forAndretti Green Racing, won Rookie of the Year honors.
On January 23, 2008,Robin Miller reported thatTony George had offered toChamp Car management a proposal that included free cars and engine leases to Champ Car teams willing to run the entire 2008 IndyCar Series schedule in exchange for adding Champ Car's dates atLong Beach,Toronto,Edmonton,Mexico City, andAustralia to the IndyCar Series schedule, effectively unitingAmerican open wheel racing.[3] The offer was initially made in November 2007.[3] On February 10, 2008, Tony George, along with IRL representatives Terry Angstadt andBrian Barnhart, plus formerHonda executive Robert Clarke, traveled to Japan to discuss moving theIndy Japan 300 atTwin Ring Motegi.[4] Moving that race, or postponing it, would be required in order to accommodate theLong Beach Grand Prix, which was scheduled for the same weekend.[4] Optimism following the meeting was high.[5]
On February 19, 2008,Robin Miller reported onSPEED and Curt Cavin blogged onIndyStar.com that the managements ofIndy Racing League andChamp Car had come to an agreement to become one entity.[1][6] The move would effectively end a 12-year split and uniteAmerican Open Wheel racing. Meanwhile,Brian Barnhart announced thatTony George was negotiating the unification, and an inventory of available IndyCar chassis and equipment for the Champ Car teams was underway.[7] On February 22, Cavin initially reported that no deal had been reached between the IRL and CCWS in a lengthy dinner meeting between George and CCWS presidentKevin Kalkhoven the previous evening.[8] Later in the day, however, the unification agreement was finally announced by IndyCar, with final details being provided in a press conference on February 27.[9]
The new unified series was centered around IndyCar Series' existing schedule, car and engine/tires suppliers, signifying the end of the Champ Car World Series as a stand-alone series. It was also the end for thePanoz DP01 after just one year of service, and forCosworth as an engine supplier in Indy car racing. Under the offer of free cars and engines, plus technical assistance from existing IndyCar teams, six of the nine teams scheduled to compete in Champ Car were able to continue operations in the series. The unification agreement enjoyed massive support from both sides of the Split and other racing competitors,[10][11][12][13] though some criticism was levied over the late timing for Champ Car teams, the costly and forced obsolescence of thePanoz DP01, the loss of many staple Champ Car events and the perceived masquerading of a 'takeover' by IndyCar as a 'merger' deal.[14][15][16]
The field also lostScott Sharp, the 1996 co-champion of the Indy Racing League, who departed the series after 12 seasons to drive in theAmerican Le Mans Series after an acrimonious split withRahal Letterman Racing. Franchitti, Hornish and Sharp combined for five championships, 46 wins and 36 pole positions during their open-wheel careers.[19]
With the prospect of existing teams downsizing their full-time operations in an already thin field, IndyCar announced arevenue sharing plan entitled IndyCar TEAM (Team Enhancement and Allocation Matrix) for 2008.[20]
Teams would receive a minimum of US$1.2 million for each car competing in the full schedule.
Race purses were eliminated for all events except for theIndianapolis 500.
The top five finishers in each race were eligible for special cash bonuses.
The total purse for the2008 Indianapolis 500 increased with the winner receiving US$2.5 million, 33rd place paying no less than $270,000. Indy-only entries were eligible for the $270,000 minimum along with the full-season entries. The entire race purse totalled at least US$13.4 million, not including contingency awards.[21] In2007, race winnerDario Franchitti received $1,645,233, and last placeRoberto Moreno won $224,805.[22]
The season champion won $1 million, as they had in earlier seasons. Second through fifth in the season championship were eligible for cash bonuses.
During the off-season, IndyCar enlisted the services of Tony Cotman as Vice President of Competition, who had worked for Champ Car the previous three seasons as Vice President of Operations and race director.[23]
Semi-automatic paddle shifters became mandatory for full time series entrants, while remaining optional for Indianapolis 500-only entries.[28]
Cars were fitted with a "Zylon" synthetic-fiber intrusion barrier.[28]
Fuel mixture adjustment control was reinstated.[29]
For the oval track events, qualifying changed from a single-lap speed (over a two-lap attempt) to a four-lap speed, similar to the traditional method used at theIndianapolis 500 for most of its history.[29]
Due to the added cars brought by unification, the road and street course qualifying procedure was altered from a two-round format to a three-round 'knockout' qualifying format (similar toFormula One). Single-car qualifying was replaced by a pair of preliminary timed sessions, each composed of half of the field, where the six fastest drivers from each session would proceed to an additional timed session with 12 drivers. The six fastest drivers from that session would compete for the pole in the Firestone Fast Six.[30]
1 The former Champ Car teams that transitioned to the IndyCar Series competed at theGrand Prix of Long Beach (round 3) instead of theIndy Japan 300 at Motegi, contested under Champ Car rules with the cars, engines and tires from the series.
On November 8, 2007,Team Penske announced thatSam Hornish Jr. would move toPenske Racing to embark on a full-timeNASCAR Sprint Cup Series effort, effectively leaving the IndyCar Series after eight seasons.[93] On November 13, Penske announcedRyan Briscoe as the new driver of the No. 6 car, returning to a full-time IndyCar seat after two seasons of part-time drives. Briscoe switched from Penske'sLMP2 operation in theAmerican Le Mans Series, where he scored two overall wins, and his Indianapolis 500 effort withLuczo Dragon Racing for 2007 was run on leased Penske equipment.[81]
On November 26, 2007,Roth Racing formalized its plans to expand to a full-time, two-car team.[94] Team ownerMarty Roth would return at the wheel of the No. 25 car, while the new No. 24 would be driven by rookieJay Howard, who had competed in threeIndy Pro Series starts that year after winning the championship in 2006.[71]
On December 18, 2007,A. J. Foyt Racing announced it had executed its option for a one-year contract extension withDarren Manning to remain as the driver of the No. 14 car.[31]
On January 23, 2008,Scott Sharp formally announced he would leaveRahal Letterman Racing to race in theAmerican Le Mans Series withHighcroft Racing.[19] The announcement was made in the midst of a legal fight between Sharp and the Rahal team, with both sides accusing each other of contract breaches since December 2007.[95] RLR was denied a preliminary injunction to prevent Sharp from competing elsewhere, although the ruling admitted a breach of contract on Sharp's side.[96] The dispute ended in an out-of-court settlement on March 15.[97] Sharp was not replaced, as RLR downsized to a one-car entry due to a lack of sponsorship.
On February 25, 2008,Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced a deal withMilka Duno to compete at "selected events" in the No. 23 car, being designated for the season opener atHomestead. Duno had a similar schedule in her rookie season atSAMAX Motorsport and effectively replacedSarah Fisher in the team.[51] On March 6, the team announced Duno would have an 11-race program in a shared drive withTownsend Bell, who would compete at the remaining six races. Bell was also confirmed for theIndianapolis 500 in a third car, and would drive the No. 23 at the non-points event inSurfers Paradise.[50]
On February 27, 2008,Sarah Fisher announced she would take part in theIndianapolis 500 with her brand new team,Sarah Fisher Racing, and the possibility of competing in further events. Fisher's transition to driver-owner had been in the works since August 2007, before the end of her full-time drive withDreyer & Reinbold.[79]
On March 4, 2008,Rubicon Race Team announcedMax Papis as the driver of the one-off entry for theIndianapolis 500. This was Papis' third attempt to compete in the race, after taking part in 2002 and 2006.[78]
On March 18, 2008,Conquest Racing announcedEnrique Bernoldi as the driver of the No. 36 car, partneringFranck Perera. Bernoldi had previously been announced byRocketsports Racing for its Champ Car effort, but became a free agent after the team declined to join the unified series. Before the unification, Conquest had tested withSimon Pagenaud, who went on to compete in theAmerican Le Mans Series and would not return to IndyCar until 2011.[44]
On March 19, 2008,Dale Coyne Racing announcedBruno Junqueira and rookieMario Moraes as their drivers for the 2008 season, after both drivers tested with the team in the winter.[49] Junqueira remained in the No. 18 after registering the best ever season in Champ Car for a Coyne driver, while Moraes took the No. 19 formerly driven byKatherine Legge, who left the series in February to race forAudi in theDeutsche Tourenwagen Masters.[102] Moraes switched fromBritish Formula 3, where he finished 14th with a best result of fifth.
On March 24, 2008,HVM Racing announcedE. J. Viso as the driver of the No. 33 car, its lone full-time entry in IndyCar. Viso, who had taken part in pre-season Champ Car testing with the team under the formerMinardi Team USA branding, switched from a partial season in theGP2 Series, where he finished 6th in 2006.[53]
On March 25,Graham Rahal crashed during the last day of a two-day test atHomestead–Miami Speedway, just prior to the season opener.[103] Although Rahal was uninjured,Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing did not have a spare car, nor enough spare parts to repair the damaged chassis in time, and were forced to withdraw the No. 06 car a day before official practice.[62]
All nine teams that intended to participate in the 2008 Champ Car season, regardless of their transition status, competed in theGrand Prix of Long Beach, run as a special "Champ Car finale" round. Beyond the nine entries registered for the full IndyCar season, a 20-car field was assembled:
On April 1,KV Racing Technology announced it would field a third car for co-ownerJimmy Vasser, two years after his last start at the same track.[88]
On April 1,Forsythe/Pettit Racing announcedDavid Martínez as the first driver of a planned three-car entry, with Martínez having raced sporadically with Forsythe in 2006 and 2007.[87] On April 7, the team enteredPaul Tracy, who declared it would be his final race at Forsythe, andFranck Montagny, who had tested with the team during the winter.[86][104]
On April 10,HVM Racing announcedNelson Philippe andRoberto Moreno would complete their three-car team, with both cars running under the Minardi–HVM Racing branding. Philippe had driven for the team with great success in 2006, while Moreno had done so in 2003 during the Herdez Competition era.[89]
On April 11,Walker Racing announced it would enter one car, instead of the expected two, forAlex Tagliani, who had previously raced with the team in 2005 and 2006 under theTeam Australia banner.[91]
On April 15,Davey Hamilton announced he would race at the Indianapolis 500 with funding from Kingdom Racing, a501(c)(3) organization who was tasked with "selecting (a) race platform" for Hamilton.[107] On May 2, a deal was announced withVision Racing to run the No. 22 car as their third entry.[83]
On April 24,Conquest Racing announced thatFranck Perera was to be replaced with rookieJaime Camara with immediate effect from theKansas race onwards after the collapse ofOpes Prime, the main sponsor for Perera's effort. Camara stepped up after three seasons in theIndy Pro Series with three wins overall, having finished fifth in 2005 and sixth in both 2006 and 2007.[43]
On May 10, during Pole Day for theIndianapolis 500,Roth Racing assignedJohn Andretti to the No. 24 car in place ofJay Howard. The team justified the move for a more experienced driver on the loss of their chief engineer and the days of practice lost to rain.[73]
On May 12,A. J. Foyt Racing announcedJeff Simmons as the driver of the No. 41 car for theIndianapolis 500.[33] Previously, team directorLarry Foyt had been provisionally entered in the car, butA. J. Foyt manifested he had no intention of letting his son drive due to his responsibilities in the team.[108]
On May 30,Roth Racing announced thatJohn Andretti would remain at the wheel of the No. 24 car for theTexas andMilwaukee events, with a view on retaining him for the rest of the season.[74][110] On June 17, Andretti was entered again atIowa, and he remained in the car for the following round atRichmond.[75][76] On July 1, it was announced thatJay Howard would return to the No. 24 atWatkins Glen.[72] A lack of sponsorship forcedMarty Roth to withdraw its entry from the event, and the team eventually parked the No. 24 for the rest of the season, racing as a one-car operation.[77]
On May 31,Luczo Dragon Racing announced an expansion of the No. 12 car programme withTomas Scheckter to race at the upcomingTexas race and at theChicagoland finale.[58] On August 25, theDetroit race was added to Scheckter's schedule for a total of six races in 2008.[59]
On June 19,Pacific Coast Motorsports announced it would not compete atIowa in order to re-evaluate its cash-strapped program. The team went on to skip all oval events, concentrating on the road courses.[65] After theSonoma race on August 27, Pacific Coast announced it would be their final appearance of the season, also skipping theDetroit Grand Prix.[66]
On July 15,Vision Racing announced a deal withPaul Tracy to enter the No. 22 car atEdmonton, honoring a previous offer made by team ownerTony George.[84] The car was entered in association withWalker Racing, which would provide the crew and maintenance for the car.[111]
On August 30,Enrique Bernoldi withdrew from theDetroit Grand Prix after practice due to pain from a thumb injury sustained the week prior atSonoma. He was replaced atConquest Racing by veteran Champ Car driverAlex Tagliani, making his first start in the series.[45] Slow healing on Bernoldi's thumb meant that Tagliani was kept for theChicagoland finale, being also confirmed for theSurfers Paradise non-championship event due to his experience on the track.[46]
After the three-way team switch betweenDario Franchitti,Dan Wheldon andVítor Meira took place in September, all drivers were tasked with an early debut at the Surfers Paradise non-championship event. On September 19,Chip Ganassi Racing announced Franchitti would race the No. 10 in Australia,[40] giving an early release to Wheldon, who was announced in the same capacity byPanther Racing on September 23.[68] Two days later,A. J. Foyt Racing announced the signing of Meira and his early debut in Australia in place ofDarren Manning.[32]
Roth Racing was put on sale after the end of the season, and did not make the trip to Australia, afterMarty Roth was told by the series he would only be approved as a driver in selected events for 2009.[112][113]
Part-time teamsSAMAX Motorsport andRacing Professionals did not compete in the 2008 IndyCar season. Their equipment was sold back to the IndyCar Series, which used it as part of the 'pool of cars' and parts for Champ Car teams.
After the unification of open-wheel racing was announced on February 22, 2008, seven of the nine Champ Car teams made announcements in regards to their status in the unified series.
On February 20, 2008, before the unification was announced, team ownerPaul Gentilozzi stated thatRocketsports Racing would not join the IndyCar Series due to financial issues and a lack of oval racing interest from their announced driverEnrique Bernoldi.[115] No official statement was made in the following weeks, although officials from Rocketsports attended an orientation meeting for prospective new teams.[116] On April 8, it was announced thatRocketsports would not compete in the IndyCar Series following theGrand Prix of Long Beach.[90]
On February 22, 2008,Walker Racing announced it would be part of the unified series, in a statement that did not include theTeam Australia branding entered by Walker between 2005 and 2007.[117] A separate statement from Team Australia did not mention Walker Racing as well, as their "final make-up and structure" was to be determined, but did includeWill Power, who had not been yet confirmed for the 2008 season despite having a year left in his contract.[118]
On February 23, 2008,Pacific Coast Motorsports announced their intention to continue in the IndyCar Series through their team director Tyler Tadevic with a two-car entry, withAlex Figge as the lone confirmed driver at the time.[119] However, the team did not formalize their program in the coming weeks, later announcing its availability for any racing project in late March, and was missing from the first two races.[120][121]
On February 25, 2008,Conquest Racing announced it would continue its plans for a two-car entry in the unified series. Conquest had previously competed in the Indy Racing League in 2002 before entering CART the following year.[42] On March 12, the team signed a technical partnership with Forsythe Performance Research, a subsidiary of former rivalsForsythe Championship Racing.[122]
On February 27, 2008,Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing announced it would continue its plans for a two-car entry in the unified series. Newman/Haas had raced in the 2004 and 2005 editions of theIndianapolis 500 during the split.[61]
On February 27, 2008, during the official press conference on the unification, team ownerKevin Kalkhoven announced thatPKV Racing would compete in the IndyCar Series, with the team being renamed asKV Racing Technology due to the departure of Dan Pettit as co-owner.[123]
On February 28, 2008,Forsythe/Pettit Racing announced the cessation of their racing operations due to a lack of sponsorship. The team committed to participate in the Champ Car finale atLong Beach with a three-car entry through Forsythe Racing, their parent outfit in theAtlantic Championship, which would continue to operate.[124] Various media outlets pointed to team ownerJerry Forsythe's antipathy towardsTony George as the true reason behind the closure, as he had funded his own team out of pocket since 2004, as well as other teams in Champ Car as co-owner of the series.[125][100] Contracted driverPaul Tracy alleged that Forsythe's decision made him a free agent and implied a termination of his multi-year deal with the team,[126] which he would eventually sue in October for $2.3 million due to a breach of contract.[127]
Minardi Team USA andDale Coyne Racing made no statement regarding their status in the days following the unification, but their participation in the series was expected. Both teams were paired to existing IndyCar teams as part of the efforts to accommodate the new structures.[128]
On March 9, 2008,Walker Racing announced the withdrawal of their expected IndyCar program after theGrand Prix of Long Beach due to a lack of funding, asTeam Australia decided to transfer their partnership toKV Racing Technology.[129] On March 21, team ownerDerrick Walker announced he would take legal action against Team Australia's founderCraig Gore over "a serious default of his contractual commitments and fiduciary obligations", claiming Gore owed $1,5 million and had misled the team on their 2008 plans.[130][131] Gore responded with a lengthy statement denying Walker's accusations and criticizing him over "unacceptable budgets", "numerous (account) anomalies" and an attempt on a unilateral signing ofWill Power without their knowledge, among other issues.[132]
On March 12, 2008, team ownerKeith Wiggins announced thatMinardi Team USA would revert to his former identity asHVM Racing and compete in the IndyCar Series with one car instead of two. He also announced a three-car entry for the Long Beach race.[133] The announcement was made hours afterPaul Stoddart formally withdrew his ownership and theMinardi-branded backing due to the expected lack of competitiveness of Champ Car teams.[134]
On March 19, 2008,Dale Coyne Racing formally announced their participation in the 2008 season with a two-car programme.[49]
On April 11,Playa Del Racing appeared in the entry list for theIndianapolis 500, with no driver assigned.[135] On May 3, the team announced it had been bought by businessmen William T. Kelsey and Eric Zimmerman, the former owner of the defunct Zali Racing that competed in the Indy Racing League in 2001. As a result, the team was renamed asAmerican Dream Motorsports.[35] However, they were unable to secure an engine deal until May 15, severely limiting their running.[136] After the team failed to qualify for the Indy 500 due to a crash in practice, Zimmerman announced American Dream would enter the Texas event and other races withJaques Lazier, but the team never arrived.[137] Shortly after, Zimmerman was imprisoned due to a warrant arrest from the state ofNevada over a money scam on high school students, and theIndy Lights team was disbanded during the weekend of theMilwaukee event.[138][139]
On April 23,Pacific Coast Motorsports announced it would compete in IndyCar with a one-car program, starting at theIndianapolis 500.[64] The team was now owned by former director Tyler Tadevic, who mortgaged his house to raise the necessary finances.[101] In the hours following the unification agreement, former owner Tom Figge had initially decided to close Pacific Coast Motorsports, feeling betrayed byKevin Kalkhoven over the large expenditures made as a new team in 2007, and because of the disinterest from both him and his sonAlex Figge to compete in oval racing.[140]
The original 16-race schedule was released on September 19, 2007.[141] After the unification with Champ Car, the schedule was eventually expanded to 18 races, plus a non-championship event.
On July 17, 2007,Michigan International Speedway announced it would not host an IndyCar race in 2008, being the first time the track did not held an open-wheel race on its schedule since its inception in 1968. A lack of a workable date after the change for 2007 and low attendance were postulated as the reasons behind the race being discontinued.[143][144]
On August 16, 2007, the race atIowa Speedway was renewed for two years, with a contract through 2009.[145]
On September 2, 2007, IndyCar announced a one-year extension withDetroit to race in 2008, along withALMS.[147]
On September 16, 2007, IndyCar released the 2008 schedule. 16 of the 17 races on the 2007 calendar were featured, with the exception of the discontinued Michigan race. All events would be held in the same order, with some minor date changes.[141]
On February 27, 2008, theGrand Prix of Long Beach was added to the schedule as part of the unification agreement withChamp Car. The race was scheduled on the same weekend as theIndy Japan 300 at Motegi, and neither event could be rescheduled. Therefore, existing IndyCar teams competed in theIndy Japan 300, while the former Champ Car teams raced at Long Beach using their 2007Panoz DP01 chassis, with both races counted toward the 2008 title. It was also announced that discussions were proceeding to incorporate the Champ Car races atEdmonton andSurfers Paradise in the 2008 schedule.[148]
On March 5, 2008, officials from theGold Coast Indy 300 announced the signing of a six-year deal to host an IndyCar race through 2013.[149][150] However, the race would remain unconfirmed on IndyCar's calendar in the months that followed.
On April 14, 2008, IndyCar announced a deal to race at theEdmonton Indy, which was moved to July 26 as its original July 20 date was taken byMid-Ohio. The race was held in a Saturday to avoid clashing with theNASCARAllstate 400 at the Brickyard; the Indianapolis Motor Speedway had an agreement not to hold IndyCar races directly against the NASCAR race at their circuit.[151]
On July 29, 2008, IndyCar announced a deal to race atSurfers Paradise on its scheduled October 26 date. The event would be held as a non-championship race due toChicagoland being contractually entitled to host the season finale. Despite this, the race was not added to the 2009 schedule, which was published one day later.[152]
Testing resumed on February 27–28 in night conditions atHomestead, in the wake of the unification agreement. with 16 drivers in attendance from carryover IndyCar teams.Dan Wheldon set the fastest time overall in the first day at 213.312 mph, whileDanica Patrick led the second day with a best speed of 213.182 mph after sitting the first day with flu-like symptoms.[156][157]
On March, IndyCar conducted its first two Open Tests ever atSebring International Raceway, a popular venue for Champ Car testing. 18 drivers from carryover IndyCar teams split test days between March 3–6, withTony Kanaan leading the first two days[158][159] andRyan Briscoe setting the pace in the last two with a best lap time of 52.4206.[160][161]Jay Howard, who missed the Homestead test due to not having the approval for oval racing at the time, took part in the first two days, whileTownsend Bell made his debut withDreyer & Reinbold on the final day, taking over fromMilka Duno.[161]
The five transitioning Champ Car teams were scheduled to test on March 19–20, but only six drivers took part asNewman/Haas/Lanigan andHVM Racing were not ready in time.KV Racing Technology set the pace on both days withWill Power andOriol Servià, whose best time of 52.7035 was only bettered two weeks earlier by both Penske drivers, with the help of additional rubber from previous week's12 Hours of Sebring.[162][163] Newman/Haas and HVM's test time was reallocated to April 1 during an Indy Lights test, but rain restricted running to 45 laps overall between both teams.[164][165]
During the week of the season opener atHomestead–Miami Speedway, a special Open Test was arranged on March 24–25, with 11 drivers from the five transitioning Champ Car teams and for Roth Racing, who led both days of testing withMarty Roth with a best lap of 212.816 mph.KV Racing Technology was again the fastest among Champ Car teams on their first oval experience in theDallara IR05. As a result, speeds were expectedly sluggish compared to most of the IndyCar-based teams, withOriol Servià setting a best lap of 210.176 mph among convert teams.[166][167] A crash byGraham Rahal on Day 2 sidelined him from the race weekend due to a lack of parts.[62]
Pole position winner: No. 9Scott Dixon, 213.341 mph (343.339 km/h)
After qualifying, theVision Racing qualifying times ofEd Carpenter andA. J. Foyt IV (2nd and 3rd) were disallowed, and forced to move to the rear of the field. After a crash during qualifying,Dan Wheldon was forced to a back-up car at the rear of the field as well.
At the start,Scott Dixon beatDanica Patrick into the first turn. Dixon went on to lead most of the way through lap 71. After a series of pit stops,Marco Andretti moved into the lead. On lap 127,Milka Duno spun in turn two, and collectedRyan Briscoe, who was running sixth. Later,Tony Kanaan moved back into the lead until the final round of pit stops. By pitting out-of-sequenceDanica Patrick unlapped herself, and moved up to second place. The position was short-lived, as she was forced to pit for fuel before the end of the race. With seven laps to go,E. J. Viso spun directly in front the leader Kanaan, and clipped his right-front suspension. Kanaan attempted to limp around and hold on to the victory if the race finished under caution. With four laps to go, the green came out, and Kanaan was forced to pull out of the way.Scott Dixon got by, and held on for the victory.
Despite starting at the rear of the field,Dan Wheldon charged to the front, managed to lead 9 laps, and came home third. In addition, bothVision cars rebounded to finish in the top 10.
2008 was the last season that the series season opener held in an oval track to date until 2020.
Pole position winner: No. 11Tony Kanaan – 1:02.5322 sec, 103.627 mph (166.771 km/h)
Heavy rain in the morning soaked the track, and left considerable standing water. The race was started under 10 laps of caution as the track dried. At the start,Tony Kanaan assumed the lead, but soon was passed byJustin Wilson. The early part of the race saw several spins by several cars, includingDanica Patrick,Marco Andretti andMario Moraes.
On the 37th lap after a restart, rookieGraham Rahal was hit from behind byWill Power while running 3rd. He was able to continue. Several cautions slowed the race, including a crash byRyan Briscoe, and a multi-car incident involvingVítor Meira,Franck Perera, andTownsend Bell. On the restart that followed, Rahal-Letterman Racing driverRyan Hunter-Reay led Graham Rahal. Rahal got the jump and took the lead into the first turn. With time running out before the two-hout time limit, the race was poised to end before the scheduled distance. On the final restart, just under 4 minutes of racing remained. Rahal held off a chargingHélio Castroneves and won his first race.
Sunday April 20–11:00 a.m.JST / Saturday April 19, 10,:00 p.m.EDT; postponed from Saturday April 19–1:00 p.m.JST / 12:00 a.m.EDT due to weepers (water seeping up onto the track from previous heavy rains).
Pole position winner: No. 3Hélio Castroneves (qualifying rained out; lineup set by IndyCar points standings)
At the start,Marco Andretti lost control in turn one due to cold tires and crashed out of the race. Meanwhile,Hélio Castroneves took the lead, and led the first 92 laps. On the 48th lap,Ed Carpenter andDanica Patrick pitted, but moments later the caution came out whenHideki Mutoh crashed. The pits became closed, and the remainder of the leaders had to wait to make their respective pit stops. After the field was shuffled, Castroneves still maintained the lead.
On lap 142,Roger Yasukawa stalled on the mainstretch with a brake failure. The ensuing caution period set up an exciting finish due to fuel strategy,[citation needed] as most teams were getting 51 laps on a single tank of fuel. The top seven leaders all pitted together, with Dixon coming out in the lead once again. On lap 148, Castroneves, Patrick, and Carpenter all returned to the pits to top off their tanks, in hopes of going the distance without one last pit stop, hoping that the race would go green to the finish.
Shortly after the restart on lap 149, Patrick dropped back to seventh place (last car on the lead lap) in a fuel conservation strategy to have enough fuel to challenge the leader at the end of the race. With the race remaining green, during the final ten laps, most of the leaders, not having enough fuel to get to the end, ducked off the track for "splash-and-go" pit stops for fuel. Despite topping off his tank earlier, Ed Carpenter, getting poorer fuel economy than the rest of the lead-lap cars, was forced to pit for fuel. Castroneves inherited the lead with less than 5 laps to go, with Patrick charging in second place. Castroneves slowed his pace to conserve fuel, and Patrick took the lead with 2 laps to go. Patrick held on to win, and became the first female to win a race in the history of top-levelAmerican open wheel racing.
Pole Position winner: No. 02Justin Wilson, 1:06.902 sec, 105.898 mph (170.426 km/h)
The final race of theChamp Car era took place less than a day after the checkered flag fell at theIndy Japan 300. Teams which raced in ChampCars in 2007 stayed in North America for the 34th annualLong Beach Grand Prix, while teams which planned to compete in the IndyCar Series before the merger raced atMotegi.
The contingent of former Champ Car teams produced a 20-car field, all using theturbochargedCosworth/Panoz DP01 for the final time. From a standing start (the first such at Long Beach since 1983; Champ Car had used the start from June 2007),Will Power got the jump from fourth position to take the lead into turn one. Power led 81 of the 83 laps, relinquishing the top position only during pit stops.
All participants entering other IndyCar races earned points towards the 2008 IndyCar Series championship. All the teams raced together again a week later atKansas Speedway, and for the remainder of the schedule together.
The race was run under Champ Car rules, which included the standing start, option tire, two-day qualifying format, ran on time (1hr 45 mins) rather than a set number of laps.
Pole Position winner: No. 9Scott Dixon 213.496 mph (343.589 km/h)
At the start,Scott Dixon took the lead from the pole position. Meanwhile,Enrique Bernoldi spun and headed to the pits. On lap 23,Will Power crashed in turn 2. While the field pitted under the caution,Justin Wilson stayed out and took the lead.
Dixon took the lead back on the restart, and maintained the lead through the next series of pit stops. On lap 98, the caution came out again for a crash involvingE. J. Viso andTomas Scheckter. After another long green flag segment,Buddy Rice brought out the yellow on lap 153 with a heavy crash in turn 2. In the pits,Danica Patrick retired from the race with a broken wheel hub. Meanwhile,Scott Dixon, who had dominated most of the race, was shuffled back to seventh place.
The race resumed after a long yellow withDan Wheldon leading. Wheldon pulled away and led the final 49 laps to record his firstIndyCar Series victory since April2007.
Pole Position winner: No. 9Scott Dixon, 2:39.0348, 226.366 mph (364.301 km/h)
PolesitterScott Dixon led 115 laps, including the last 29, to win his first Indy 500. Several cars, includingTony Kanaan,Graham Rahal,Jeff Simmons andJustin Wilson were involved in crashes. With 29 laps to goDanica Patrick was eliminated whenRyan Briscoe clipped her car exiting the pits, damaging both. They were fined $100,000 and placed on probation for their actions.
Pole Position winner: No. 26Marco Andretti 1:26.9591 168.053 mph (270.455 km/h) (4 laps)
Marco Andretti took the lead from the pole position, and led the first 40 laps. He was chased early byScott Dixon and teammateTony Kanaan.Graham Rahal, who started on the outside of the front row, shuffled back, but remained in the top 5 for the first half of the race.
The first half was mostly green, with only a minor caution involvingOriol Servia and another for debris. Later in the first fuel segment, Andretti's handling started to suffer, andScott Dixon took over the lead.Hélio Castroneves took over second, and Andretti fell back as deep as tenth.
On lap 130,Graham Rahal went high in turn three to passDarren Manning. He got into the marbles, and brushed along the wall in turn four. After holding the lead for 136 laps, Dixon was finally challenged byRyan Briscoe. Briscoe took over the lead on lap 177, and held it until a green flag pit stop on lap 194. After a sequence of pit stops,Castroneves,Andretti andWheldon all cycled near the front. When all pit stops were complete,Briscoe held a half-second lead overDixon. The two battled for the lead over the final 21 laps.
With less than three laps to go,Marco Andretti dove underneathEd Carpenter in turn one. The cars touched, and both cars spun into the wall.Vítor Meira became caught up in the smoke, and rode up over Andretti, becoming airborne. He landed upright, and all drivers were uninjured. The race finished under caution withRyan Briscoe picking up his first careerIndyCar victory, and 300th overall win for theMooresville, North Carolina–basedPenske Racing in all motorsports series.
Two sequences of green flag pit stops occurred under a long stretch of green flag conditions. A caution for debris came out on lap 165, sending the leaders to the pits once more.Vítor Meira stayed out to take over the lead.
With 21 laps to go, Meira was forced to pit for fuel, giving up the lead toMarco Andretti. Moments later,Enrique Bernoldi crashed in turn four.Andretti led the field back to green on lap 219.
With six laps to go,Scott Dixon slipped byAndretti to take the lead. On the next lap, down the backstretch, third placeRyan Hunter-Reay dove below Andretti heading into turn three. Hunter-Reay pinched his left wheels onto the apron, lost control, and touched wheels with Andretti. Both cars spun and crashed hard into the wall. The race finished under caution withDixon the winner, andHélio Castroneves slipping by the accident to finish second.
Pole Position winner: No. 9Scott Dixon (qualifying rained out; lineup set by IndyCar points standings)
At the green flag,Hélio Castroneves took the lead in turn 1 from polesitterScott Dixon.Tony Kanaan quickly moved up to second position. Over the next 10–15 laps,Castroneves andKanaan battled back-and-forth for the lead, side-by-side on many laps. Kanaan finally muscled the lead away on lap 16, and gained a lead of roughly one second.
On lap 39,Ed Carpenter brushed the outside wall in turn 2. The leaders pit, and Kanaan exited the pits as the leader. On lap 51, the green came back out, and a lap later,Castroneves got by Kanaan for the lead.Jaime Camara brought out the yellow on lap 106 when his car lost power and stopped on the course. After another sequence of pit stops,Tony Kanaan ledDan Wheldon andMarco Andretti. On the restart, Wheldon lost control and slid up the track, falling to 8th place.
On lap 157Mario Moraes spun into the pit apron, bringing out a caution, and the leaders pitted.John Andretti's pitcrew had trouble engaging the fuel hose, and he dropped back the end of the running order. Prior to this he had been running in 7th place, one of the highest positions ever for aRoth Racing car.
Castroneves regained the lead on lap 170, and held it until another yellow came out on lap 188 for a spin byEnrique Bernoldi. Most of the leaders pitted, butDan Wheldon,Hideki Mutoh, andDanica Patrick stayed out to lead the field. On the restartMario Moraes spun for the second time of the day, and prolonged the yellow until lap 202. On lap 212,Tony Kanaan (running third) suddenly lost control and crashed in turn 1.
Pole Position winner: No. 11Tony Kanaan 167.876 mph (270.170 km/h)
At the start,Ryan Hunter-Reay spun just before the start/finish line, which brought the yellow out immediately. The first 7 laps were run under yellow withTony Kanaan leading from the pole position. On lap 8, the green came out, but only one lap was completed before the next yellow.Will Power was driving belowHélio Castroneves, lost control, and crashed in turn 4. The race finally got going on lap 21, when the green came out once again.
On lap 31,A. J. Foyt IV touched wheels withJohn Andretti, and Foyt crashed in the wall in turn 2. His Vision Racing teammateEd Carpenter ran over debris from the crash, and both cars were sidelined. During the caution, a handful of cars pitted, includingDanica Patrick and rookieJaime Camara, but most of the leaders stayed on the track.
Kanaan continued to lead when debris brought out the caution again on lap 67. All of the leaders pitted, while Camara and Patrick stayed out and took the first two spots. On the restart, Camara led the field, butBuddy Rice spun and tagged the wall on the frontstretch. The field checked up, andDarren Manning,Ryan Briscoe andBruno Junqueira were involved in a separate crash.
Camara led at the next restart, while Kanaan, Patrick, and Castroneves went 3-wide for second. Behind them in turn 2, John Andretti andVítor Meira tangled, and crashed hard in the wall. Patrick returned to the pits, and topped off with fuel. Camara continued to lead, and impressively held off Kanaan on the restart. On lap 116, Marco Andretti caught up to Camara, and took the lead for the first time.
Graham Rahal crashed on lap 133 in turn 4. Many of the leaders pitted, but Andretti stayed out to lead. Another restart saw only three green laps, as yet another crash occurred, this time involvingRyan Hunter-Reay andMario Moraes. Around this time, some teams anticipated that rain might end the race early.
Marco Andretti gave up the lead on lap 204 when he made his final pit stop. That putTony Kanaan back into the lead. On lap 217, after a brilliant run in the top five, Jaime Camara lost control and crashed on the frontstretch. The yellow trapped Andretti a lap down, and kept Kanaan in the lead after the final sequence of pits stops. The rain held off, and Kanaan led the rest of the way for his first victory of the season.
Pole Position winner: No. 6Ryan Briscoe 1:29.3456 135.787 mph (218.528 km/h)
PolesitterRyan Briscoe led from the start, butScott Dixon, who qualified fourth, quickly passedJustin Wilson andRyan Hunter-Reay to move into second for most of the first half of the race. Dixon was unable to pass Briscoe, but posed a serious challenge and posted comparable lap times.
The start of the race was relatively attrition-free, except for incidents involving two championship contenders.Dan Wheldon made contact withDarren Manning on the first lap, leading to suspension damage for Wheldon. On lap 6Hélio Castroneves, who had started last after being unable to post a time in qualifying due to a broken throttle, snapping his streak of three consecutive poles atWatkins Glen, had a gearbox problem and stopped just shy of pit lane. With few other drivers dropping out in the first 40 laps, Dixon was poised to massively increase his points lead.
After a brief interlude whenVítor Meira led during a pit stop cycle, Briscoe and Dixon returned to the top two positions and thoroughly dominated the race, leading third-place Hunter-Reay by over 20 seconds. However, Meira andE. J. Viso made contact in turn 8 and the ensuing caution period allowed the other lead-lap cars to catch up to Briscoe and Dixon. All drivers pitted on this caution period except Manning, who stayed out of the pits in an attempt to stretch his fuel mileage. Dixon beat Briscoe and Hunter-Reay out of the pits, but Manning took the lead.
A brief green-flag period on lap 44 ended whenEnrique Bernoldi crashed in turn 1, and then the race took a rather unusual turn, with two wrecks occurring under the caution period, before the race returned to green. A restart was waved off whenA. J. Foyt IV andMilka Duno crashed in turn 9. Once that was cleaned up, and the IRL officials attempted to restart the race again, Dixon, who was swerving his tires to clean them, unexpectedly spun out and collected Briscoe. Hunter-Reay, who avoided the wreck, suddenly found himself second to Manning.
On lap 51, the race returned to green, with Manning ahead of Hunter-Reay. Hunter-Reay, who had no need to conserve fuel, newer tires, and a stronger car, easily dispatched of Manning in a short green-flag period before another caution came out forJaime Camara's crash in turn 6. This was the final caution of the race, and Hunter-Reay won easily, claiming his first win inIndyCar, his firstAmerican open wheel win since 2004, and theRahal Letterman Racing team's first win since 2004, withBuddy Rice. Manning did not come close to running out of fuel with all the cautions and finished second, his best career finish. With Castroneves, Wheldon, and Dixon's trouble,Tony Kanaan, who finished third, was the big gainer in the points standings, but Dixon still held a lead of 48 points on Castroneves, and 51 on Wheldon.
Pole Position winner: No. 3Hélio Castroneves 1:31.5320 204.519 mph (329.141 km/h) 4-lap average
Pole winnerHélio Castroneves led at the start, withDanica Patrick second. On lap 3,Marco Andretti's car wiggled in turn 2, made contact withRyan Briscoe, and both cars crashed into the outside wall. After the caution, Castroneves continued to lead, and Patrick held on to second.
On lap 45, Patrick attempted to take the lead, but Castroneves was able to hold the position. The move shuffled Patrick back to fifth position. After the first sequence of pit stops, the lead changed hands betweenScott Dixon andTony Kanaan. Kanaan held the lead through the next caution, whenRyan Hunter-Reay crashed in turn 3 on lap 100. All of the leaders pitted under the yellow on lap 102.
On lap 139, Kanaan continued to lead when a light rain brought out the caution. On lap 149, Kanaan,Vítor Meira, Patrick, Castroneves, and others, pitted for tires and fuel.Scott Dixon andDan Wheldon, however, stayed out and moved into the lead. When the rain stopped, the race went back to green on lap 152.
Scott Dixon ledDan Wheldon as the race passed the 160 lap mark (40 laps to go). With fuel running low, both cars gambled on the rain resuming. On lap 166, rain began to fall, with Dixon the leader. Heavy rain put out the red flag after lap 171. Fifteen minutes later, the race was called, andScott Dixon was declared the winner.
Pole Position winner: No. 9Scott Dixon, 218.968 mph (352.395 km/h)
This race had a shuffling finish, with Dixon, Andretti and Meira each leading at least one lap in the dying stages before pitting for splash-and-go stops. Castroneves inherited the lead, stayed out as his team assumed he would have enough fuel to finish, and was still leading when the white flag came out. But on the final corner, Castroneves ran out of fuel and Dixon flew past to take his sixth win of the season.
Pole Position winner: No. 3Hélio Castroneves 1:16.9027 sec, 107.809 mph (173.502 km/h)
After so many second places, this was the race Castroneves had been waiting for, with a smooth, dominant drive to claim his long-awaited first win of the season and close the gap on Dixon in the title race.
Pole Position winner: No. 9Scott Dixon 1:12.2861 sec, 103.090 mph (165.907 km/h)
The finish to this race was not without controversy. Late in the race, Castroneves led Wilson by less than a second, and Castroneves appeared to make an illegal block, causing IRL officials to penalize him, allowing Wilson to move past and take the win by more than 4 seconds.
Pole Position winner: No. 6Ryan Briscoe, 215.818 mph (347.325 km/h)
The final points race sawHélio Castroneves winning his second round of the season, having started dead last after being demoted to the rear of the grid due to him illegally moving his car below the white line during qualifications. His drive from 28th to first was the farthest back a driver has won anIndyCar Series race from. The Brazilian held off the newly crowned championScott Dixon by 0.0033 seconds or12+1⁄8 inches (310 mm), in the second closest finish in the twelve-year history of the series.[187] The race was originally given to Dixon by what would have been a closest winning margin of 0.0010 seconds, but the result was changed following a review.Hideki Mutoh claimed rookie of the year after he finished 22nd andJustin Wilson could finish no higher than 11th.
Pole Position winner: No. 8Will Power 1:34.9451 sec, 105.977 mph (169.563 km/h)
Justin Wilson pitted on the warm-up lap, with the gearbox sticking in third, but joined the start from the back.Will Power immediately dominated the start, pulling a two-second lead on the first lap.Scott Dixon started second but after being forced to cut the first chicane was relegated behindRyan Briscoe by officialdom.
Mario Moraes andVítor Meira clashed at the second chicane with Meira spinning without hitting anyone. A few lap later Moraes caused the first safety car, clipping the turn 2 chicane, breaking the right rear corner of the car.Townsend Bell was eliminated after a clash withHélio Castroneves which wrecked Bell's steering. Later the same lap Castroneves had a right rear puncture caused byDanica Patrick's front wing while passing theAndretti Green Racing driver.
Lap 17 saw the end of Power's dominance of the meeting as he crashed at the Bartercard chicane, which put Briscoe into the lead ahead of Dixon. Briscoe pitted for fuel immediately upon catching the tailmarker, Patrick, but Dixon waited another lap and was held up behind Patrick. At the same timeGraham Rahal touched the rear ofEd Carpenter, spinning the Vision Racing car around, almost blocking the track. The emerging safety car almost hit Dixon as he completed his stop.
Behind the safety car Patrick stopped and stalled, almost hitting the stationary car of Carpenter.Dario Franchitti clipped the tyre bundle on the inside of the same chicane and spun and stalled bringing out the safety car. After the restartTony Kanaan had the right rear suspension break without apparent reason.
After the second round of pitstops the battle for third betweenAlex Tagliani andRyan Hunter-Reay was interrupted by Franchitti as a poor pitstop and a poor pit position forConquest Racing saw Tagliani drop several position behindE. J. Viso. Viso later would twice have to give up spots for cutting chicanes, first to Tagliani, then Castroneves. Lap 48 sawJaime Camara go straight on and stalled the car attempting to recover.
In the races closing stages Dixon closed in on Briscoe, the two remaining local drivers lapping significantly faster than the rest of the field. Carpenter hit the wall at turn 3 on the last lap but it did not affect the lead battle and Briscoe won his home race ahead of Dixon and Hunter-Reay finished third.
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
Hideki Mutoh
Marco Andretti
Dan Wheldon
Hélio Castroneves
E. J. Viso
Will Power
Franck Montagny
Mario Domínguez
Oriol Servia
Paul Tracy
