 | |
| Indy Lights | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Indianapolis Motor Speedway |
| First race | 2003 |
| First Lights race | 2003 |
| Last race | 2019 |
| Distance | 100 miles (160 km) |
| Laps | 40 |
| Previous names | Firestone Freedom 100 (2008–2013) Futaba Freedom 100 (2004–2005) |
| Most wins (driver) | Wade Cunningham (3) |
| Most wins (team) | Sam Schmidt Motorsports (7) |
TheFreedom 100 was an automobile race held annually at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway inSpeedway, Indiana, as part of theIndy Lights. The event was asupport race for theIndyCar SeriesIndianapolis 500, and since 2005, it was held on the Friday preceding theIndianapolis 500, the day known as "Carb Day".
The Freedom 100 was the second race annually at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway, the other being theGrand Prix on the combinedroad course.
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The Freedom 100 has its origins in bothUSAC'sMini Indy series andCART's ARS/Indy Lights series. None of those support series ever raced at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway. Typically the support series would take the month of May off while the top-level Indy cars were at theIndianapolis 500. In 1979, USAC's Mini-Indy series scheduled a support race on the oval at nearbyIndianapolis Raceway Park, but it was held only once.[1]
When theIRL started theIndy Pro Series in 2002, officials began exploring the possibility of holding a support race at Indianapolis in the days leading up to the Indianapolis 500. It was an attempt to fill an otherwise slow part of the month, and an opportunity for exposure for up-and-coming drivers and teams. The race was added to the calendar for2003.
For the first two years, the race was held during the second weekend of Indianapolis 500 time trials, scheduled for Saturday which was at the time, used only for Indy 500 practice. The date proved to be unpopular and drew small crowds. In 2005, Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice for the Indy 500, was moved from Thursday before the Indy 500 to Friday. Series officials moved the Freedom 100 to Carb Day, immediately following the final Indy 500 practice session. The move proved popular with fans and competitors.
In 2008, in the wake of the merger betweenIRL andChamp Car, the series was renamed from Indy Pro Series to the Firestone Indy Lights Series, taking the name of Champ Car's former development series which had ceased in 2001. The new sponsorship extended to this race, renaming it theFirestone Freedom 100.[2]
In the first nine runnings, the race was won six times from thepole and three times from second starting position. Therefore, the race had always been won from the front row untilEsteban Guerrieri won in2012 from the 18th starting position.[3] In 2013,Peter Dempsey, who started third, won the Freedom 100 in what was then the closest finish in Speedway history (0.0026 secs) in a four-wide finish overGabby Chaves,Sage Karam, andCarlos Muñoz. Dempsey went from fourth to first on the final straightaway.[4]
In 2016, the field lined up in order of points, as qualifying has been rained out. Pole sitter and series point leader,Carlin'sEd Jones, traded the lead withAndretti Autosport'sDean Stoneman until a caution on lap 36 slowed the field. The green flag flew with one lap to go and Stoneman pulled alongside Jones going into Turn Three. The pair held their positions through the North Short Chute and into Turn Four; as they crossed the line, Stoneman held the lead by the slimmest possible margin, winning by 0.0024 seconds – a new Indianapolis Motor Speedway Record.[5]
Carlin'sMatheus Leist took the race victory from pole position in 2017, whileColton Herta earned the win in 2018. Herta's Freedom 100 victory made it a clean sweep of the month of May for the young second-generation driver, who won both Indy Lights races on the road course at the INDYCAR Grand Prix.
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In 2019,Andretti Autosport'sOliver Askew took the race win in typically dramatic fashion, passing teammateRyan Norman at the line by a mere 0.0067 seconds – the fourth closest finish in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There were 12 official lead changes at the start/finish line, but nearly 100 passes for position throughout the 40-lap race. The race starting order was altered post-qualifying when five cars failed post-qualifying technical inspection and were relegated to the back of the field, though this number did not include pole sitterRobert Megennis.
The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled after the Indy Lights season was also cancelled.[6] The race was axed from Lights' 2021 calendar.IndyCar took responsibility for the move, claiming it was to ensure for a smooth Indianapolis 500 weekend.[7]
| Year | Date | Day | Winning Driver | Race Distance | Time of Race | Winning Speed | Starting Cars | Lead Changes | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miles | Laps | |||||||||
| 2003 | May 17–18a | Sat.–Sun. |  Ed Carpenter | 100 | 40 | 55:02.1661 | 109.019 mph (175.449 km/h) | 19 | 2 | [8] |
| 2004 | May 22 | Saturday |  Thiago Medeiros | 100 | 40 | 42:16.4388 | 141.931 mph (228.416 km/h) | 17 | 2 | [9] |
| 2005 | May 27 | Friday | Jaime Camara | 100 | 40 | 40:52.6390 | 146.780 mph (236.220 km/h) | 18 | 7 | [10] |
| 2006 | May 26 | Friday |  Wade Cunningham | 100 | 40 | 32:29.3233 | 184.679 mph (297.212 km/h) | 19 | 0 | [11] |
| 2007 | May 25 | Friday |  Alex Lloyd | 100 | 40 | 46:39.6029 | 128.590 mph (206.946 km/h) | 24 | 0 | [12] |
| 2008 | May 24b | Saturday | Dillon Battistini | 100 | 40 | 39:46.9495 | 150.820 mph (242.721 km/h) | 27 | 4 | [13] |
| 2009 | May 22 | Friday | Wade Cunningham | 100 | 40 | 50:42.2548 | 118.333 mph (190.439 km/h) | 22 | 9 | [14] |
| 2010 | May 28 | Friday | Wade Cunningham | 100 | 40 | 39:55.4552 | 150.285 mph (241.860 km/h) | 16 | 4 | [15] |
| 2011 | May 27 | Friday | Josef Newgarden | 100 | 40 | 55:38.9881 | 107.817 mph (173.515 km/h) | 18 | 6 | [16] |
| 2012 | May 25 | Friday |  Esteban Guerrieri | 100 | 40 | 40:09.1965 | 149.427 mph (240.479 km/h) | 19c | 3 | [17] |
| 2013 | May 24 | Friday |  Peter Dempsey | 100 | 40 | 36:48.6540 | 162.995 mph (262.315 km/h) | 11 | 2 | [18] |
| 2014 | May 23 | Friday |  Gabby Chaves | 100 | 40 | 41:46.9680 | 143.600 mph (231.102 km/h) | 11 | 9 | [19] |
| 2015 | May 22 | Friday | Jack Harvey | 100 | 40 | 33:21.2712 | 179.886 mph (289.498 km/h) | 11 | 6 | [20] |
| 2016 | May 27 | Friday | Dean Stoneman | 100 | 40 | 41:08.6299 | 145.830 mph (234.691 km/h) | 16 | 3 | [21] |
| 2017 | May 26 | Friday | Matheus Leist | 100 | 40 | 36:36.6934 | 163.883 mph (263.744 km/h) | 14 | 0 | [22] |
| 2018 | May 25 | Friday | Colton Herta | 100 | 40 | 31:20.6650 | 191.422 mph (308.064 km/h) | 8 | 20 | [23] |
| 2019 | May 24 | Friday | Oliver Askew | 100 | 40 | 42:02.6912 | 142.705 mph (229.661 km/h) | 11 | 12 | [24] |
| Year | Date | Day | Pole Sitter / Fast Qualifier | Pole 2-Lap Qualifying Time | Pole Speed | Number of Qualifiers | Slow Qualifier Speed | Mean Qualifying Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | May 16 | Friday | Ed Carpenter | 1:35.4958 | 188.490 mph (303.345 km/h) | 18 | 179.550 mph (288.958 km/h) | 184.460 mph (296.860 km/h) |
| 2004 | May 21 | Friday | Thiago Medeiros | 1:35.1000 | 189.274 mph (304.607 km/h) | 17 | 178.100 mph (286.624 km/h) | 186.302 mph (299.824 km/h) |
| 2005 | May 26 | Thursday | Jaime Camara | 1:34.8018 | 189.870 mph (305.566 km/h) | 17 | 168.816 mph (271.683 km/h) | 184.892 mph (297.555 km/h) |
| 2006 | May 25 | Thursday | Wade Cunningham | 1:36.5546 | 186.423 mph (300.019 km/h) | 18 | 171.844 mph (276.556 km/h) | 181.753 mph (292.503 km/h) |
| 2007 | May 24 | Thursday |  Ken Losch | 1:35.6271 | 188.231 mph (302.928 km/h) | 24 | 183.436 mph (295.212 km/h) | 186.052 mph (299.422 km/h) |
| 2008 | May 22 | Thursday | Dillon Battistini | 1:35.5430 | 188.397 mph (303.196 km/h) | 27 | 178.497 mph (287.263 km/h) | 186.196 mph (299.653 km/h) |
| 2009 | May 21 | Thursday | Wade Cunningham | 1:34.6485 | 190.177 mph (306.060 km/h) | 22 | 185.269 mph (298.162 km/h) | 187.749 mph (302.153 km/h) |
| 2010 | May 27 | Thursday | Pippa Mann | 1:35.7505 | 187.989 mph (302.539 km/h) | 15 | 183.479 mph (295.281 km/h) | 185.988 mph (299.319 km/h) |
| 2011 | May 26 | Thursday | Bryan Clauson | Grid set by entrant points due to rain. | ||||
| 2012 | May 24 | Thursday | Gustavo Yacamán | 1:35.9913 | 187.517 mph (301.779 km/h) | 19 | 184.494 mph (296.914 km/h) | 185.828 mph (299.061 km/h) |
| 2013 | May 23 | Thursday | Sage Karam | 1:35.1160 | 189.243 mph (304.557 km/h) | 11 | 185.967 mph (299.285 km/h) | 187.412 mph (301.610 km/h) |
| 2014 | May 22 | Thursday | Luiz Razia | 1:35.8926 | 187.710 mph (302.090 km/h) | 11 | 182.697 mph (294.022 km/h) | 185.056 mph (297.819 km/h) |
| 2015 | May 21 | Thursday | Ethan Ringel | 1:31.0545 | 197.684 mph (318.142 km/h) | 12 | 194.404 mph (312.863 km/h) | 195.909 mph (315.285 km/h) |
| 2016 | May 26 | Thursday |  Ed Jones | Grid set by entrant points due to rain. | ||||
| 2017 | May 25 | Thursday | Matheus Leist | 1:30.3625 | 199.198 mph (320.578 km/h) | 14 | 195.445 mph (314.538 km/h) | 196.984 mph (317.015 km/h) |
| 2018 | May 24 | Thursday | Dalton Kellett | 1:32.2947 | 195.027 mph (313.866 km/h) | 8 | 193.269 mph (311.036 km/h) | 194.054 mph (312.300 km/h) |
| 2019 | May 23 | Thursday | Robert Megennis | 1:32.6851 | 194.206 mph (312.544 km/h) | 11 | 191.304 mph (307.874 km/h) | 192.462 mph (309.738 km/h)1 |
| Year | Driver | Time | Speed | Distance | Laps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fastest race | 2018 | Colton Herta | 31:20.6650 | 191.422 mph (308.064 km/h) | 100 mi (160 km) | 40 |
| Fastest qualification run | 2017 | Matheus Leist | 01:30.3625 | 199.198 mph (320.578 km/h) | 5 mi (8.0 km) | 2 |
| Fastest qualifying lap | 2017 | Matheus Leist | 00:45.1654 | 199.268 mph (320.691 km/h) | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | 1 |
| Fastest race lap | 2017 |  Santiago Urrutia | 00:45.4307 | 198.104 mph (318.817 km/h) | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) | 1 |
| Most wins by a driver | 2006; 2009; 2010 | Wade Cunningham | 3 Wins | |||
| Most starts by a driver | 2005–2010 | Wade Cunningham | 6 Starts | |||
| Most participants | 2008 | 27 Starting Drivers | ||||
In the first seventeen years that this race has been contested, 166 drivers have participated:
| drivers who went on to race in theIndianapolis 500, after first participating in the Freedom 100. | |
| drivers who had already driven in theIndianapolis 500, before participating in the Freedom 100. | |
| drivers who attempted unsuccessfully to race in theIndianapolis 500 |
Since the Freedom 100 began in 2003, four different drivers have competed both in this race and in theIndianapolis 500, during the same month.
| Year | Driver | Freedom 100 Finish | Indianapolis 500 finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Marty Roth | 16 | 24 |
| 2004 | Jeff Simmons | 2 | 16 |
| 2005 | Marty Roth | 5 | 31 |
| 2008 | Jeff Simmons | 8 | 28 |
| 2010 | Sebastián Saavedra | 9 | 23 |
| 2012 | Sebastián Saavedra | 5 | 26 |
| 2013 | Carlos Muñoz | 4 | 2 |
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