CART cars — typically called "Indy cars" before 1997 and "champ cars" thereafter — were single-seat, open-wheel racing cars with mid-mounted engines, sculpted undersides creating ground effects, and prominent wings. Teams generally purchased chassis from independent constructors including Lola, Swift, Reynard, and March, though some owners such as Dan Gurney and Roger Penske built their own. The series used Goodyear tyres exclusively until 1995, when Firestone entered, with Firestone becoming the sole supplier in 2000 and its parent company Bridgestone taking over in 2002.
Champ cars used turbocharged engines running on methanol fuel. Cosworth (later Ford-Cosworth), Ilmor (branded as Chevrolet then Mercedes-Benz), Buick, Honda, and Toyota all supplied power. In 2003, following Honda and Toyota withdrawals, CART purchased identical 2.65L V-8 turbocharged Cosworth engines and leased them to teams under Ford branding.
In 1905 the American Automobile Association (AAA) established the first sanctioning body for American auto racing. After the 1955 Le Mans disaster prompted the AAA to cease sanctioning motorsport, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony Hulman formed the USAC to sanction "championship" open-wheel racing, whose centrepiece was the annual Indianapolis 500.
Through the 1970s, competitor dissatisfaction with USAC grew. Notable grievances included the loss of a Marlboro series sponsorship in 1971 after USAC failed to enforce brand exclusivity, uneconomical purses, and insufficient promotion of non-Indianapolis events. In early 1978, Dan Gurney authored what became known as the "Gurney White Paper," outlining a new organisation inspired by the improvements Bernie Ecclestone had achieved in Formula One through the Formula One Constructors Association. The paper called for team owners to form CART as an advocacy group to negotiate television rights, sponsorship, and race purses. Gurney, Penske, Pat Patrick, and other leading owners formally proposed the idea to USAC's board in November 1978; the proposal was rejected. On 23 April 1978, eight senior USAC officials had died in a plane crash, creating an organisational vacuum that further hampered 1978 racing.
The first CART race was held on 11 March 1979, sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA). USAC initially attempted to ban all CART drivers from the 1979 Indianapolis 500, informing teams by telegram during an event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, until CART obtained an injunction. By the end of 1981, the only USAC-sanctioned asphalt championship race remaining was the Indianapolis 500.
By 1982, the CART PPG Indy Car World Series was generally recognised as the American national championship in open-wheel racing. In 1983, USAC agreed to allow CART to add the Indy 500 to its schedule, with drivers awarded points in the CART championship, while USAC retained sanction authority over the 500.
The series expanded beyond ovals by absorbing prominent road racing circuits including Road America, Mid-Ohio, and Laguna Seca, and took over street races at Detroit and Long Beach from Formula One, also expanding to Toronto and Cleveland. CART founded the first full-time driver safety team that travelled with the series. Stars including Mario Andretti, Bobby Rahal, and Danny Sullivan found success in CART.
In 1988, CART joined ACCUS, permitting foreign drivers to compete without risking their FIA Super Licences. Former F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi's series title in 1989 drew further South American and European drivers. CART hosted its first race outside North America at Surfers Paradise, Australia, in 1991.
Tony George, grandson of IMS president Tony Hulman, became Indianapolis Motor Speedway president in 1989. He viewed foreign drivers and street circuits as discouraging American oval talent and sought greater control over the series. In an attempt to address governance concerns, CART rebranded as IndyCar in 1992 and formed a compromise board, giving George and the IndyCar CEO non-voting seats. In 1993, British driver Nigel Mansell, the 1992 F1 Driver's Champion, switched to IndyCar and won the championship. The compromise board collapsed after the 1993 season following a series of controversial decisions regarding manufacturer access, race cancellations, and schedule disputes.
In 1994, Andrew Craig was named as CART's new president and CEO. That year, Team Penske introduced a Mercedes-Benz engine specifically designed to exploit a rules difference between USAC and IndyCar regulations, dominating the Indianapolis 500 and heightening cost concerns. In July 1994, IMS announced the founding of the Indy Racing League (IRL), which would race solely on American ovals with cost controls and USAC sanctioning.
After the 1995 Indianapolis 500, George announced the "25/8 Rule" for 1996, guaranteeing the top 25 IRL points drivers a spot in the race and leaving only eight positions for open qualification. CART alleged exclusion and ceased racing at Indianapolis, while George declared CART was boycotting. To satisfy sponsors, CART held a rival U.S. 500 at Michigan International Speedway on the same day as the 1996 Indianapolis 500. The U.S. 500 had a disastrous start with a twelve-car crash; the Indy 500 ran under caution for a quarter of the race before Buddy Lazier won. Jimmy Vasser won the U.S. 500 by eleven seconds. Both events were widely regarded as a combined fiasco that began a serious decline in open-wheel racing in the United States.
Following competing lawsuits, CART agreed to revert to the CART name after 1996, on condition the IRL would not use the IndyCar name before the end of 2002. In the early post-split years, CART was the stronger series, holding most prestigious races, sponsorship money, and name drivers. The IRL's primary asset was the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. CART took its series public on NASDAQ as stock symbol MPH, raising US$100 million by selling 35% of the company.
Despite annual revenues growing from $38 million in 1995 to $68.8 million by 1999, television ratings and revenue were weak — CART received only $5 million annually for its entire television package. The 1999 championship battle between Juan Pablo Montoya and Dario Franchitti was overshadowed by the deaths of Gonzalo Rodríguez at Laguna Seca and Greg Moore at the 1999 Marlboro 500 at California Speedway, raising safety concerns about 500-mile races where Champ Cars averaged near 240 mph.
In 2000, CART owners forced Andrew Craig to resign as CEO; Bobby Rahal served as interim replacement. Chip Ganassi returned to the Indianapolis 500 with Vasser and Montoya — Montoya dominated, leading 167 of 200 laps to win. Gil de Ferran won the 2000 drivers' title.
For 2001, CART unveiled a 22-race international schedule spanning the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Australia. Rahal retired to head Jaguar Racing in Formula One, with marketing executive Joseph Heitzler taking over as CEO. The Brazil race was cancelled after promoters defaulted. The Texas Motor Speedway race was cancelled on race day after drivers reported blacking out under the high G forces during qualifying — a decision praised for prioritising safety but damaging commercially. A resulting lawsuit produced a quarterly loss for CART's stock.
The 2001 Indianapolis 500 saw CART teams sweep the top six positions, but headlines focused on a technical controversy over turbo pop-off valves developed by Honda and Ford that prompted Toyota complaints; when CART mandated changes, Honda obtained an injunction, leaving all three manufacturers aggrieved. Toyota announced its move to the IRL at the end of 2001. CART's first foray into Europe, the German 500, was overshadowed by the 11 September attacks the Tuesday before the race and saw former champion Alex Zanardi lose both legs in an accident.
ABC/ESPN signed an exclusive television deal with the IRL for 2002 onwards, forcing CART to Speed Channel for cable and buying time on CBS for a broadcast presence. Team Penske announced permanent IRL entry for 2002 due to sponsor Marlboro pressure arising from American tobacco settlement restrictions. Honda announced its move to the IRL during the 2002 season, dramatically dropping CART's stock. Michael Andretti purchased Team Green and moved it to the IRL with Honda's direction; Chip Ganassi Racing also departed due to primary sponsor Target's pressure. Gerald Forsythe acquired 22.5% of CART's voting shares.
Beginning in 2003, after FedEx withdrew as series sponsor, CART rebranded as "Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford" and ran a near-complete schedule of road courses with year-old chassis. CART declared bankruptcy after the 2003 season.
CART's assets were acquired by Forsythe, Paul Gentilozzi, Kevin Kalkhoven, and Dan Pettit as Open Wheel Racing Series, LLC after the bankruptcy court ruled their bid more beneficial to creditors than the IRL's bid — despite being smaller. Champ Car World Series continued until declaring bankruptcy and being merged with the IRL in February 2008. IndyCar recognises the records and champions of both series in its historical records.
Four drivers died in CART-sanctioned events: Jim Hickman (1 August 1982, Milwaukee Mile, practice); Jeff Krosnoff (14 July 1996, Molson Indy Toronto); Gonzalo Rodríguez (11 September 1999, Honda Grand Prix of Monterey, Laguna Seca, practice); and Greg Moore (31 October 1999, Marlboro 500, California Speedway, lap 10).
In its early years, CART television coverage was shared by NBC, ABC, and ESPN. CBS aired races from 1989 to 1991. After ABC/ESPN moved exclusively to the IRL for 2002, CART used Speed Channel and bought CBS time. Outside the United States, Screensport showed CART in the UK, Ireland, Scandinavia, France, Germany, and Benelux from 1984 to 1992. Eurosport aired CART and Champ Car in Europe from 1993 until the series' end. In Brazil, Rede Bandeirantes aired races from 1985 to 1992; SBT broadcast the full season live from 1995 to 2000. In Australia, Channel 9 aired races from 1991, Channel 10 from 1996 to 2006, and Channel 7 from 2007.
This article is based solely on the supplied corpus. No external sources were consulted; claims that could not be substantiated against the corpus were omitted under the drop-the-claim rule.
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