Open-wheel racing was historically one of the most popular forms of American motorsport. An acrimonious schism in 1994 — often called "The Split" — between CART and Tony George led to the formation of the IRL and the launch of the rival IndyCar Series in 1996. From that point, the popularity of American open-wheel racing declined dramatically. The feud was settled in 2008 with the merger under the IndyCar banner, though enormous damage had been done to the sport.
For 1996–1997 the series was referred to simply as the Indy Racing League. From 1998–1999 the series was advertised as the Pep Boys Indy Racing League. In 2000 naming rights were sold to internet search engine Northern Light, becoming the Indy Racing Northern Light Series. The name IndyCar Series was officially adopted in 2003, as the series became legally entitled to use it following the expiration of a 1996 legal settlement with CART. The series was simplified to IndyCar for the 2008 season and the company was similarly renamed in 2011. Izod signed a six-year deal beginning 5 November 2009 but the sponsorship was terminated at the end of 2013. Verizon Communications became title sponsor through 2018. In January 2019, Japanese communications company NTT was announced as title sponsor and official technology partner; in 2023 NTT extended their sponsorship for an unreported duration.
In 1996, the first season used 1992–1995 model year CART chassis built by Lola and Reynard. Tony George specified new technical rules for less expensive, production-based engines, effectively outlawing the CART chassis and turbocharged engines that had been the mainstay of the Indianapolis 500 since the late 1970s. From the 2003 season, chassis manufacturers had to be approved by the league before building cars.
Dallara began producing IndyCars for the 1997 season and eventually came to dominate, with a Dallara chassis used by 17 Indy 500 winners as of 2017. Dallara was also tapped to build the Firestone Indy Lights machines. The G Force chassis, introduced in 1997, won the 1997 and 2000 Indy 500s. In 2002, Élan Motorsport Technologies bought G Force; the chassis was renamed Panoz G Force and then Panoz in 2005, winning the Indy 500 in 2003 and 2004 and finishing second in 2005 before falling out of favour. Riley & Scott produced IndyCar chassis from 1997 to 2000; their Mark V arrived late in 1997 and proved uncompetitive. A successor, the Mark VII, won in Phoenix in 2000 driven by Buddy Lazier but was quickly dropped. Falcon Cars was founded by Michael Kranefuss and Ken Anderson in 2002 as the third approved chassis supplier for 2003; one rolling chassis was completed but never fitted with a working engine, and no orders were filled.
In 2010, IndyCar announced it would adopt a single-make chassis formula from 2012, setting up the ICONIC (Innovative, Competitive, Open-Wheel, New, Industry-Relevant, Cost-Effective) Advisory Committee. Proposals were submitted by BAT Engineering, Dallara, Lola, Swift, and the radical DeltaWing penned by Ben Bowlby and financed by Chip Ganassi. In July 2010, Dallara was awarded the contract. The 2012 Dallara IR-12 chassis was priced at $349,000. A notable safety improvement was partial enclosure around the rear wheels to prevent cars ramping over another vehicle's rear end. The chassis was intended to support multiple aerodynamic kits, but their introduction was delayed until 2015 due to team costs. After the 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships, the chassis was nicknamed DW12 in honour of Dan Wheldon.
In 2015, teams began running aero kits developed by their engine manufacturers as the first facelift of the Dallara DW12. The kits increased speeds and offered visual distinction between the two manufacturers but led to significant cost increases. Chevrolet's kit was more dominant; Honda could only mount a competitive charge on ovals due to slightly better engine power. After two years of development, the kits were frozen for 2017, and from 2018 all cars returned to a common aero package.
The 2017 season was the final year with manufacturer aero kits. From 2018, all DW12 Safety Cell chassis were fitted with a universal bodywork kit — referred to as the IR18 — whose digital renderings were released in early May 2017. The bodywork is inspired by CART's 1990s and 2000s designs, with a more streamlined appearance. It removes the rear wheel guards, deemed ineffective and prone to breaking, and eliminates the air inlet above the cockpit. The aeroscreen cockpit protection was added for the 2020 season, provided by Red Bull Advanced Technologies, combining a Halo-type structure with a reinforced windscreen to lessen the probability of traumatic head injuries from flying debris.
Planning for a successor to the Dallara DW12 was first publicly discussed on 5 March 2024. IndyCar announced on 16 December 2024 that wind tunnel testing would begin on an all-new Dallara IR-27 chassis expected to début in the 2027 season. On 12 June 2025, it was announced that the new chassis would be delayed to 2028 and renamed Dallara IR-28.
The 1996 IRL season used engine specifications left over from CART. V-8 powerplants were permitted with 45 inHg of boost; V-6 stock block engines (the Menard-Buick V6) were allowed 55 inHg at all races. Ford-Cosworth reluctantly supported teams wishing to run older-spec engines. The Ilmor Mercedes V-8 was permitted but used only once, at the 1996 Indy 500 by Galles Racing.
From 1997, IRL cars used 4.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 engines burning methanol, produced by General Motors (under the Oldsmobile Aurora label) and Nissan (badged as Infiniti), rev-limited to 10,000 rpm and producing around 600–700 hp. Engine prices were capped at $80,000. From 2000, displacement was reduced from 4.0 to 3.5 litres, rev limits were adjusted over time, and these engines produced 675 hp on 109-octane methanol at up to 10,300 rpm. In 2004, following fatal and severe crashes including those of Tony Renna and Kenny Bräck, displacement was further reduced to 3.0 litres using existing engine blocks to curb top speeds, beginning at the 2004 Indianapolis 500.
The Infiniti engines, though reliable, were significantly less powerful in 1997. By the end of 1998 only a handful of low-budget teams used them. By 2000 the engine had improved, and Eddie Cheever captured the marque's first win at Pikes Peak International Raceway, but few teams switched and Infiniti left after 2002. The Oldsmobile engine was rebadged as Chevrolet from 2002. Toyota and Honda joined the IRL in 2003 from the rival CART series; Toyota won the Indianapolis 500 and the series title in its first season but had only one podium in the last seven races of 2004, with only Penske Racing fielding competitive Toyota-powered cars in 2005. In November 2005, Toyota announced its withdrawal from American open-wheel racing. Chevrolet similarly ended its IRL programme after 2005. Honda became the sole engine supplier from 2006 through 2011, as announced on 15 December 2005 by IRL president Brian Barnhart and Honda Performance Development president Robert Clarke. The Honda Indy V8 was co-developed and maintained by Ilmor. The engine was moderately de-tuned; there were no engine failures at Indy from 2006 to 2010. For the 2010 full season, the Honda engine lease cost $935,000 per season per car.
The third-generation IndyCar formula, introduced in 2012, features DOHC 2.2-litre twin-turbo V6 engines developing approximately 550–750 hp depending on boost level, limited to 12,000 rpm and a minimum weight of 248 lb. Since the 2012 season, McLaren has supplied its TAG-400i engine control unit. Chevrolet returned to the series in 2012 with all-new Ilmor-developed V6 twin-turbo engines after a six-year absence; Honda also supplied new V6 engines, initially single-turbocharged before switching to twin-turbochargers from 2014. Lotus Cars provided a Judd-developed engine in 2012 but left in 2013 after lack of team interest. Turbochargers were reintroduced for 2012 after having been absent since 1997; BorgWarner is the exclusive turbocharger supplier since 2014, using the EFR7163 model. From 2024, hybrid systems are introduced, using an energy-recovery motor, inverter, and battery from the braking system, with the existing 2.2-litre displacement retained.
The IRL used methanol racing fuel from its inception, which had been the de facto standard in American open-wheel racing since the 1964 Indianapolis 500 Eddie Sachs–Dave MacDonald crash. Methanol burns invisibly; with the introduction of IRL night races in 1997, the burn was visible for the first time as a light blue haze.
The transition to ethanol began after driver Paul Dana brought sponsorship from the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to his team in 2005. Dana was killed in a crash in 2006, but the IRL had already begun the transition. For 2006 the fuel was a 90%/10% methanol–ethanol blend. From 2007 the league advertised "100% Fuel Grade Ethanol," the first competitive series to use renewable fuel, with the mixture actually 98% ethanol and 2% gasoline from Lifeline Foods of Saint Joseph, Missouri. The 2010 São Paulo Indy 300, held in Brazil outside U.S. regulations, used a full E100 mixture, the first instance in the sport. Sunoco became official fuel supplier from mid-2010 through 2018. For 2012, the ethanol blend rate was reduced to 85%. From 2023, Shell USA supplies 100% ethanol-sourced fuel.
Firestone has supplied tyres since the 1996 season and has been sole supplier since 2000. Goodyear supplied some teams from 1996 to 1999 before withdrawing.
The IRL began as a pure oval series. Alongside the Indianapolis 500, the 1-mile ovals of Phoenix and Loudon were added, along with a new track at Walt Disney World in Florida — the Walt Disney World Speedway — where the first IRL race took place in January 1996. Ovals used mainly by NASCAR were also added, including new tracks in Las Vegas and Fort Worth and existing speedways at Charlotte and Atlanta, but after major accidents and low spectator turnout, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Las Vegas were removed. From 2001, ovals used by CART were added: Homestead and Gateway moved to the IRL calendar, with Walt Disney World dropped in favour of Homestead. New 1.5-mile ovals at Kansas, Kentucky, and Chicagoland were also added. After Roger Penske sold his racetracks — Fontana, Michigan, and Nazareth — to the International Speedway Corporation, the IRL began racing there from 2002. Nazareth Speedway held only three races before ISC closed it in 2004.
In 2005, for the first time, IRL races were held on road and street courses, beginning with St. Petersburg. Sonoma and Watkins Glen were added, and in 2007 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. After the Champ Car World Series dissolved in 2008, IndyCar acquired street races at Long Beach, Detroit, and Toronto, with Road America added in 2016. Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham and Iowa Speedway were also added.
In 2011, the series returned to Las Vegas Motor Speedway, rebuilt for NASCAR with progressive banking up to 20 degrees. A $5 million bonus was offered if a driver from another series won; a record 34 cars entered. A major crash on lap 11 involving inexperienced drivers in pack racing killed defending Indy 500 winner Dan Wheldon. This led to massive media criticism and the removal of all 1.5-mile oval races except Texas Motor Speedway. Since 2012, the calendar has roughly consisted of one-third oval races, one-third permanent road courses, and one-third temporary street courses in larger cities. In 2019, an IndyCar race was held for the first time on a current Formula 1 track, at Circuit of the Americas in Austin. Justin Wilson was fatally injured at Pocono in 2015, contributing to Pocono's removal from the schedule. Texas Motor Speedway was removed from the 2024 schedule; in October 2024, IndyCar announced a return to north Texas for the Grand Prix of Arlington in March 2026, at a 2.73-mile track set up at the Arlington Sports District around AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Field.
The race winner receives 50 points. The top four finishers are separated by ten, five, and three points respectively. Fourth through tenth are separated by two points each; eleventh through twenty-fifth by one point each. Bonus points: one point to the pole-sitter (except at Indianapolis), one point to any driver leading at least one lap, and two additional points to the driver leading the most laps. For the Indianapolis 500, qualifying points are awarded for all 33 starters. From 2014 to 2022, the Indianapolis 500 awarded double points; beginning in 2023, double points were dropped and the race awards standard points.
The three-race inaugural 1996 season was televised on ABC. From 2000 to 2008, ABC and ESPN were exclusive television partners. In 2009, Versus (later NBCSN) and ABC began a 10-year deal; NBCSN broadcast 13 races per season, with the remainder including the Indianapolis 500 on ABC. On 21 March 2018, NBC Sports announced a new three-year agreement beginning in 2019 as sole U.S. rightsholder; NBCSN was the primary outlet with overflow on IndyCar Pass via NBC Sports Gold. The Indianapolis 500 moved to NBC, the first time in 54 years it was not on ABC. The contract was renewed through 2024; with NBCSN's closure, coverage moved to USA Network and Peacock. On 13 June 2024, IndyCar announced media rights would move to Fox Sports beginning in 2025 under a multi-year deal, with all races on Fox and shoulder content on FS1 and FS2.
Internationally, the series has broadcast partners in multiple territories. In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, races have been on BT Sport since August 2013 and returned to Sky Sports from 2019. In Brazil, DAZN has been the broadcast partner since 2019, after a long history on Band (1996–2001 and 2004–2020) and SporTV (2001–2004). In Canada, Sportsnet became the official broadcaster in 2013; TSN returned to broadcasting IndyCar in 2023. In Australia, Stan Sport is the broadcast partner with highlights on the Nine Network.
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