The2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Serieswas another season that saw a high level of parity, as only one driver, championBuddy Lazier,won more than a single race. It also saw the beginning of the jump fromCARTasAl Unser Jr.moved to the series full-time andChip Ganassi Racingcame over to run the Indy 500, which it won with driverJuan Pablo Montoya.It was also the final season for theRiley & Scottchassis, which also saw its first series win in 2000.
| 2000 Indy Racing League season | |
|---|---|
| Indy Racing Northern Light Series | |
 2000 Indy Racing League | |
| Season | |
| Races | |
| Start date | January 29 |
| End date | October 15 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |  Buddy Lazier |
| Manufacturers' Cup | Oldsmobile |
| Rookie of the Year |  Airton Daré |
| Indianapolis 500winner |  Juan Pablo Montoya |
This articleneeds additional citations forverification.(November 2023) |
A planned race atClevelandwas cancelled on September 9, 1999, and reverted to aCARTevent.
Confirmed entries
editThe 5 year tire war between Goodyear and Firestone in both CART and the IRL ended after Goodyear left both series as a tire supplier in 1999. This meant from this season onward all teams used Firestone tires.
Season Summary
editSchedule
edit| Rnd | Date | Race Name | Track | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | January 29 | Delphi Indy 200 | Walt Disney World Speedway | Bay Lake, Florida |
| 2 | March 19 | MCI WorldCom Indy 200 | Phoenix International Raceway | Phoenix, Arizona |
| 3 | April 22 | Vegas Indy 300 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| 4 | May 28 | 84th Indianapolis 500 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana |
| 5 | June 11 | Casino Magic 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, Texas |
| 6 | June 18 | Radisson 200 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, Colorado |
| 7 | July 15 | Midas 500 Classic | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, Georgia |
| 8 | August 27 | Belterra Resort Indy 300 | Kentucky Speedway | Sparta, Kentucky |
| 9 | October 15 | Excite 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Sources:[1][2] | ||||
Race results
editNote: All races running on Oval/Speedway.
Race summaries
editDelphi Indy 200
editThe final Delphi Indy 200 race was held January 29 atWalt Disney World Speedway.Greg Raywon the pole.
Top ten results
- 24-Robbie Buhl
- 91-Buddy Lazier
- 51-Eddie Cheever
- 4-Scott Goodyear
- 11-Eliseo Salazar
- 98-Donnie Beechler
- 14-Jeff Ward
- 12-Buzz Calkins
- 81-Billy Boat
- 55-Robby McGehee
- This wasRobbie Buhl's 2nd and final IndyCar victory.
- This was the finalIndy Racing Leagueevent at the track.
MCI WorldCom Indy 200
editThis race was held March 19 atPhoenix International Raceway.Greg Raywon the pole.
Top ten results
- 91-Buddy Lazier
- 4-Scott Goodyear
- 98-Donnie Beechler
- 11-Eliseo Salazar
- 8-Scott Sharp
- 81-Billy Boat
- 24-Robbie Buhl
- 7-Stephan Gregoire
- 3-Al Unser Jr.
- 51-Eddie Cheever
- This was the first victory for the Riley & Scott chassis
Vegas Indy 300
editThis race was held April 22 atLas Vegas Motor Speedway.Mark Dismorewon the pole.
Top ten results
- 3-Al Unser Jr.
- 28-Mark Dismore
- 18-Sam Hornish Jr.R
- 6-Jeret SchroederR
- 24-Robbie Buhl
- 5-Robby McGehee
- 81-Billy Boat
- 20-Tyce Carlson
- 1-Greg Ray
- 33-Jaques Lazier
- This wasAl Unser Jr.'s 1st victory since the 1995 CART Molson Indy Vancouver and his 1st IRL victory.
The Indy 500 was held May 28 atIndianapolis Motor Speedway.Greg Raysat on pole.
Top ten results
- 9-Juan Pablo MontoyaR
- 91-Buddy Lazier
- 11-Eliseo Salazar
- 14-Jeff Ward
- 51-Eddie Cheever
- 32-Robby Gordon
- 10-Jimmy Vasser
- 7-Stephan Gregoire
- 4-Scott Goodyear
- 8-Scott Sharp
- Juan Pablo Montoyawas the 1st rookie sinceGraham Hill(1966) to win the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie.
- Buddy Laziertook over the points lead after this race by 26 points over Robbie Buhl.
Casino Magic 500
editThis race was held June 11 atTexas Motor Speedway.Qualifying was rained out andBuddy Lazierwas on the pole based on points standings.
Top ten results
- 8-Scott Sharp
- 5-Robby McGehee
- 3-Al Unser Jr.
- 12-Buzz Calkins
- 4-Scott Goodyear
- 28-Mark Dismore
- 91-Buddy Lazier
- 55-Shigeaki HattoriR
- 51-Eddie Cheever
- 88-Airton DaréR
- This wasRobby McGehee's best ever finish.
- Shigeaki Hattoridebuts after a disappointing1999 CART seasonwhich ended after his CART competition license was revoked at Laguna Seca.
Radisson 200
editThis race was held June 18 atPikes Peak International Raceway.Greg Raywon the pole.
Top ten results
- 51-Eddie Cheever
- 88-Airton DaréR
- 8-Scott Sharp
- 28-Mark Dismore
- 98-Donnie Beechler
- 11-Eliseo Salazar
- 6-Jeret SchroederR
- 7-Stephan Gregoire
- 33-Jaques Lazier
- 3-Al Unser Jr.
- This was theInfinitiengine's 1st victory.
- This was Cheevers penultimate IndyCar victory.
Midas 500 Classic
editThis race was held July 15 atAtlanta Motor Speedway.Greg Raywon the pole.
Top ten results
- 1-Greg Ray
- 91-Buddy Lazier
- 3-Al Unser Jr.
- 5-Robby McGehee
- 98-Donnie Beechler
- 24-Robbie Buhl
- 7-Stephan Gregoire
- 81-Billy Boat
- 55-Shigeaki HattoriR
- 11-Eliseo Salazar
Belterra Resort Indy 300
editThe inauguralIndy Racing Leagueevent was held August 27 atKentucky Speedway.Scott Goodyearwon the pole.
Top ten results
- 91-Buddy Lazier
- 4-Scott Goodyear
- 15-Sarah FisherR
- 51-Eddie Cheever
- 7-Stephan Gregoire
- 14-Jeff Ward
- 1-Greg Ray
- 55-Shigeaki HattoriR
- 18-Sam Hornish Jr.R
- 98-Donnie Beechler
- This wasRoberto Guerrero's final IndyCar race he qualified for. He would blow an engine after completing 48 laps and would finish 23rd.
- Sarah Fisherbecomes the first woman to lead laps and finish on the Podium in an IRL race.
Excite 500
editThis race was held October 15 atTexas Motor Speedway.Greg Raywon the pole.
Top ten results
- 4-Scott Goodyear
- 51-Eddie Cheever
- 81-Billy Boat
- 91-Buddy Lazier
- 11-Eliseo Salazar
- 98-Donnie Beechler
- 55-Shigeaki HattoriR
- 14-Jeff Ward
- 12-Buzz Calkins
- 16-Jaques Lazier
- This was the final race victory forScott Goodyearas he lost his ride toSam Hornish Jr.in the off-season, then during the2001 Indianapolis 500he would suffer career ending injuries after a huge accident during that race.
Final points standings
edit
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- 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.
Additional points were awarded to the pole winner (3 points), the second best qualifier (2 points), the third best qualifier (1 point) and to the driver leading the most laps (2 point).
See also
edit- 2000 Indianapolis 500
- 2000 Indy Lights season
- 2000 CART season
- 2000 Toyota Atlantic Championship season
- https://web.archive.org/web/20160304065043/http://www.champcarstats.com/year/2000i.htm
- http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdfArchived2016-03-04 at theWayback Machine(p. 130–131)
References
edit- ^"NTT IndyCar Series Calendar 2000".Motorsport Stats.RetrievedNovember 17,2023.
- ^"2000 Schedule".Indy Racing League.Archived fromthe originalon June 21, 2000.RetrievedNovember 17,2023.