The2006 IRL IndyCar Seriesbegan on March 26 and concluded on September 10.Sam Hornish Jr.won his thirdIndyCar Serieschampionship. Hornish also won the90th Indianapolis 500,passing rookieMarco Andrettion the final lap less than 500 feet (150 m) from the finish line. The title chase was very dramatic betweenPenskedrivers Hornish andHélio CastronevesbattlingGanassidriversDan WheldonandScott Dixon.The four drivers occupied the first four positions in the final race atChicagoland Speedway,with Wheldon leading Dixon home for a Ganassi 1–2, but Hornish finishing third, edging out reigning champion Wheldon on a tiebreak. Third would have been enough to catapult fourth-place finisher Castroneves to take the title, but he instead ended up two points behind Hornish and Wheldon. Dixon was also in strong title contention, finishing a mere 15 points adrift of the championship.
| 2006 IndyCar season | |
|---|---|
| IndyCarSeries | |
| Season | |
| Races | 14 |
| Start date | March 26 |
| End date | September 10 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |  Sam Hornish Jr. |
| Rookie of the Year | Marco Andretti |
| Indianapolis 500winner | Sam Hornish Jr. |
The season was marred by the death ofPaul Danaduring practice at Homestead.
2006 was also the final season forPanozchassis as an official chassis manufacturer inthe series.
Series news
edit2006 for the Indy Racing League was much different from2005.The biggest change being the withdrawal ofChevrolet- andToyota-powered cars from the series, leaving Honda as the only engine manufacturer. There was much speculation after this announcement that because there would not be nearly as much money provided to teams by engine providers as in previous years, many of them would scale back. To some extent, this was true: Ganassi Racing pared its team from three to two cars andPanther RacingandCheever Racingfrom two to one. However,Tony GeorgeandPatrick Dempsey'sVision Racingadded a car for displacedTomas Scheckter.Honda also reduced the costs of both year-long and Indy-only engine leases, promised that all teams would be provided with identical engines and technical support, and that engines would last two races between scheduled rebuilds—all significant cost-cutting measures compared to previous years.
Thechassissituation was little changed from 2005, the largest change being Ganassi Racing's switch fromPanoztoDallarafor oval races. The full-season runners using the Panoz in 2006 wereRahal Letterman Racing's three cars andDelphi Fernandez Racing'sScott Sharp.
2006 also saw the elimination of three rounds of the championship from the 2005 season. ThePhoenix International Racewayrace was cancelled because of scheduling conflicts. TheCalifornia Speedwayround was not retained because the IRL wanted to move its date earlier in the season so as to not conflict with theNFLseason, but a date that was available for both the speedway and the league could not be found. Both the IRL and California Speedway hoped that a race there would return for 2007. ThePikes Peak International Racewaywas eliminated from the 2006 schedule as the track was sold by its owners and subsequently closed. Further explanation for this new schedule was given by the league as being more "compact" and "exciting" and as a method of avoiding lost television ratings and race attendance by finishing their race season before the NFL season. Many critics viewed this shortened schedule as a definite setback for the series, not an improvement.
There were also a handful of significant driver moves, most important of which was 2005 series championDan Wheldonmoving to Ganassi Racing fromAndretti Green Racing,where he was replaced byMarco Andretti.Additionally, Tomas Scheckter moved from Panther Racing to a new car at Vision Racing andVítor Meiramoved from Rahal Letterman to Scheckter's seat at Panther.Paul Danaand his personal sponsor filled Meira's spot at Rahal Letterman.Eddie Cheeverannounced that he would return to the role of owner-driver of his single car team for the first four races, including theIndianapolis 500,andMichael Andrettiannounced he would return to the cockpit to drive alongside his son in the "500".A. J. Foyt IV,who left forNASCAR,was replaced byFelipe GiaffoneinFoyt Enterprises' car, whileBuddy Lazierreturned to a full-time ride in the series by replacing the strugglingRoger Yasukawaat Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.Hemelgarn RacingsignedP. J. Chessonlate in the offseason with backing fromCarmelo Anthonyto replace the outgoing Paul Dana.
There were also ongoing rumors during the offseason that Tony George andChamp CarprincipalKevin Kalkhovenhad been meeting and discussing a potential merger, or a new series that would re-unite open wheel racing in America. The two men have admitted to meeting and enjoying each other's company in skiing and golf, and in separate March 2006 interviews with theLos Angeles Timesadmitted that they were in fact discussing the prospects of combining the two series[1]
Confirmed entries
editFollowing the 2005 season both Chevrolet and Toyota exited the series as Engine suppliers leaving Honda as the sole engine manufacturer in the sport.
All entries utilizeHondaengines andFirestone Firehawktires.[1]
Mid-season changes
edit- Following Paul Dana's death in a crash before the first race, Rahal-Letterman hiredJeff Simmonsto drive the #17 car two races later at Motegi.
- Roberto Moreno replaced an injured Ed Carpenter for round 2 only. Carpenter returned for all the remaining races.
- Following an Indy 500 where both Hemelgarn cars crashed into each other and finished in the last two positions, Hemelgarn Racing, which had been running full-time with P. J. Chesson, ceased operations.
- After theKansas Speedwayrace, Cheever Racing ceased operations due to lack of sponsorship and financial problems. Also, Foyt Enterprises replaced Felipe Giaffone withJeff Bucknum.
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced thatRyan Briscoe,who drove their car to a third place at Watkins Glen, would drive their car in the remaining short oval and road course races instead ofBuddy Lazierand thatSarah Fisherwould race the car at the remaining 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tracks, Kentucky and Chicagoland.
- Marty Rothreturned to the series after crashing in Indy 500 practice and missing the race to drive his own Roth Racing machine in the final 3 oval races of the season (Michigan, Kentucky, and Chicagoland).
Schedule
editThe schedule consisted of 11 oval races, 2 road course races, and one street course race.
OOval/Speedway
RRoad course
SStreet circuit
Results
editRace summaries
editThis race held atHomestead-Miami Speedwaywas run on March 26 and covered byABC.Sam Hornish Jr.won the pole.[2]
The race was marred by a violent crash in the final practice session.Paul Danawas killed in the crash and teammatesDanica PatrickandBuddy Ricewithdrew from the race to honor his memory. He was the third driver to lose his life in the IRL.Ed Carpenterwas also injured and would miss this race plus the next race.[3]
Top ten results
- 10-Dan Wheldon200 laps
- 3-Hélio Castroneves+0.0147 (9th closest finish in IRL history)
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.+0.4744
- 27-Dario Franchitti+0.9401
- 9-Scott Dixon+1.1989
- 55-Kosuke Matsuura+2 laps
- 8-Scott Sharp+2 laps
- 14-Felipe Giaffone+2 laps
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+3 laps
- 51-Eddie Cheever+4 laps
IRL Video Synopsis of the Race
Annotated Video of Race Summary
TheStreets of St. Petersburgrace was held on April 2 and covered byESPN.Dario Franchittiwon the pole, but was knocked out early due to mechanical failure. The race finished under the yellow flag afterTomas ScheckterandBuddy Ricehit the barrier with 4 laps to go. Roberto Moreno replaced Ed Carpenter for this race as Ed recovered from his injury's but finished 18th due to steering issues.
Top ten results
- 3-Hélio Castroneves100 laps
- 9-Scott Dixon+0.1386
- 11-Tony Kanaan+0.6284
- 7-Bryan Herta+0.7813
- 4-Vítor Meira+2.5995
- 16-Danica Patrick+3.0433
- 55-Kosuke Matsuura+52.7172
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.+1 lap
- 14-Felipe Giaffone+1 lap
- 8-Scott Sharp+1 lap
TheTwin Ring Motegi,Japanrace was run on April 22 and covered (via tape delay) by ESPN. Qualifying was rained out and the field was set by entrant points. As a result,Hélio Castronevessat on pole, and for the second race running, Castroneves won the race. This race also saw the return ofEd Carpenterafter the accident atHomestead.Rahal Letterman Racingalso returned the #17 car to competition after sitting out a second race, as Indy Pro Series driverJeff Simmonsmoved up to the seat. While Simmons has two IndyCar Series races to his experience (one the 2004 Indianapolis 500), he is eligible for the Bombardier series Rookie of the Year contest for 2006. However, on lap 42, Simmons was involved in a crash with Scott Sharp and P. J. Chesson which resulted in Simmons sliding along the track upside down. Simmons was uninjured.
Top ten results
- 3-Hélio Castroneves200 laps
- 10-Dan Wheldon+6.3851
- 11-Tony Kanaan+8.6163
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.+9.0011
- 15-Buddy Rice+9.7491
- 7-Bryan Herta+13.8972
- 55-Kosuke Matsuura+14.7633
- 16-Danica Patrick+15.4456
- 9-Scott Dixon+1 lap
- 4-Vítor Meira+1 lap
The Indy 500 was run on May 28 and covered by ABC.Sam Hornish Jr.won the pole with a 4-lap average of 228.985 mph (2:37.2155). It was Hornish's 10th pole of his short, but yet outstanding career. Hornish then went on to win the race, beatingMarco Andrettiin the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history.Dan Wheldonled most laps with 148.
Top ten results
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.200 laps
- 26-Marco Andretti+0.0635
- 1-Michael Andretti+1.0087
- 10-Dan Wheldon+1.2692
- 11-Tony Kanaan+1.6456
- 9-Scott Dixon+3.0566
- 27-Dario Franchitti+5.6249
- 16-Danica Patrick+5.7263
- 8-Scott Sharp+11.1252
- 4-Vítor Meira+17.9554
TheWatkins Glen Internationalrace was run on June 4 and covered by ABC. Qualifying was cancelled due to fog and the field was set based on Friday practice speeds.Hélio Castronevessat on pole. The race was shortened to 55 laps from the scheduled 60 due to the 2 hour time limit. The race also made history as the first everIRLrace to be run in wet conditions. Scott Dixon won from Panther Racing's Vítor Meira and Australia's Ryan Briscoe, of Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.
As of 2020 it was the last-everIndyCar Seriesvictory forPanozchassis to date.
Top ten results
- 9-Scott Dixon55 laps
- 4-Vítor Meira+2.3311
- 5-Ryan Briscoe+2.7999
- 15-Buddy Rice+9.2284
- 14-Felipe Giaffone+11.4811
- 20-Ed Carpenter+12.4427
- 3-Hélio Castroneves+13.0455
- 16-Danica Patrick+13.3289
- 8-Scott Sharp+16.6462
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+48.4872
Video Synopsis of Race
- Annotated Version of IRL Race SummaryArchived2007-09-27 at theWayback Machine
TheTexasrace was run on June 10 and covered by ESPN.Sam Hornish Jr.won the pole.Hélio Castronevescaptured his second Texas win and third win of the season.Dan Wheldonhad led most of the race and looked in control only for a short delay on his final pit stop to drop him back to third.
Top ten results
- 3-Hélio Castroneves200 laps
- 9-Scott Dixon+0.2402
- 10-Dan Wheldon+0.2981
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.+14.5389
- 8-Scott Sharp+14.5895
- 4-Vítor Meira+15.9294
- 11-Tony Kanaan+16.1398
- 55-Kosuke Matsuura+22.3327
- 20-Ed Carpenter+22.9791
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+1 lap
IRL Race Summary
- Annotated Race Summary VideoArchived2007-09-27 at theWayback Machine
TheRichmond International Racewayrace was run on June 24 and covered by ESPN. Qualifying was rained out andHélio Castroneveswon the pole based on combined practice speeds.Sam Hornish Jr.has won the race, leading 212 of 250 laps. The race finished in yellow flag at 4 laps to go due a blown tire fromHélio Castroneveswhich dropped him to 10th place.
Top Ten Results
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.250 laps
- 4-Vítor Meira+0.3907
- 27-Dario Franchitti+1.5895
- 26-Marco Andretti+6.5400
- 8-Scott Sharp+6.6677
- 7-Bryan Herta+10.9217
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+1 lap
- 20-Ed Carpenter+1 lap
- 10-Dan Wheldon+1 lap
- 3-Hélio Castroneves+1 lap
TheKansas Speedwayrace was run on July 2 and covered by ABC.Dan Wheldonwon the pole.Sam Hornish Jr.won the race taking the lead from Wheldon with two laps to go. This was the 50th IRL race where 1st and 2nd were separated by less than a second.
Top ten results
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.200 laps
- 10-Dan Wheldon+0.0793
- 4-Vítor Meira+5.3892
- 9-Scott Dixon+5.5158
- 11-Tony Kanaan+5.7762
- 3-Hélio Castroneves+7.0432
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+9.6925
- 55-Kosuke Matsuura+9.9881
- 26-Marco Andretti+1 lap
- 17-Jeff Simmons+1 lap
TheNashville Superspeedwayrace was run on July 15 and covered by ESPN.Dan Wheldonwon the pole.Scott Dixonwon his second race of the season and captured his first win on an oval since 2003.
Top ten results:
- 9-Scott Dixon200 laps
- 10-Dan Wheldon+0.1176
- 4-Vítor Meira+1.2756
- 16-Danica Patrick+2.5019
- 3-Hélio Castroneves+3.5647
- 27-Dario Franchitti+11.9449
- 17-Jeff Simmons+1 lap
- 26-Marco Andretti+1 lap
- 5-Ryan Briscoe+1 lap
- 20-Ed Carpenter+2 laps
The Milwaukee Milerace was run on July 23 and covered by ESPN.Hélio Castroneveswon the pole.Tony Kanaanled most of the race and gaveAndretti Green Racingits first win of the season.
Top ten results
- 11-Tony Kanaan225 laps
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.+1.8276
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+2.0114
- 16-Danica Patrick+8.4708
- 26-Marco Andretti+10.2611
- 27-Dario Franchitti+11.2373
- 7-Bryan Herta+14.1195
- 10-Dan Wheldon+1 lap
- 17-Jeff Simmons+2 laps
- 9-Scott Dixon+2 laps
TheMichigan International Speedwayrace was run on July 30 and covered by ABC. The race start was delayed almost 3 hours and the race was aired tape delayed onESPN2.Hélio Castronevesgot his fourth race win of the season from the pole.
Top ten results:
- 3-Hélio Castroneves200 laps
- 4-Vítor Meira+1.6229
- 10-Dan Wheldon+6.2259
- 11-Tony Kanaan+6.9874
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+27.9005
- 8-Scott Sharp+28.5560
- 20-Ed Carpenter+1 lap
- 26-Marco Andretti+1 lap
- 55-Kosuke Matsuura+1 lap
- 17-Jeff Simmons+1 lap
TheKentucky Speedwayrace was run on August 13 and covered by ABC.Hélio Castroneveswon the pole.Sam Hornish Jr.captured his 4th win of the year and re-took the points lead. This was also the second IRL race with two female drivers in the field, the first was the2000 Indianapolis 500.
Top ten results:
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.200 laps
- 9-Scott Dixon+0.5866
- 3-Hélio Castroneves+0.6511
- 10-Dan Wheldon+1.8913
- 11-Tony Kanaan+2.3049
- 4-Vítor Meira+2.5191
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+2.8124
- 16-Danica Patrick+3.2408
- 27-Dario Franchitti+4.7070
- 7-Bryan Herta+4.7966
TheInfineon Racewayrace was run on August 27 and covered by ESPN.Scott Dixonwon the pole.Marco Andrettibecame the youngest winner of a major open wheel race and the first new IRL winner sinceAdrian Fernandezin2004.
Top ten results:
- 26-Marco Andretti80 laps
- 27-Dario Franchitti+0.6557
- 4-Vítor Meira+10.6535
- 9-Scott Dixon+11.1867
- 3-Hélio Castroneves+12.5049
- 10-Dan Wheldon+13.4493
- 17-Jeff Simmons+13.8754
- 16-Danica Patrick+15.7417
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.+16.3369
- 7-Bryan Herta+18.5571
TheChicagoland Speedwayrace was run on September 10 and covered by ABC.Sam Hornish Jr.won the pole and clinched the championship by finishing third.Dan Wheldonwon the race and tied Hornish in season points, but lost the title due to the tiebreaker (most wins).
Top ten results:
- 10-Dan Wheldon200 laps
- 9-Scott Dixon+0.1897
- 6-Sam Hornish Jr.+0.2323
- 3-Hélio Castroneves+2.6913
- 20-Ed Carpenter+1 lap
- 4-Vítor Meira+1 lap
- 11-Tony Kanaan+1 lap
- 17-Jeff Simmons+1 lap
- 8-Scott Sharp+1 lap
- 2-Tomas Scheckter+1 lap
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.
- †Paul Danacollided withEd Carpenter's disabled car in the practice session atHomestead-Miami Speedway.Dana was transported to a hospital, where he died due to complications from his injuries sustained in the crash. He was 30 years old.
See also
editFootnotes
edit- ^Used fromHomesteadtoWatkins Glen,and atSonoma.
- ^Used in the road courses.
References
edit- ^"IRL IndyCar Series – 2006: Entrylist".Speedsport Magazine.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
- ^"Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole for…".Chicago Tribune.March 26, 2006.RetrievedApril 2,2024.
- ^Caldwell, Dave (March 26, 2006)."Indy Racing Rookie Dies in Crash During Practice".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 2,2024.