History of IndyCar

[NaBUru38]

I'll open a new thread for historial articles and discussion.


Curt Cavin interviewed Anita Millican, a mechanic and shock expert that worked with Machinists Union, Bobby Unser and Galles.



https://www.indycar.com/News/2021/03/03-19-Millican

[S griffin]

Indycar has such a rich history, it’s a good place for discussion. I would like to see more interviews like the one with Anita and I would like to see stories of Indycar drivers from the past

[jimclark]

History of IndyCar

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

I'll open a new thread for historial articles and discussion.

Curt Cavin interviewed Anita Millican, a mechanic and shock expert that worked with Machinists Union, Bobby Unser and Galles.

https://www.indycar.com/News/2021/03/03-19-Millican

Originally Posted by S griffin

Indycar has such a rich history, it’s a good place for discussion. I would like to see more interviews like the one with Anita and I would like to see stories of Indycar drivers from the past

Nit-picking as I might be, more accurately, "IndyCar's" (the sanctioning body) history is only a quarter of a century deep.

It is "Indy car racing" (type of cars), on the other hand, that has been around for 116 years.

It is the evolution (and interaction) of the sanctioning bodies......American Automobile Association (AAA), 1905-55; United States Auto Club (USAC)' 1956-95; Championship Auto Racing teams (CART), 1979-2003; Champ Car World Series (CCWS), 2004-2007; Indy RacingLeague (IRL),1996-2010; IndyCar (IC), 2011-present.....that is rich in history......the whole story of Indy car racing.

'Just saying.....

[jimclark]

IndyCar (one word) is the sanctioning body.
Indy car (two words) is the type of car.

For instance, having just read the article, how could Howard have been
"an established INDYCAR mechanic and fabricator," when he died in 1995?
IndyCar didn't start running races until 2011.......

He was an established Indy car mechanic and fabricator.

[S griffin]

And there have been various different series. Indy car is quite a generic term. At least we now have the big Indycar series, plus Indy Lights and others like Formula Mazda and Atlantic. And the Indy 500 is still the best.

Anyway keep these stories coming

[jimclark]

Originally Posted by S griffin

And there have been various different series. Indy car is quite a generic term. At least we now have the big Indycar series, plus Indy Lights and others like Formula Mazda and Atlantic. And the Indy 500 is still the best.

An "Indy car" is not as generic as you would have folks believe.

That's what I posted above you.....
"IndyCar" (one word) is the sanctioning body.
"Indy car" (two words) is the type of a car.....coined as they were cars of the type that would run in the Indy 500, not just at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.... (as was the term "Champ car", coined as it could be any car that ran in the National Championship Trail series).
The "feeder" series you mention are not Indy cars in any sense of the word. They would not be eligible for the "500" (IIRC, the Atlantics never ran the IMS oval)

The sanctioning bodies that were the evolution of the CCWS (Champ Car World Series, 2004-2007) were the American Automobile Association (AAA), 1905-55; United States Auto Club (USAC), 1956-95; Championship Auto Racing teams (CART), 1979-2003

IndyCar, (2011-present), is the final (so far) iteration of the original IRL (Indy Racing League, 1996-2010.

These sanctioning bodies (presently IndyCar) ran series/championships that included cars of the type that would run in the Indy 500 (just one race of their champinships), "Indy cars".
In some of their races in the championships, the cars were not Indy cars, as they were not appropriate for the circuit on which the races were run (dirt tracks for instance).

[broadrun96]

Originally Posted by jimclark

The "feeder" series you mention are not Indy cars in any sense of the word. They would not be eligible for the "500" (IIRC, the Atlantics never ran the IMS oval)

I think they, like many other not-Indy Lights guys, always ran at Indianapolis Raceway Park the week of the 500 and not the big track. I think the "new" F2000, Star Mazda, Pro Mazda, etc, run the smaller track as they aren't rated for the speeds for safety. The older Atlantic, F2 and F3 cars entered often as well, were also not rated for the big ovals, even when safety was not a big concern. I believe they ran the rest of the schedule but Indy was off the list.

But the history of cars that have been eligible to run at Indy would, and does, fill many many volumes. It's interesting as it is contrived and full of legal, illegal and not yet against the regs cars. And when it actually paid, LOTS of one-off attempts. Remember F1 guys would come to Indy for the paycheck, rumored to be more than winning multiple F1 races and possibly championship. Not so much that way now.

[bjohnsonsmith]

The term "IndyCar" is not without it's history of litigation. During the CART era, the series was known as the "CART PPG Indy Car World Series", even though CART didn't sanction the 500. In 1992, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway registered the trademark, IndyCar, with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and licensed it to CART as their new tradename.

When IMS President Tony George launched the Indy Racing League in 1996, which was sanctioned by USAC, a legal battle ensued over the trademark. CART filed a lawsuit against the IMS, to protect their license to the IndyCar tradename, after the IMS tried to end it. The IMS responded by filing a lawsuit against CART, to prevent their further use of the tradename.

A settlement was reached. CART agreed to give up using the IndyCar trademark following the 1996 season and the IRL agreed not to use the name until the 2003 season. CART returned to branding as simply CART for 1997, resurrecting the term "Champ Car".

After a six-year hiatus, the IRL announced the series would be renamed the IndyCar Series for the 2003 racing season. In turn CART renamed their's the Champ Car World Series.

[NaBUru38]

Meanwhile in Brazil, the CART Indy Car series had been always known as Fórmula Indy.

For the 1997, SBT decided to rebrand CART as "Fórmula Mundial".