1999 Indy Racing League

1999 Indy Racing League season
Pep Boys Indy Racing League
1999 Indy Racing League
Season
Races	11
Start date	January 24
End date	October 17
Awards
Drivers' champion	Greg Ray
Manufacturers' Cup	Oldsmobile
Rookie of the Year	Scott Harrington
Indianapolis 500 winner	Kenny Bräck
←  1998 2000  →

Greg Ray won his first and only Drivers' Championship while Kenny Bräck (pictured) finished second in the championship.

The 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League was highly competitive and parity was the order of the year. Team Menard had a very good season with their driver Greg Ray capturing 3 race wins and the series championship. This was the last year before CART teams began to break ranks and jump to the IRL.

Confirmed entries

Team	Chassis	Engine	Tires	No.	Drivers	Round(s)
Team Menard	Dallara	Oldsmobile	F	2	Greg Ray	All
				32	Robby Gordon	4
Brant Motorsports	Riley & Scott	Oldsmobile	G	3	Andy Michner	1–3
					Raul Boesel	4–7
Panther Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	G	4	Scott Goodyear	All
				43	Dave Steele	4
Treadway Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	F	5	Jason Leffler  R	1
					Arie Luyendyk	4
				99	Sam Schmidt	All
Nienhouse Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	F / G	6	Eliseo Salazar	All
Dick Simon Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	F	7	Stéphan Grégoire	All
Kelley Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	G	8	Scott Sharp	All
				28	Mark Dismore	All
Galles Racing	G-Force Dallara	Oldsmobile	G	9	Davey Hamilton	1, 4–11
Byrd-Cunningham Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	F	10	John Paul Jr.	1–3
					Andy Michner	4
A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Dallara	Oldsmobile	G	11	Billy Boat	All
				14	Kenny Bräck	All
				41	Marco Greco	4
				84	Robbie Buhl	4
Bradley Motorsports	Dallara G-Force	Oldsmobile	F	12	Buzz Calkins	All
DR/Lazier Racing	G-Force	Infiniti	G	15	Jaques Lazier  R	2, 4
Phoenix Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	F	16	Marco Greco	2
Tri-Star Motorsports	Dallara	Oldsmobile	G	17	Dr. Jack Miller	4, 7
					Ronnie Johncox  R	10–11
				22		5, 7–9
					Gualter Salles	1
					Tony Stewart	4
					Robbie Buhl	10–11
PDM Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	G	18	Steve Knapp	1
					Mike Borkowski  R	3–4
Metro Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	G	19	Stan Wattles	1, 3–5
Blueprint-Immke Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	F	20	Tyce Carlson	All
	G-Force			27	Niclas Jönsson	10–11
Pagan Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	G	21	Jeff Ward	2–11
Barnhart Motorsports	Dallara	Oldsmobile	G	25	Davey Hamilton	2–3
Truscelli Team Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	G	26	Bobby Regester  R	9
				33	Brian Tyler	1
					Roberto Moreno	2–4
					Jaques Lazier  R	5–11
McCormack Motorsports	G-Force	Oldsmobile	F	30	Raul Boesel	1–3
					Jimmy Kite	4–9
					Willy T. Ribbs	10
					John Paul Jr.	11
				31	Nick Firestone	4
Coulson Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	F	34	Jim Guthrie	4
ISM Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	G	35	Jeff Ward	1
					Steve Knapp	2–7
				36	Brian Tyler	4
Team Xtreme	Dallara	Oldsmobile	F / G	42	John Hollansworth Jr.  R	All
		Infiniti		46	Mike Groff	4
Mid America Motorsports	Dallara	Oldsmobile	F	43	Doug Didero	11
Sinden Racing	Dallara	Infiniti	F	44	Robbie Buhl	1–3
Team Pelfrey	Dallara	Oldsmobile	F	48	Sarah Fisher  R	11
				81	Robby Unser	All
				90	Lyn St. James	4
Cobb Racing	G-Force	Infiniti	F	50	Roberto Guerrero	1–2, 4–5
				96	Jeret Schroeder	4
Team Cheever	Dallara	Oldsmobile Infiniti	G	51	Eddie Cheever	All
				52	Wim Eyckmans  R	4
Beck Motorsports	Dallara	Oldsmobile	F	54	Hideshi Matsuda	4
Conti Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	F	55	Robby McGehee  R	3–11
Harrington Motorsports	Dallara	Infiniti Oldsmobile	F	66	Scott Harrington  R	All
Hemelgarn Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	G	91	Buddy Lazier	All
				92	Johnny Unser	3–7, 10–11
Cahill Racing	Dallara G-Force	Oldsmobile	F	98	Donnie Beechler	All

Schedule

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Track	Location
1	January 24	TransWorld Diversified Services Indy 200	Walt Disney World Speedway	Bay Lake, Florida
2	March 28	MCI WorldCom 200	Phoenix International Raceway	Avondale, Arizona
3	May 1	VisionAire 500K	Lowe's Motor Speedway	Concord, North Carolina
4	May 30	Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana
5	June 12	Longhorn 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, Texas
6	June 27	Radisson 200	Pikes Peak International Raceway	Fountain, Colorado
7	July 17	Kobalt Mechanics Tools 500	Atlanta Motor Speedway	Hampton, Georgia
8	August 1	MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200	Dover International Speedway	Dover, Delaware
9	August 29	Colorado Indy 200	Pikes Peak International Raceway	Fountain, Colorado
10	September 26	Vegas.com 500	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Las Vegas, Nevada
11	October 17	Mall.com 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, Texas
Sources: [1] [2]

Results

All races were run on oval speedways.

Rd.	Race	Pole position	Fastest lap	Most laps led	Race winner
					Driver	Team	Chassis	Engine
1	Walt Disney World	Scott Sharp	Scott Sharp	Scott Sharp	Eddie Cheever	Team Cheever	Dallara	Oldsmobile
2	Phoenix	Greg Ray	Scott Goodyear	Scott Goodyear	Scott Goodyear	Panther Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile
3	Charlotte	Greg Ray	Race abandoned after 79 laps due to the deaths of three spectators
4	Indianapolis	Arie Luyendyk	Greg Ray	Kenny Bräck	Kenny Bräck	A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Dallara	Oldsmobile
5	Texas 1	Mark Dismore	Sam Schmidt	Greg Ray	Scott Goodyear	Panther Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile
6	Pikes Peak 1	Greg Ray	Mark Dismore	Greg Ray	Greg Ray	Team Menard	Dallara	Oldsmobile
7	Atlanta	Billy Boat	Jaques Lazier	Scott Goodyear	Scott Sharp	Kelley Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile
8	Dover	Mark Dismore	Mark Dismore	Mark Dismore	Greg Ray	Team Menard	Dallara	Oldsmobile
9	Pikes Peak 2	Greg Ray	Buddy Lazier	Greg Ray	Greg Ray	Team Menard	Dallara	Oldsmobile
10	Las Vegas	Sam Schmidt	Tyce Carlson	Kenny Bräck	Sam Schmidt	Treadway Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile
11	Texas 2	Greg Ray	Scott Goodyear	Scott Goodyear	Mark Dismore	Kelley Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile

Race summaries

TransWorld Diversified Services Indy 200

The TransWorld Diversified Services Indy 200 was held on January 24 at Walt Disney World Speedway. Scott Sharp qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on ABC.

Top 10 results

1. 51 - Eddie Cheever
2. 4 - Scott Goodyear
3. 35 - Jeff Ward
4. 8 - Scott Sharp
5. 30 - Raul Boesel
6. 28 - Mark Dismore
7. 18 - Steve Knapp
8. 9 - Davey Hamilton
9. 11 - Billy Boat
10. 91 - Buddy Lazier

• Failed to qualify: 6 - Eliseo Salazar

MCI WorldCom 200

The MCI WorldCom 200 was held on March 28 at Phoenix International Raceway. Greg Ray qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on Fox Sports Net.

Top ten results

1. 4 - Scott Goodyear
2. 21 - Jeff Ward
3. 44 - Robbie Buhl
4. 11 - Billy Boat
5. 66 - Scott Harrington
6. 33 - Roberto Moreno
7. 28 - Mark Dismore
8. 8 - Scott Sharp
9. 99 - Sam Schmidt
10. 7 - Stéphan Grégoire

• Goodyear's first IndyCar win since the 1994 Marlboro 500 at Michigan International Speedway, and his first in IRL competition.
• Prior to this race, Ward left ISM Racing to drive for Pagan Racing.

VisionAire 500K

The VisionAire 500K was on held May 1 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Greg Ray qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on Speedvision.

Top 10 on lap 79:

1. 2 - Greg Ray
2. 4 - Scott Goodyear
3. 51 - Eddie Cheever
4. 99 - Sam Schmidt
5. 98 - Donnie Beechler
6. 8 - Scott Sharp
7. 91 - Buddy Lazier
8. 28 - Mark Dismore
9. 55 - Robby McGehee
10. 14 - Kenny Bräck

• Failed to qualify: 35 - Steve Knapp
• On lap 62, Stan Wattles crashed after suffering a suspension failure. John Paul Jr. made contact, sending Wattles' right rear wheel and tire assembly into the grandstand. Scott Harrington also spun in the incident. ^[3]
• The race continued under caution, with Lazier initially leading until he had to make a pit stop to replace a punctured tire, giving Ray the lead. On lap 79, the race was stopped, so that medical helicopters could land.
• The race was stopped permanently by track general manager Humpy Wheeler when it was announced that 3 spectators were killed. As a result, fans and participants were offered refunds.
• The race was scratched from the record books, due to the fact that it did not reach the official race distance of 105 laps (the halfway point plus one lap, unlike the FIA Code, which is simply making it to the start of the fourth lap).
• Due to this race and a similar incident (where 3 people were killed) at the CART 1998 U.S. 500 at Michigan International Speedway, wheel tethers were added to open-wheel cars.
• This would be the final IndyCar race at Charlotte.

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500 was held on May 30 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Arie Luyendyk qualified on the pole position.

Top 10 results

1. 14 - Kenny Bräck
2. 21 - Jeff Ward
3. 11 - Billy Boat
4. 32 - Robby Gordon
5. 55 - Robby McGehee
6. 84 - Robbie Buhl
7. 91 - Buddy Lazier
8. 81 - Robby Unser
9. 22 - Tony Stewart
10. 54 - Hideshi Matsuda

• Failed to qualify: 7 - Stéphan Grégoire, 10 - John Paul Jr., 10 - Andy Michner, 15 - Jaques Lazier, 15 - Troy Reiger, 18 - Mike Borkowski, 18 - Ronnie Johncox, 19 - Stan Wattles, 34 - Nick Firestone, 34 - Jim Guthrie, 36 - Brian Tyler, 36 - Vincenzo Sospiri, 43 - Dave Steele, 46 - Mike Groff, 66 - Scott Harrington, and 90 - Lyn St. James
• Until 2006, this race had the latest pass for the lead in Indianapolis 500 history when Gordon pitted on Lap 199, and Bräck took the lead in Turn 4.
• Combined, Arie Luyendyk and Greg Ray led 95 laps. Luyendyk crashed while attempting to lap Tyce Carlson on Lap 118, and during the ensuing caution, Ray was hit by Mark Dismore while exiting his pit stall.
• The day before the race, the Motorola 300 at Gateway International Raceway for the FedEx CART Championship Series was held. Gordon and Roberto Moreno competed in the race (Gordon competed full-time in CART and did Indianapolis as a one-off for Team Menard, due to Menards being his sponsor in the series, and Moreno was hired as an injury replacement at PacWest Racing for Mark Blundell, while concurrently driving for Truscelli Racing in the IRL). Moreno finished 4th and Gordon 27th due to a crash.
• Stewart, who moved to the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, did Double Duty by competing at Indianapolis and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. He finished 9th at Indianapolis, 4 laps down, and 4th at Charlotte on the lead lap, despite being moved to the rear of the field due to missing the drivers meeting.
• Rookie of the Year McGehee had an incident during a pit stop where a pit crew member hit the ground, but survived.
• This race was planned on being Luyendyk's final race. However, he returned to race part-time from 2001 to 2003.
• 4 drivers named either Robby or Robbie finished in the Top 10.

Longhorn 500

The Longhorn 500 was held on June 12 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mark Dismore qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on Fox Sports Net.

Top 10 results

1. 4 - Scott Goodyear
2. 2 - Greg Ray
3. 99 - Sam Schmidt
4. 7 - Stéphan Grégoire
5. 6 - Eliseo Salazar
6. 81 - Robby Unser
7. 9 - Davey Hamilton
8. 28 - Mark Dismore
9. 12 - Buzz Calkins
10. 8 - Scott Sharp

• Failed to qualify: 19 - Stan Wattles and 50 - Roberto Guerrero
• Ray entered the race 20th in points and left 8th.

Radisson 200

The Radisson 200 was held on June 27 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Greg Ray qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on Fox Sports Net.

Top 10 results

1. 2 - Greg Ray
2. 99 - Sam Schmidt
3. 9 - Davey Hamilton
4. 51 - Eddie Cheever
5. 91 - Buddy Lazier
6. 81 - Robby Unser
7. 14 - Kenny Bräck
8. 8 - Scott Sharp
9. 21 - Jeff Ward
10. 33 - Jaques Lazier

• Ray's first IndyCar win.
• Ray led 109 of 200 laps on his way to victory. Schmidt led the other 91 laps.

Kobalt Mechanics Tools 500

The Kobalt Mechanics Tools 500 was held on July 17 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Billy Boat qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on Fox Sports Net.

Top 10 results

1. 8 - Scott Sharp
2. 81 - Robby Unser
3. 14 - Kenny Bräck
4. 6 - Eliseo Salazar
5. 12 - Buzz Calkins
6. 51 - Eddie Cheever
7. 9 - Davey Hamilton
8. 98 - Donnie Beechler
9. 30 - Jimmy Kite
10. 11 - Billy Boat

• Unser's best IndyCar finish.

MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200

The MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200 was held on August 1 at Dover Downs International Speedway. Mark Dismore qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on Fox.

Top 10 results

1. 2 - Greg Ray
2. 91 - Buddy Lazier
3. 14 - Kenny Bräck
4. 11 - Billy Boat
5. 99 - Sam Schmidt
6. 66 - Scott Harrington
7. 33 - Jaques Lazier
8. 12 - Buzz Calkins
9. 55 - Robby McGehee
10. 98 - Donnie Beechler

Colorado Indy 200

The Colorado Indy 200 was held on August 29 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Greg Ray qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on Fox Sports Net.

Top 10 results

1. 2 - Greg Ray
2. 9 - Davey Hamilton
3. 28 - Mark Dismore
4. 91 - Buddy Lazier
5. 99 - Sam Schmidt
6. 66 - Scott Harrington
7. 55 - Robby McGehee
8. 30 - Jimmy Kite
9. 81 - Robby Unser
10. 14 - Kenny Bräck

• This would be the final race aired on Fox. After this race, ESPN/ABC purchased the rights for the remaining two races.

Vegas.com 500

The Vegas.com 500 was held on September 26 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sam Schmidt qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on ESPN.

Top 10 results

1. 99- Sam Schmidt
2. 14- Kenny Bräck
3. 22- Robbie Buhl
4. 8- Scott Sharp
5. 12- Buzz Calkins
6. 55- Robby McGehee
7. 33- Jaques Lazier
8. 7- Stephan Gregoire
9. 20- Tyce Carlson
10. 21- Jeff Ward

• Entering the season-finale, Greg Ray led Bräck by 15 points, Schmidt by 30 points, Sharp by 46 points, and Scott Goodyear by 48 points.
• Schmidt's only IndyCar win.

Mall.com 500

The Mall.com 500 was held on October 17 at Texas Motor Speedway. Greg Ray qualified on the pole position. The race was broadcast on ABC.

Top 10 results

1. 28 - Mark Dismore
2. 9 - Davey Hamilton
3. 2 - Greg Ray
4. 51 - Eddie Cheever
5. 42 - John Hollansworth Jr.
6. 66 - Scott Harrington
7. 33 - Jaques Lazier
8. 12 - Buzz Calkins
9. 11 - Billy Boat
10. 91 - Buddy Lazier

• Failed to qualify: 27 - Niclas Jönsson and 92 - Johnny Unser
• Points leader Ray was the only championship eligible driver to finish in the top 5 and top 10, finishing 3rd. Scott Goodyear finished 23rd due to a crash, Scott Sharp finished 19th due to an engine failure, Sam Schmidt finished 22nd due to a separate crash, and Kenny Bräck finished 16th, 22 laps down.
• There were several changes in the top 10 in points following this race, due to 3rd being separated from 10th by 31 points. Race winner Dismore moved up from 11th to 3rd, Jeff Ward (at one time the points leader) dropped from 7th to 11th, Sharp dropped from 4th to 8th, Goodyear dropped from 5th to 9th, and Hamilton moved up from 7th to 4th.
• Dismore's only IndyCar win.
• Schmidt's final IndyCar race. His career would end due to a testing crash at Walt Disney World Speedway in January 2000 that left him paralyzed.
• Sarah Fisher made her IndyCar debut in this race, becoming the first woman since Lyn St. James at the 1997 Indianapolis 500 to start an IndyCar race. She started 17th, but finished 25th due to a broken timing chain.

Points standings

Further information: List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems

Pos Driver WDW PHX CHA INDY TMS1 PPR1 ATL DOV PPR2 LVS TMS2 Pts 1 Greg Ray 21 21 C1 21 2* 1* 23 1 1* 21 3 293 2 Kenny Bräck 22 24 C1 1* 13 7 3 3 10 2* 16 256 3 Mark Dismore 6 7 C1 16 8 21 17 15* 3 20 1 240 4 Davey Hamilton 8 27 C1 11 7 3 7 23 2 13 2 237 5 Sam Schmidt 27 9 C1 30 3 2 22 5 5 1 22 233 6 Buddy Lazier 10 18 C1 7 14 5 21 2 4 11 10 224 7 Eddie Cheever 1 17 C1 18 16 4 6 21 11 17 4 222 8 Scott Sharp 4* 8 C1 28 10 8 1 22 22 4 19 220 9 Scott Goodyear 2 1* C1 27 1 12 16* 17 21 25 23* 217 10 Robby Unser 15 26 C1 8 6 6 2 12 9 16 14 209 11 Jeff Ward 3 2 C1 2 18 9 26 13 23 10 21 206 12 Billy Boat 9 4 C1 3 24 24 10 4 13 22 9 204 13 Buzz Calkins 17 14 C1 19 9 14 5 8 15 5 8 201 14 Scott Harrington  RY  25 5 C1 DNQ DNS 19 15 6 6 14 6 165 15 Stéphan Grégoire 16 10 C1 DNQ 4 11 24 14 14 8 15 162 16 Robby McGehee  R  C1 5 19 Wth 14 9 7 6 12 156 17 John Hollansworth Jr.  R  19 15 C1 13 20 16 19 19 16 19 5 146 18 Jaques Lazier  R  DNS DNQ 22 10 12 7 12 7 7 144 19 Tyce Carlson 12 23 C1 14 21 23 20 11 17 9 13 139 20 Eliseo Salazar DNQ 20 C1 33 5 20 4 18 19 12 17 137 21 Donnie Beechler 26 11 C1 29 17 22 8 10 20 18 11 130 22 Robbie Buhl 20 3 C1 6 3 24 114 23 Raul Boesel 5 19 C1 12 23 18 11 98 24 Jimmy Kite 24 25 15 9 16 8 86 25 Steve Knapp 7 25 26 12 17 27 69 26 Ronnie Johncox  R  11 25 20 24 15 26 59 27 Johnny Unser C1 32 15 13 13 23 57 28 John Paul Jr. 11 22 C1 Wth 18 39 29 Roberto Moreno 6 C1 20 38 30 Roberto Guerrero 13 16 25 36 31 Robby Gordon 4 32 32 Andy Michner 18 13 C1 DNQ 29 33 Tony Stewart 9 22 34 Hideshi Matsuda 10 20 35 Stan Wattles 24 C1 17 19 36 Marco Greco 12 DNQ 18 37 Brian Tyler 14 DNQ 16 38 Jeret Schroeder  R  15 15 39 Dr. Jack Miller 31 18 13 40 Bobby Regester  R  18 12 41 Arie Luyendyk 22 11 42 Doug Didero  R  20 10 43 Niclas Jönsson  R  24 DNS 9 44 Gualter Salles 23 7 45 Wim Eyckmans  R  23 7 46 Sarah Fisher  R  25 5 47 Willy T. Ribbs 26 4 48 Jason Leffler  R  28 2 – Mike Borkowski C1 DNQ 0 – Nick Firestone DNQ 0 – Mike Groff DNQ 0 – Jim Guthrie DNQ 0 – Lyn St. James DNQ 0 – Dave Steele Wth 0 Pos Driver WDW PHX CHA INDY TMS1 PPR1 ATL DOV PPR2 LVS TMS2 Pts

Color Result Gold Winner Silver 2nd place Bronze 3rd place Green 4th & 5th place Light Blue 6th–10th place Dark Blue Finished (Outside Top 10) Purple Did not finish (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Brown Withdrawn (Wth) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Not competing In-line notation Bold Pole position (2 points) Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps (1 point) DNS Any driver who qualifies but does not start (DNS), earns all the points had they taken part.  RY  Rookie of the Year  R  Rookie

¹ The 1999 VisionAire 500K at Charlotte was cancelled after 79 laps due to spectator fatalities.

• 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 points).

References

1. "NTT IndyCar Series Calendar 1999". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
2. "Schedule". Indy Racing League. Archived from the original on October 11, 1999. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
3. Preliminary Charlotte Crash Details Outlined, The Auto Channel, May 15, 1999

See also

• 1999 Indianapolis 500
• 1999 Indy Lights season
• 1999 CART season
• 1999 Toyota Atlantic Championship season
• http://champcarstats.com/year/1999i.htm
• http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (p. 135–136)