The 2005 IRL IndyCar Series began on Sunday, March 6 and ended on Sunday, October 16. The season, which consisted of 17 races, was the 10th season of the IRL IndyCar Series since it split from CART in 1995.
The 2006 IRL IndyCar Series began on March 26 and concluded on September 10. Sam Hornish Jr. won his third IndyCar Series championship. Hornish also won the 90th Indianapolis 500, passing rookie Marco Andretti on the final lap less than 500 feet (150 m) from the finish line. The title chase was very dramatic between Penske drivers Hornish and Hélio Castroneves battling Ganassi drivers Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon. The four drivers occupied the first four positions in the final race at Chicagoland 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.
Panther Racing was an American open wheel auto racing team. It was one of the oldest continually operating teams in the IndyCar Series.
The 2004 IRL IndyCar Series was dominated by two teams, Andretti Green Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing. While there was great parity in 2003 between Honda and Toyota powered teams, in 2004 Honda began to outshine Toyota bringing their teams Penske Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing down with it, leaving Scott Dixon winless and in 10th place in his attempt to defend his 2003 championship.
The 1996–97 Indy Racing League was the second season contested by the Indy Racing League. Tony Stewart was the champion, while Arie Luyendyk won the Indianapolis 500. The lengthy season was a result of the league abandoning the concept of ending each season with the Indianapolis 500. The 1996–97 season would ultimately consist of the two races that followed the Indy 500 in the calendar year of 1996, and all events contested in the calendar year of 1997. It also saw the introduction of a new chassis and engine package.
The 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series was another season that saw a high level of parity, as only one driver, champion Buddy Lazier, won more than a single race. It also saw the beginning of the jump from CART as Al Unser Jr. moved to the series full-time and Chip Ganassi Racing came over to run the Indy 500, which it won with driver Juan Pablo Montoya. It was also the final season for the Riley & Scott chassis, which also saw its first series win in 2000.
The 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series saw the addition of five races and loss of one to bring the total to 13. Chip Ganassi Racing returned to the Indy 500 with four cars and were joined on the grid by Penske Racing and Team Kool Green. Sam Hornish Jr. won 3 races on his way to the championship while the less consistent Buddy Lazier won four races on his way to second place in his title defense.
The 2003 IRL IndyCar Series brought some of the biggest changes in its history. The league adopted the name IndyCar Series, after a settlement with CART prohibiting its use had expired. Several former CART teams brought their full operations to the IRL, most notably major squads Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Green Racing, as well as former CART engine manufacturers Toyota and Honda, replacing Infiniti who shifted its efforts to the new feeder series Infiniti Pro Series. Many of the IRL's old guard including Robbie Buhl, Greg Ray, and Buddy Lazier had difficulty competing in this new manufacturer-driven landscape. The league also added its first international race this year, taking over the CART date at Twin Ring Motegi.
The 87th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 25, 2003. Two-time defending champion Hélio Castroneves won the pole position and was trying to become the first driver in Indy history to win three in a row. With 31 laps to go, however, Castroneves was passed by his Penske teammate Gil de Ferran, and the duo finished 1st–2nd, with de Ferran winning his first Indy 500. The race was sanctioned by the Indy Racing League and was part of the 2003 IndyCar Series season.
The 86th Indianapolis 500-mile (800 km) race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 26, 2002. It was part of the 2002 Indy Racing League season. Rookie Tomas Scheckter led 85 laps, and appeared on his way to a possible victory, which would have marked the third consecutive Indy win for a first-year driver. However, Scheckter crashed on the front stretch while leading with only 27 laps to go. Hélio Castroneves became the fifth driver in Indy 500 history to win back-to-back races. It was the second of his four Indy 500 victories. Castroneves became the first repeat winner since Al Unser Sr. (1970–1971). There would not be another repeat winner until Josef Newgarden in 2023–2024.
The 90th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday May 28, 2006. Sam Hornish Jr. won from the pole position. It was Hornish's first and only win at Indianapolis, and the record fourteenth Indy victory for Penske Racing. Hornish would later win the IndyCar Series championship, the second driver in a row to sweep the Indy 500 and season championship in the same season.
The Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 was an IndyCar Series race held at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, United States.
The Jimmy Bryan Memorial was an IndyCar Series race held at the Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona, United States. USAC moved the fall race and added a spring race to the newly built Phoenix International Raceway in 1964. The race became a CART event in 1979, and joined the Indy Racing League in 1996. It was held continuously through 2005.
IROC XXVII was the 27th season of the Crown Royal International Race of Champions, which began on Friday, February 14, 2003 at Daytona International Speedway. The roster included 12 drivers from five separate racing leagues. Mark Martin won the first race to tie an IROC record 11 career wins, tying him with Al Unser Jr. and Dale Earnhardt. Rookie Kurt Busch won in only his second start in race 2 after finishing second at Daytona. At Chicagoland, Mike Bliss became the first driver representing the Craftsman Truck Series to win a race in IROC competition. Jimmie Johnson won the final race of the year for his first career IROC victory. Kurt Busch clinched the title with his fourth-place showing in the race, as Mark Martin and Mike Bliss, his closest competitors, finished fifth and tenth, respectively.
IROC XXVI was the 26th season of the True Value International Race of Champions, which began on Friday, February 15, 2002 at Daytona International Speedway. The roster included 12 drivers from five separate racing leagues. The first race saw Tony Stewart earn his second IROC win. Rookie Kevin Harvick won in only his second start in race 2 at California. In the first ever IROC race at Chicagoland, Buddy Lazier, Al Unser Jr., and Hélio Castroneves gave the IRL a sweep of the top three positions in the race. In race 4 at Indianapolis, Dale Jarrett took the lead in turn one of the first lap and led the entire race for his second career IROC victory. Kevin Harvick became just the sixth driver to win the IROC title in his first season of competition, and also became the first driver to win the title while representing the NASCAR Busch Series.
The 2001 Casino Magic 500 was the 5th round of the 2001 Indy Racing League season. It took place on June 9, 2001 at Texas Motor Speedway.
The 1998 Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami was a CART race which happened at the Homestead Motorsports Complex. It happened on March 15, 1998. It was the 1st round of the 1998 CART season.
The Greatest 33 is a list of top drivers from the history of the Indianapolis 500. In 2011, in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the first Indianapolis 500, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway gathered a panel of media and historians to establish 100 nominees for the best drivers who have participated in the Indianapolis 500 from 1911 to 2010. During the months leading up the race, fans were invited to vote on the best 33 among the nominees, and the finalists were announced in the days leading up to the 2011 race.
The 2002 Delphi Indy 300 was an Indy Racing League (IRL) motor race that took place on September 8, 2002, at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois, in front of approximately 50,000 spectators. It was the 14th of 15 scheduled rounds of the 2002 Indy Racing League and the second annual running of the event. Panther Racing driver Sam Hornish Jr. won the 200-lap race from pole position with the closest margin of victory in the IRL of 0.0024 seconds over Al Unser Jr. of Kelley Racing. Third place was Hemelgarn Racing's Buddy Lazier.
The 2003 Chevy 500 was a race held at Texas Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 12, 2003. The race was the last race of the season for the 2003 IndyCar Series. The race was won by Gil de Ferran in what would be his last race in IndyCar with Scott Dixon winning his first of six IndyCar Series championships. The race was shortened to 195 of the scheduled 200 laps and was most remembered for a horrific crash by Kenny Bräck that nearly cost him his life.
Sam Hornish Jr. 
Laurent Rédon 
Hélio Castroneves 
