2004 Infiniti Pro Series

Last updated

2004 Infiniti Pro Series season
Infiniti Pro Series
Season
Races12
Start dateFebruary 29
End dateOctober 16
Awards
Drivers' champion Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros
Teams' champion Flag of the United States.svg Sam Schmidt Motorsports
Rookie of the Year Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Chesson
  2003
2005  
Menards Infiniti Pro Series color.png

The 2004 Menards IRL Infiniti Pro Series season was the third season of the series under the Indy Racing League ownership, and the 19th in Indy NXT combined history, as officially recognized by IndyCar. All teams used Dallara IL-02 chassis and Infiniti engines.

Contents

In his second year of Pro Series competition, Thiago Medeiros won the championship convincingly, giving Sam Schmidt Motorsports its first title. He won six wins, including the second running of the Freedom 100 from pole position, scored seven pole positions and led the most laps in all but two of the 12 races. Medeiros became champion by taking the green flag at the penultimate round in Chicagoland, and finished with a 134-point lead over Paul Dana, who scored his lone Infiniti Pro Series win at Milwaukee.

Despite joining the Infiniti Pro Series at the fourth round in Kansas, rookie P. J. Chesson rallied to a fourth place in the standings, including a three-win streak with newcomers Mo Nunn Racing, an effort instigated and managed by Nunn's wife Kathryn. Despite a penalty at the last round that demoted him behind Arie Luyendyk Jr. in the standings, Chesson won Rookie of the Year over Leonardo Maia by 25 points.

A. J. Foyt Enterprises and Panther Racing, the champions of the previous two editions, left the series, although Foyt entered a car for Jeff Simmons at the Freedom 100, finishing second behind Medeiros. Simmons and Marty Roth became the first drivers to contest the Indianapolis 500 and the Freedom 100 in the same year. Sinden Racing Service and Genoa Racing also left the series entirely, while the privateer effort by Matt Beardsley ceased to be after the Freedom 100. On the other hand, Roquin Motorsports re-expanded to a full time effort, Roth Racing, Racing Professionals and Bullet-Team Motorsports made their debut with partial seasons, apart from Mo Nunn joining the championship at the fourth round.

While the Freedom 100 attracted 17 competitors, the Infiniti Pro Series struggled with entries throughout much of 2004, especially during the summer stretch, with only nine cars and just three finishers at the Milwaukee round. Grid sizes improved over the last three races, with 15 drivers in each round. Only the top 3 drivers in the standings contested the full season, with two others missing one round. Former IndyCar drivers that competed during the season were Billy Roe, Jon Herb, Cory Witherill and Scott Mayer.

Team and driver chart

TeamNo.DriversRounds
Keith Duesenberg Racing 2 Flag of the United States.svg Phil Giebler [1] 1–3, 11
Flag of the United States.svg Alfred Unser [2] 4–10, 12
22 Flag of the United States.svg Ross Fonferko [3] 5
Flag of the United States.svg Phil Giebler 7–9
Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Abbott 12
Brian Stewart Racing 3 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jesse Mason [4] 1–10
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Marty Roth [5] 11
Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hampton 12
33 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Turco 1
Flag of Brazil.svg Leonardo Maia [6] 2–12
Roth Racing [7] 4 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Marty Roth 1–3
Sam Schmidt Motorsports 5 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Arie Luyendyk Jr. [8] 1–7
Flag of the United States.svg Travis Gregg [9] 8, 10, 12
Flag of Japan.svg Shinji Kashima [10] 11
11 Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros [11] All
64 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Pollard [12] 4–6
Flag of the United States.svg Scott Mayer [13] 10, 12
Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Abbott 11
Racing Professionals [14] 6 Flag of the United States.svg Jon Herb [14] 3, 11–12
Roquin Motorsports 9 Flag of the United States.svg Matt Beardsley 9
10 Flag of Mexico.svg Rolando Quintanilla [15] 1–5, 7–12
Beardsley Motorsports 12 Flag of the United States.svg Matt Beardsley [16] 1–3
A. J. Foyt Enterprises 14 Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Simmons [17] 3
Bullet-Team Motorsports [18] 21 Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Fletcher [18] 3, 10–11
Kenn Hardley Racing 24 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Pollard [19] 1–3
Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Simmons [20] 9–12
Flag of the United States.svg Billy Roe [21] 4–8
422–3
AFS Racing 25 Flag of the United States.svg Jay Drake [22] 3
Flag of the Netherlands.svg Arie Luyendyk Jr. [23] 10–12
278–9
Flag of the United States.svg Gary Peterson [24] 2–3, 7, 10–12
Mo Nunn Racing [25] 67 Flag of the United States.svg James Chesson [26] 10–12
76 Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Chesson [25] 4–12
Hemelgarn 91/Johnson Motorsports 91 Flag of the United States.svg Paul Dana [27] All
92 Flag of the United States.svg Cory Witherill [28] [29] 3, 10

Schedule

The schedule for 2004 stayed at 12 rounds with minor date changes over 2003. Mirroring the IRL IndyCar Series, the series left Gateway International Raceway and visited the storied Milwaukee Mile, who had featured in the last season of the original Indy Lights championship in 2001. This would be the last all-oval season for the series, as the IRL-managed championship would introduce road course racing from 2005 onwards.

Rd.DateRace nameTrackLocation
1February 29 Homestead-Miami 100 Homestead–Miami Speedway Homestead, Florida
2March 20 Phoenix 100 Phoenix International Raceway Avondale, Arizona
3May 22 Futaba Freedom 100 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana
4July 3 Aventis Racing for Kids 100 Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kansas
5July 17 Cleanevent 100 Nashville Superspeedway Lebanon, Tennessee
6July 25 Milwaukee 100 Milwaukee Mile West Allis, Wisconsin
7August 1 Paramount Health Insurance 100 Michigan International Speedway Brooklyn, Michigan
8August 14 Kentucky 100 Kentucky Speedway Sparta, Kentucky
9August 22Pikes Peak 100 Pikes Peak International Raceway Fountain, Colorado
10September 11 Chicago 100 Chicagoland Speedway Joliet, Illinois
11October 2 California 100 California Speedway Fontana, California
12October 16 Texas 100 Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas

Race results

RoundRace Pole position Fastest lap Most laps ledRace Winner
DriverTeam
1 Homestead–Miami Speedway Flag of the United States.svg Phil Giebler Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of the United States.svg Phil Giebler Keith Duesenberg Racing
2 Phoenix International Raceway Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Sam Schmidt Motorsports
3 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Sam Schmidt Motorsports
4 Kansas Speedway Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros [a] Flag of the United States.svg Alfred Unser Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Sam Schmidt Motorsports
5 Nashville Superspeedway Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of the United States.svg Paul Dana Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Sam Schmidt Motorsports
6 Milwaukee Mile Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of the United States.svg Paul Dana Hemelgarn 91/Johnson Motorsports
7 Michigan International Speedway Flag of the United States.svg Al Unser III Flag of the United States.svg Alfred Unser Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Chesson Mo Nunn Racing
8 Kentucky Speedway Flag of the United States.svg Travis Gregg Flag of the United States.svg Phil Giebler Flag of the United States.svg Travis Gregg Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Chesson Mo Nunn Racing
9 Pikes Peak International Raceway Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Simmons Flag of the United States.svg Paul Dana Flag of the United States.svg Paul Dana Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Chesson Mo Nunn Racing
10 Chicagoland Speedway Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of the United States.svg Travis Gregg Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Sam Schmidt Motorsports
11 California Speedway Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of the United States.svg James Chesson Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of the United States.svg James Chesson Mo Nunn Racing
12 Texas Motor Speedway Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Chesson Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros Sam Schmidt Motorsports

Championship standings

Drivers' Championship

Scoring system
Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th  10th  11th  12th  13th  14th  15th  16th  17th  18th  19th 
Points50403532302826242220191817161514131211
PosDriver HOM PHX INDY KAN NSH MIL MIS KEN PIK CHI FON TXS Points
1 Flag of Brazil.svg Thiago Medeiros 2*1*1*1*11*6*2*631*9*1*513
2 Flag of the United States.svg Paul Dana 8510221422*81211379
3 Flag of the Netherlands.svg Arie Luyendyk Jr. 92371198454144330
4 Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Chesson  RY 862111525317 [b]
5 Flag of Brazil.svg Leonardo Maia  R 36101077377412292
6 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Jesse Mason  R 34156346849283
7 Flag of Mexico.svg Rolando Quintanilla 661449117111058264
8 Flag of the United States.svg Alfred Unser  R 353311633252
9 Flag of the United States.svg Phil Giebler  R 17551083215
10 Flag of the United States.svg Billy Roe 99948109164
11 Flag of the United States.svg Brad Pollard  R 51111585152
12 Flag of the United States.svg Jeff Simmons 292106150
13 Flag of the United States.svg Gary Peterson 1213914815112
14 Flag of the United States.svg James Chesson  R 611395
15 Flag of the United States.svg Travis Gregg  R 5*13289
16 Flag of the United States.svg Matt Beardsley 10881088
17 Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Marty Roth 710161179
18 Flag of the United States.svg Jon Herb  R 176767
19 Flag of the United States.svg Taylor Fletcher  R 12111552
20 Flag of the United States.svg P. J. Abbott  R 7948
21 Flag of the United States.svg Cory Witherill 71541
22 Flag of the United States.svg Scott Mayer  R 121038
23 Flag of the United States.svg Tony Turco 432
24 Flag of the United States.svg Jay Drake  R 432
25 Flag of the United States.svg Ross Fonferko  R 726
26 Flag of Japan.svg Shinji Kashima  R 1317
27 Flag of the United States.svg Ryan Hampton 1416
PosDriver HOM PHX INDY KAN NSH MIL MIS KEN PIK CHI FON TXS Points
ColorResult
GoldWinner
Silver2nd place
Bronze3rd place
Green4th & 5th place
Light Blue6th–10th place
Dark BlueFinished

(Outside Top 10)

PurpleDid not finish
RedDid not qualify

(DNQ)

BrownWithdrawn

(Wth)

BlackDisqualified

(DSQ)

WhiteDid not start

(DNS)

BlankDid not

participate (DNP)

Not competing
In-line notation
Bold Pole position
ItalicsRan fastest race lap
*Led most race laps

(2 points)

1Qualifying cancelled
  • Ties in points broken by number of wins, or best finishes.

Footnotes

    1. Qualifying for Kansas was cancelled due to rain. The grid was set by entrant points entering the race.
    2. 25 point deduction at Texas for causing a debris situation that produced a crash.

    References

    1. "IPS: Giebler signs with Duesenberg Racing for 2004". au.motorsport.com. February 26, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    2. "Unser Joins Forces With Keith Duesenberg Racing". indyracing.com. June 30, 2004. Archived from the original on August 7, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    3. "Unser, Fonferko Join Forces With Duesenberg". indyracing.com. July 14, 2004. Archived from the original on August 7, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2004.
    4. "Youngster In Line for Ride With Stewart Racing". indyracing.com. January 16, 2004. Archived from the original on December 16, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    5. "Roth Points To Running Full Time In 2005 Season". indyracing.com. October 6, 2004. Archived from the original on October 29, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    6. Racecar. "Leo Maia Signs Menards Infiniti Pro Series Deal with Brian Stewart". www.racecar.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    7. "Roth Racing Prepares to Roll in 2004". indyracing.com. January 9, 2004. Archived from the original on February 6, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2004.
    8. "Luyendyk Jr joins Schmidt for IPS". Crash. February 10, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    9. "Sprint Car Veteran Gregg Makes Series Debut". indyracing.com. August 11, 2004. Archived from the original on August 27, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    10. "Daily Trackside Report - California Speedway". October 1, 2004. Archived from the original on December 16, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    11. "Medeiros to drive for Sam Schmidt Motorsports". January 8, 2004. Archived from the original on February 6, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    12. "Xbox Indy Car Gets A Driver - XboxAddict News". xboxaddict.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    13. "Daily Trackside Report - Chicagoland Speedway". indyracing.com. September 10, 2004. Archived from the original on October 29, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    14. 1 2 "Teenager Partners With Herb For Race Entry". indyracing.com. October 15, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    15. "Roquins Keep It All In The Family". indyracing.com. February 28, 2004. Archived from the original on June 27, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    16. "Beardsley Aims For Consistency In Races". indyracing.com. February 24, 2004. Archived from the original on March 15, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    17. "Foyt hires Simmons to run in Indy Infiniti race". ESPN.com. May 6, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    18. 1 2 "Fletcher Joins Field For Futaba Freedom 100". indyracing.com. May 16, 2004. Archived from the original on December 16, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    19. "Pollard Will Join Series Full Time". indyracing.com. January 26, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    20. "IPS News and notes: Simmons to Finish Season with Kenn Hardley Racing". us.motorsport.com. September 29, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    21. "Teammates Medeiros, Luyendyk Will Start 1-2". indyracing.com. March 19, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    22. "Drake Relishes His Laps On Historic Oval". indyracing.com. April 23, 2004. Archived from the original on August 20, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    23. "Luyendyk Makes Move To AFS Racing". indyracing.com. August 11, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    24. "Peterson's Passion Continues To Grow". indyracing.com. December 11, 2004. Archived from the original on December 11, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    25. 1 2 "IPS: Mo Nunn Racing enters series". us.motorsport.com. June 17, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    26. "Nunn doubles up in IPS". www.autosport.com. August 18, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    27. "IRL news - Dana signs with Hemelgarn for IPS". crash.net. December 18, 2003. Archived from the original on January 13, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    28. "IPS: Indianapolis: Cory Witherill to race in Freedom 100". us.motorsport.com. May 20, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
    29. "Fast Facts - Chicagoland 100". indyracing.com. September 7, 2004. Archived from the original on December 16, 2004. Retrieved October 3, 2003.