Marlboro 500 Presented by Toyota (1997, 1999–2001) Yamaha Indy 400 (2002 IRL) The 500 presented by Toyota (1998 & 2002 CART) King Taco 500 (2003 CART) Toyota Indy 400 (2003–2005) MAVTV 500 (2012–2015)
For many years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the race served as the season finale for the CART series. From 2012 to 2014, it served as the finale for the IndyCar Series.[1]
In 2015, the race was moved to June. Despite several journalists calling the 2015 edition one of the best IndyCar races, the race did not return on the schedule for 2016.[2]
History
CART
CART renewed the 500-mile oval race in 1997 at the newly built California Speedway in Fontana, California. The new track was built just 4 miles (6.4km) from the previous Ontario Motor Speedway where the California 500 was held between 1970 and 1980. Indy car races were also held at nearby Riverside, but only from 1967 to 1969 (prior to the opening of Ontario) and again from 1981 to 1983 (after Ontario closed).
The Fontana race was held under the moniker Marlboro 500, and served as the CART season finale. This event was held through 2002. The race became known for closed-course record speeds, and fast and competitive racing, owing much to the track's width.
The 1999 race is considered a tragic day in the history of CART, after the fatal crash of Greg Moore. The 2003 event was cancelled due to the Old Fire.
Along with the popular Long Beach Grand Prix, the Southern California area featured two major open wheel CART races annually for a time.
Indy Racing League / IndyCar
In 2002, the IRLIndyCar Series added a 400-mile race to the facility. Fontana became the first facility to host races from both rival open wheel series (CART and IRL), although the race distance was different (500 vs 400 miles). The Toyota Indy 400 was held through 2005. However, crowds dwindled, and the event was removed from the calendar.
The now-unified IndyCar Series returned to Fontana for the 2012 season with a 500-mile fall night race under the lights.[1] The race served as the season finale from 2012 to 2014. For 2015, the race was moved to June.
Closed-course speed records
Two world closed course speed records were established in qualifying for the CART event. Maurício Gugelmin, driving a Reynard/Mercedes established a one-lap time of 30.316 seconds (average speed of 240.942 miles per hour (387.759km/h) in 1997. At the time, CART officials recognized the track measurement as 2.029 miles (3.265km). Gugelimin had furthermore turned an unofficial lap of 242.333 miles per hour (389.997km/h) during the morning practice.[3]
On October 28, 2000, Gil de Ferran of Penske Racing topped Gugelmin's time driving a Reynard/Honda. The lap time by de Ferran was 30.255 seconds at an average speed of 241.428 miles per hour (388.541km/h).[4] Using the more common track measurement of 2.0 miles, de Ferran's lap translated into an average speed of 237.977 miles per hour (382.987km/h).
In 2002, the 500-mile CART series race averaged 197.995mph, and stood as the fastest 500-mile race in history (either open wheel cars or stock cars) for a dozen years. The record stood until the 2014 Pocono 500.
The 2003 IRL/IndyCar race was the fastest circuit race ever in motorsport history, with an average speed of 207.151mph (333.306km/h) over 400 miles (643.737km).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
