1999 Indy Racing League season
| 1999 Indy Racing League season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Pep Boys Indy Racing League | |
| Season | |
| Races | 10 |
| Start date | January 24 |
| End date | October 17 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |  Greg Ray |
| Indianapolis 500 winner |  Kenny Bräck |
| Chronology | |
| Previous season | Next season |
| 1998 | 2000 |
The 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League season 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 in a row and the series championship. This was the last year before CART teams began to break ranks and jump to the IRL.
Contents |
[edit] Calendar
| Race No | Track | State | Date | Laps | Distance | Time | Speed | Winner | Pole Position | Most Leading Laps | Fastest Race Lap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walt Disney World Speedway | Florida | January 24, 1999 | 200 | 1.6093=321.86 km | 1'41:14.800 | 190.738 km/h | Eddie Cheever | Scott Sharp | Scott Sharp | Scott Sharp |
| 2 | Phoenix International Raceway | Arizona | March 28, 1999 | 200 | 1.6093=321.86 km | 1'56:40.052 | 165.527 km/h | Scott Goodyear | Greg Ray | Scott Goodyear | Scott Goodyear |
| Lowe's Motor Speedway | North Carolina | May 1, 1999 | 79 | 1.6093=190.702 km | race abandoned | 105 laps to be official | Leader when abandoned: Greg Ray | Greg Ray | Greg Ray | N/A | |
| 3 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Indiana | May 30, 1999 | 200 | 4.02325=804.65 km | 3'15:51.182 | 245.506 km/h | Kenny Bräck | Arie Luyendyk | Kenny Bräck | Greg Ray |
| 4 | Texas Motor Speedway | Texas | June 12, 1999 | 208 | 2.41395=502.1016 km | 2'00:06.816 | 250.813 km/h | Scott Goodyear | Mark Dismore | Greg Ray | Sam Schmidt |
| 5 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Colorado | June 27, 1999 | 200 | 1.6093=321.86 km | 1'29:28.676 | 215.825 km/h | Greg Ray | Greg Ray | Greg Ray | Mark Dismore |
| 6 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Georgia | July 17, 1999 | 208 | 2.478322=515.490976 km | 2'12:15.235 | 233.864 km/h | Scott Sharp | Billy Boat | Scott Goodyear | Jaques Lazier |
| 7 | Dover International Speedway | Delaware | August 1, 1999 | 200 | 1.6093=321.86 km | 1'45:01.503 | 183.876 km/h | Greg Ray | Mark Dismore | Mark Dismore | Mark Dismore |
| 8 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Colorado | August 29, 1999 | 200 | 1.6093=321.86 km | 1'28:35.633 | 217.979 km/h | Greg Ray | Greg Ray | Greg Ray | Buddy Lazier |
| 9 | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Nevada | September 26, 1999 | 208 | 2.41395=502.1016 km | 2'29:50.204 | 201.059 km/h | Sam Schmidt | Sam Schmidt | Kenny Bräck | Tyce Carlson |
| 10 | Texas Motor Speedway | Texas | October 17, 1999 | 208 | 2.41395=502.1016 km | 2'14:15.722 | 224.383 km/h | Mark Dismore | Greg Ray | Scott Goodyear | Scott Goodyear |
[edit] Race summaries
[edit] TransWorld Diversified Services Indy 200
This race was held January 24 at Walt Disney World Speedway. Scott Sharp won the pole.
Top ten results
- Eddie Cheever
- Scott Goodyear
- Jeff Ward
- Scott Sharp
- Raul Boesel
- Mark Dismore
- Steve Knapp
- Davey Hamilton
- Billy Boat
- Buddy Lazier
[edit] MCI WorldCom 200
This race was held March 28 at Phoenix International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results
- Scott Goodyear
- Jeff Ward
- Robbie Buhl
- Billy Boat
- Scott Harrington
- Roberto Moreno
- Mark Dismore
- Scott Sharp
- Sam Schmidt
- Stephan Gregoire
[edit] Visionaire 500k
This race was held May 1 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole.
With crowds estimated at 50,000, the track opened extra sections of track to accommodate the additional spectators. As reported on the radio broadcast, sections of Turn 1 and Turn 4, and the first eight rows of all open grandstands, were closed by the track for safety. At 8:50 p.m. during lap 59 of the race, Stan Wattles suffered a suspension failure that shot his car into the wall, shearing both right wheels off the car. John Paul, Jr.'s car subsequently hit the debris field and the contact sent Wattles' right rear wheel and tire assembly over the catch fence. Three spectators in the vicinity of the section which had been opened for the overflow crowd were killed from the flying tire debris. Scott Harrington spun to miss the debris field and the accident is often described as a 3-car crash, however, Harrington's car made no contact with the wall or other cars and was undamaged.[1]
Buddy Lazier was leading the race at the time of the caution. He pitted a few laps later to change tires because of a puncture. Greg Ray then took over the lead. A long caution resulted from the lap 62 crash. After 25 minutes under yellow, race officials brought out the red flag, and stopped the cars in the pit area. Medical helicopters needed space to land to aid the injured spectators. At 9:15 p.m., the halted race was scored through 79 laps. Shortly after the red flag was put out, track and series officials announced the fatalities had occurred, and cancelled the remainder of the race.
It should be noted the Indy Racing League does not use the FIA Code on abandoning a race where a race is official on the start of the fourth lap, as the 1991 Australian Grand Prix is the most notable "abandoned race," having been abandoned on Lap 14 of 82 with half points awarded. Instead, the sanctioning body uses the traditional North American standard, similar to a rain situation in that more than one-half of the distance, rounded up, plus one lap, determines an official race (105 laps). As the race was stopped on Lap 79, the race was declared abandoned and all statistics were scratched from official record. Spectators were offered ticket refunds, and participants were reimbursed entry fees and selected travel costs. The league does not recognize the race in its historical archives, and omitted the event in it count for the 100th race celebration in 2004.
From the IRL radio broadcast, and consistent with the television broadcast on Speedvision, this was the leaderboard at the time of the abandonment of the race on lap 79:
- Greg Ray
- Scott Goodyear
- Eddie Cheever
- Sam Schmidt
- Donnie Beechler
- Scott Sharp
- Buddy Lazier
- Mark Dismore
- Robby McGehee
- Kenny Bräck
[edit] 83rd Indianapolis 500
The Indy 500 was held May 30 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Arie Luyendyk sat on pole.
Top ten results
- Kenny Bräck
- Jeff Ward
- Billy Boat
- Robby Gordon
- Robby McGehee
- Robbie Buhl
- Buddy Lazier
- Robby Unser
- Tony Stewart
- Hideshi Matsuda
[edit] Longhorn 500
This race was held June 12 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mark Dismore won the pole.
Top ten results
- Scott Goodyear
- Greg Ray
- Sam Schmidt
- Stephan Gregoire
- Eliseo Salazar
- Robby Unser
- Davey Hamilton
- Mark Dismore
- Buzz Calkins
- Scott Sharp
[edit] Radisson 200
This race was held June 27 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results
- Greg Ray
- Sam Schmidt
- Davey Hamilton
- Eddie Cheever
- Buddy Lazier
- Robby Unser
- Kenny Bräck
- Scott Sharp
- Jeff Ward
- Jaques Lazier
[edit] Kobalt Mechanics Tools 500
This race was held July 17 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Billy Boat won the pole.
Top ten results
- Scott Sharp
- Robby Unser
- Kenny Bräck
- Eliseo Salazar
- Buzz Calkins
- Eddie Cheever
- Davey Hamilton
- Donnie Beechler
- Jimmy Kite
- Billy Boat
[edit] MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200
This race was held August 1 at Dover International Speedway. Mark Dismore won the pole.
Top ten results
- Greg Ray
- Buddy Lazier
- Kenny Bräck
- Billy Boat
- Sam Schmidt
- Scott Harrington
- Jaques Lazier
- Buzz Calkins
- Robby McGehee
- Donnie Beechler
[edit] Colorado Indy 200
This race was held August 29 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results
- Greg Ray
- Davey Hamilton
- Mark Dismore
- Buddy Lazier
- Sam Schmidt
- Scott Harrington
- Robby McGehee
- Jimmy Kite
- Robby Unser
- Kenny Bräck
[edit] Vegas.com 500
This race was held September 26 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Sam Schmidt won the pole.
Top ten results
- Sam Schmidt
- Kenny Bräck
- Robbie Buhl
- Scott Sharp
- Buzz Calkins
- Robby McGehee
- Jaques Lazier
- Stephan Gregoire
- Tyce Carlson
- Jeff Ward
[edit] Mall.com 500
This race was held October 17 at Texas Motor Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results
- Mark Dismore
- Davey Hamilton
- Greg Ray
- Eddie Cheever
- John Hollansworth, Jr.
- Scott Harrington
- Jaques Lazier
- Buzz Calkins
- Billy Boat
- Buddy Lazier
[edit] Final point standings
[edit] Driver
For every race points were awarded to all starters: 50 points to the winner, 40 for runner up, 35 for third place, 32 for fourth place, 30 for fifth place, 28 for sixth place, 26 seventh place, 24 eighth place, 22 for ninth place, 20 for tenth place, winding down to 1 points for 29th place. Every lower placed driver also was awarded with 1 point. 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 point).
No points (did not qualify):
[edit] References
- ^ Preliminary Charlotte Crash Details Outlined, The Auto Channel, May 15, 1999
[edit] See also
- 1999 Indianapolis 500
- 1999 Indy Lights season
- 1999 CART season
- 1999 Toyota Atlantic Championship season
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