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((short description|Category of professional-level automobile racing in North America))
((more citations needed|date=February 2017))
((use American English|date=February 2024))
((use mdy dates|date=February 2024))
((Infobox sport
| name       = American open-wheel car racing
| image      = Simon pagenaud (47966354461).jpg
| imagesize  = 250px
| caption    = The [[2019 Indianapolis 500]], an [[IndyCar]] sanctioned race
| union      = [[AAA Contest Board]] (1905–1955)<br>[[United States Auto Club|USAC]] (1956–1997)<br>[[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] (1979–2003)<br>[[Champ Car World Series|Champ Car]] (2004–2007)<br>[[IndyCar]] (1996–present)
| nickname   =
| first      =
| registered =
| clubs      =
| contact    = Yes
| team       = Yes
| mgender    = Yes
| category   = Outdoor
| equipment  =
| venue      = Various
| olympic    =
))
[[File:Scott_Dixon_at_the_2021_Indianapolis_500_(51222251497)_(cropped).jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Scott Dixon]], [[2020 IndyCar Series]] National Champion.]]
'''American open-wheel car racing''', also known as '''Indy car racing''', is a category of professional [[automobile racing]] in the [[United States]]. As of [[2024 IndyCar Series|2024]], the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by [[IndyCar]]. Competitive events for professional-level, [[open-wheel car|open-wheel race cars]] have been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies, tracing its roots as far back as 1902. A season-long, points-based, ''National Championship'' of drivers has been officially recognized in 1905, 1916, and each year since 1920 (except for a hiatus during [[World War II|WWII]]). As such, for many years, the category of racing was known as '''Championship Car''' racing (or ''Champ Car'' racing for short). That name has been permanently retired, and the term ''Indy car racing'' (derived from the [[Indianapolis 500|Indy 500]]) has become the preferred moniker.

The machines, typically referred to as "Indy cars", are a [[Formula racing|formula]] of single-seat, open [[cockpit]], [[Open-wheel car|open-wheel]], purpose-built race cars. They compete on a variety of circuits, including [[Oval track racing|ovals]], [[Road racing|road courses]], [[street circuit]]s, and [[Oval track racing#Combined road course|combined road courses]]. The most famous and most important event of the season is the [[Indianapolis 500]], held on [[Memorial Day]] weekend in late May. Over the decades, Indy cars have been generally similar to those in [[Formula One]], though there are important differences. Though the [[IndyCar Series]] is U.S.-based, international races have occasionally been held; in such places as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, Australia, as well as Europe. 

This form of racing experienced considerable growth and popularity in the decades after [[World War II]]. The "[[Indianapolis 500 by year#Roadster Era|Golden Era]]" of the [[Front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout|front-engined]] [[Roadster (automobile)#IndyCar roadster layout|roadsters]] was followed by a decade of [[Indianapolis 500 by year#Rear-engine revolution|innovation]] and transition in the 1960s. By the late-1960s and early-1970s, the cars had rapidly evolved to [[Rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout|rear-engined]], formula-style machines. Speeds climbed on the [[Oval track racing#Superspeedway|superspeedways]] to over ((convert|200|mph)), while international participation also increased. The sport saw much success, exposure, and popularity particularly during the 1980s–1990s under the sanctioning of [[Championship Auto Racing Teams]] (CART). Organizational disputes in [[1979 Indianapolis 500#USAC/CART "Split"|1979]] and [[1996 Indianapolis 500#IRL/CART split|1996]] split participants and the fanbase among two separate sanctioning bodies. The sport was re-unified in [[2008 IndyCar Series|2008]], and in late 2019, IndyCar was bought by [[Roger Penske]] and [[Penske Corporation|Penske Entertainment]].

==Sanctioning bodies==

===AAA (1902–1955)===
[[File:1916Indianapolis500Field.jpg|thumb|Field of [[1916 Indianapolis 500]], first Indianapolis 500 held as a part of National Championship]]
[[File:ZekeMeyer6th.jpg|thumb|[[Zeke Meyer]] at [[1932 Indianapolis 500]]]]
The national championship was sanctioned by the [[AAA Contest Board|Contest Board]] of the [[American Automobile Association]] (AAA). The AAA first sanctioned automobile motorsports events in 1902. At first it used the rules of the Automobile Club of America (ACA), but it formed its own rules in 1903. It introduced the first track season championship for racing cars in [[1905 AAA Championship Car season|1905]]. [[Barney Oldfield]] was the first champion. No official season championship was recognized from 1906 to 1915, however, many races were held. Official records regard [[1916 AAA Championship Car season|1916]] as the next contested championship season.<ref name="News04-12-1919">((cite news|title=Dario Resta To Drive In Sweepstakes Race|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2444539/dario_resta_1916_aaa_national_champion/|newspaper=The Indianapolis News|page=10|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=April 12, 1919|access-date=May 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527180328/http://www.newspapers.com/clip/2444539/dario_resta_1916_aaa_national_champion/|archive-date=2015-05-27|url-status=live))((Open access))</ref><ref name="News04-22-1919">((cite news|title=West's Wild Man" To Drive At Speedway|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2444607/1916_aaa_national_championship_was_the/|newspaper=The Indianapolis News|page=22|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=April 22, 1919|access-date=May 19, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527180331/http://www.newspapers.com/clip/2444607/1916_aaa_national_championship_was_the/|archive-date=2015-05-27|url-status=live))((Open access))</ref> Years later, retroactive titles were named back to 1902.<ref name="Pintz 265">((cite journal|last=Printz|first=John G.|author2=Ken M. McMaken|title=The U.S. National Championship Driving Title|journal=CART News Media Guide 1985|date=March 15, 1985|pages=265–267))</ref><ref name="Capps 2010">((cite web|last=Capps |first=Don |title=Automobile Racing History and History |url=http://forix.autosport.com/8w/rvm-vol7-no6.html |work=Rear View Mirror |publisher=8W |date=29 March 2010 |access-date=June 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328182255/http://forix.autosport.com/8w/rvm-vol7-no6.html |archive-date=March 28, 2012 |url-status=live ))</ref> These ''post factum'' seasons (1902–1904, 1906–1915, and 1917–1919) are considered unofficial and [[Historical revisionism|revisionist history]] by accredited historians.

Racing did not cease in the United States during [[World War I|WWI]], but the official national championship was suspended. The [[Indianapolis 500]] itself was voluntarily suspended for 1917–1918 due to the war. In 1920, the championship officially resumed, and despite the difficult economic climate that would later follow, ran continuously throughout the [[Great Depression|Depression]]. Shortly after [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]], all auto racing was suspended during World War II. From 1942 to 1945 no events were contested, banned by the U.S. government primarily on account of [[Rationing in the United States|rationing]]. Racing resumed in full in 1946. The [[1946 AAA Championship Car season|1946 season]] is unique, in that it included six Champ Car events, and 71 "[[Sprint car racing|Big Car]]" races, as organizers were initially unsure about the availability of cars and participation.

AAA ceased participation in auto racing at the end of the 1955 season. It cited a series of high-profile fatal accidents, namely [[Bill Vukovich]] during the [[1955 Indianapolis 500]], and the [[1955 Le Mans disaster]].<ref>((cite news|title=AAA Cuts Ties With U.S. Auto Racing|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hAtbAAAAIBAJ&pg=832%2C837541|access-date=January 23, 2012|newspaper=[[The Michigan Daily]]|date=August 4, 1955|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|location=[[Ann Arbor, Michigan|Ann Arbor, MI]]|page=3))</ref>

Through 1922 and again from 1930 to 1937, it was commonplace for the cars to be two-seaters, as opposed to the aforementioned standard single-seat form. The driver would be accompanied by a [[riding mechanic]] (or ''"mechanician"'').

===USAC (1956–1978)===
[[File:Dan Gurney & Crosthwaite.jpg|thumb|[[Dan Gurney]] at [[1962 Indianapolis 500]]]]
The national championship was taken over by the [[United States Auto Club]] (USAC), a new sanctioning body formed by the then-owner of the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]], [[Tony Hulman]]. Championship racing continued to grow in popularity in a stabilized environment for over two decades, with the two traditional disciplines of paved oval tracks and dirt oval tracks. During the 1950s, front-engined "roadsters" became the dominant cars on the paved oval tracks, while "upright" Champ Dirt Cars continued to dominate on dirt tracks. In the 1960s, drivers and team owners with road racing backgrounds, both American and foreign, began creeping into the series and the paved oval track cars evolved from front-engine "[[Roadster (automobile)|roadsters]]" to rear-engine [[Formula racing|formula-style racers]]. Technology, speed, and expense climbed at a rapid rate. The schedule continued to be dominated by oval tracks, but a few road course races were added to assuage the newcomers. Dirt tracks were dropped from the national championship after 1970.

During the 1970s, the increasing costs began to drive some of the traditional USAC car owners out of the sport. The dominant teams became Penske, Patrick, Gurney, and McLaren, all run by people with road racing backgrounds. There was a growing dissent between these teams and USAC management. Events outside Indianapolis were suffering from low attendance, and poor promotion. The Indy 500 was televised on a same day tape delayed basis on ABC, however, most of the other races had little or no coverage on television.

Towards the end of the decade, the growing dissent prompted several car owners to consider creating a new sanctioning body to conduct the races. Meanwhile, two events had a concomitant effect on the situation. [[Tony Hulman]], president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and founder of USAC, died in the fall of 1977. A few months later, eight key USAC officials were [[United States Auto Club#1978 plane crash|killed in a plane crash]]. By the end of 1978, the owners had broken away and founded Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) to wrest control of Championship racing away from USAC.

===CART & USAC (1979–1981): First open-wheel "split"===
[[Championship Auto Racing Teams]] (CART) was formed by most of the existing team owners, with some initial assistance from the [[Sports Car Club of America|SCCA]] (in order to be recognized by [[Automobile Competition Committee for the United States|ACCUS]]). Therefore, there were two national championships run each by USAC and CART. The Indianapolis 500 remained under USAC sanction. The top teams allied to CART, and the CART championship quickly became the more prestigious national championship. USAC ran a "rump" 1979 season, with few big name drivers — the only exception being [[A. J. Foyt]]. In 1979, USAC denied several of the entries from the CART teams at the [[1979 Indianapolis 500]]. The controversy saw a court injunction during the month, which allowed the CART-affiliated entrants to participate.

In 1980 USAC and CART jointly formed the Championship Racing League (CRL) to jointly run the national championship, but [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|IMS]] management disliked the idea. USAC pulled out of the CRL arrangement in July.<ref>((cite news|title=USAC dissolves ties with league|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-vdLAAAAIBAJ&pg=6821%2C90992|access-date=January 23, 2012|newspaper=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|date=July 1, 1980|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|location=[[Spokane, Washington|Spokane, WA]]|page=B2))</ref> CART continued with the schedule for the remainder of the season.<ref>((cite news|title=CART will go ahead|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=54VVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6353%2C1796107|access-date=January 23, 2012|newspaper=[[The Leader-Post]]|date=July 8, 1980|agency=[[Associated Press|AP]]|location=[[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina, SK]]|page=17))</ref> Both CART and USAC awarded separate national championship titles that year, and [[Johnny Rutherford]] happened to win both.

In 1981–1982, the Indianapolis 500 remained sanctioned by USAC. The preeminent national championship was now the one being sanctioned by CART. The Indy 500 field would consist largely of CART teams, as well as numerous independent, "Indy-only" teams. Indianapolis was not included as a points-paying round of the CART national championship. In addition, by that time USAC had designated Indianapolis an "invitational" race, offering entries only to invited teams.<ref name="Star06-02-1979a">((cite news|title=1980 '500' By Invitation Only (Part 1)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14382921/1980_indy_500_invitational/|first=Dave|last=Overpeck|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=1|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=June 2, 1979|access-date=October 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013224751/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14382921/1980_indy_500_invitational/|archive-date=2017-10-13|url-status=live))((Open access))</ref><ref name="Star06-02-1979b">((cite news|title=1980 '500' By Invitation Only (Part 2)|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14382933/1980_indy_500_invitational/|first=Dave|last=Overpeck|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=8|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=June 2, 1979|access-date=October 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171013225048/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14382933/1980_indy_500_invitational/|archive-date=2017-10-13|url-status=live))((Open access))</ref><ref name="Star03-04-1980">((cite news|title=54 Owners Get 500 Invitations|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14382814/indy_500_1980_invitations/|newspaper=The Indianapolis Star|page=22|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|date=March 4, 1980|access-date=October 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171014034022/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/14382814/indy_500_1980_invitations/|archive-date=2017-10-14|url-status=live))((Open access))</ref> That moved in part to prevent the uproar over denied entries which occurred in 1979. One further race in 1981 was run by USAC at [[ABC Supply 500|Pocono]]. This race was not supported by many CART teams, and featured a mixed field filled out by converted dirt track cars. USAC soon stopped sanctioning championship races outside the Indianapolis 500.

===CART & USAC (1982–1995)===
[[File:Indy 500.jpg|thumb|[[1994 Indianapolis 500]], a [[United States Auto Club|USAC]] sanctioned race]]
Stability returned and the national championship was now run by CART full-time. The Indianapolis 500 was sanctioned singly by USAC, but points were paid towards the CART season championship. The cars and engines used in the CART races and USAC-sanctioned Indy 500 were the same, with only relatively minor rules differences. The Indy 500 field would consist of the CART regulars, and numerous one-off ("Indy only") entries. On occasion, some of the "Indy only" entries also elected to participate in the [[Firestone Indy 400|Michigan 500]] and [[ABC Supply 500|Pocono 500]] (both sanctioned by CART) given the increased stature and exposure of those two events.

One of the more noticeable rule differences by USAC was allowing "[[Overhead valve engine|stock block]]" engines a higher level of [[turbocharger]] boost. While most full-time CART-based teams utilized their [[V8 engine|V-8]] [[Overhead camshaft engine|quadcam]] engines at Indy, some of the smaller or "Indy only" teams elected to run stock block engines, attracted by the boost rules.

USAC's Gold Crown Championship continued, settling into an unusual June through May schedule calendar. This provided that the Indianapolis 500 would be the final race of the respective season. However, between the 1984-85 season and its final season in 1994-95 seasons, the USAC Gold Crown Championship never included an additional race outside of the [[Indianapolis 500]], meaning the winner of the Indy 500 would win the USAC Gold Crown Championship by default.

===CART & IRL (1996–2003): Second open-wheel "split"===
In 1994, [[Tony Hulman]]'s grandson, [[Tony George]], president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, founded the [[IndyCar|Indy Racing League]] (IRL), to begin competition in 1996. It would exist as a separate championship, and leveraged the fame of the Indianapolis 500, which was placed as its centerpiece. After the IRL announced that 25 teams that competed in IRL races would get automatic qualifications to the race, making it impossible for the majority of the CART field to make the race, CART teams boycotted the 1996 Indy 500. It was the beginning of the second open-wheel "split". Initially, USAC sanctioned the IRL, however after officiating controversies in 1997 at Indianapolis and [[Bombardier Learjet 550|Texas]], the USAC was replaced by the IRL's in-house officiating.

CART, which had been licensing the trademarked "IndyCar" name for several seasons, subsequently entered into a legal battle with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (the trademark owner) over the use of the moniker. Eventually a settlement was reached in which CART gave up use of the name, but the IRL in turn could not use it until 2003. CART rebranded themselves with the CART name, and began referring to their machines as Champ Cars.

CART's existing national championship remained dominant after the split for some time, initially retaining the top drivers, teams, and sponsors. However, in 2000, CART teams began to return to the Indy 500, eventually defecting permanently to the IRL. For 2003, it lost title sponsor [[FedEx]] and engine providers [[Honda]] and [[Toyota]] to the IRL.

===IRL IndyCar Series & Champ Car World Series (2004–2007)===
((multiple image
|align=right
|direction=horizontal
|total_width=300
|image1=Chicagoland Speedway ow.jpg
|image2=2007GPofHouston1.jpg
|footer=IRL IndyCar Series race at [[Chicagoland Speedway]] (left). Champ Car World Series race at [[Grand Prix of Houston|JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park]] (right) in 2007.
))
After steadily losing teams and drivers, sponsors, and manufacturers, and after a series of major financial setbacks, CART filed for bankruptcy in 2003. The assets were purchased by a consortium called Open Wheel Racing Series (OWRS) in 2004 and the series was renamed the Champ Car Open Wheel Racing Series, later renaming it to the [[Champ Car World Series]]. However, the sanctioning body continued to be plagued by financial difficulties, In 2007, CCWS's presenting sponsors [[Bridgestone]] and [[Ford Motor Company]] withdrew.

During this time, the IRL was now operating under the moniker IndyCar Series, and slowly beginning to establish itself as the more preeminent national championship trail. In 2005, the IRL added road/street courses, and began picking up several former CART venues. And in 2007, Champ Car raced in Europe for the first time since 2003, with races in The Netherlands and Belgium and a planned round in Spain in 2008 before the unification.

===IndyCar (2008–2019): Unification era===
[[File:Indianapolis 500 2008.jpg|thumb|[[2008 Indianapolis 500]], first Indianapolis 500 race in unification era]]
Prior to the start of the 2008 season, the CCWS Board authorized bankruptcy and Champ Car was absorbed into the IRL, creating a unified series for the national championship for the first time since 1978. The unified series competed under the name [[IndyCar Series]]. The two calendars were merged into one schedule, with the top Champ Car races such as Long Beach (Which was a CCWS-sanctioned event with IRL points before being an official round of the IRL in 2009) , Edmonton and Surfers Paradise in Australia surviving, being replaced with an A1GP event in 2009 that never happened before the focus was changed to the Australian Supercars Championship in 2010. Some of the other races from the Champ Car schedule were dropped or put on hiatus for a few seasons. All historical record and property of CART/CCWS was assumed by the IRL.

[[Randy Bernard]] was announced as the new IRL CEO in February 2010.<ref>((cite news |url= http://www.indycar.com/news/?story_id=15714 |title= Meet the CEO |first= Dave |last= Lewandowski |work= [[IndyCar Series]] |publisher= [[IndyCar Series|Indy Racing League]] |date= 2010-02-02 |access-date= 2010-02-02 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110605125642/http://www.indycar.com/news/?story_id=15714
 |archive-date = 2011-06-05 |url-status= live))</ref> In 2011, the sanctioning body dropped the Indy Racing League name, becoming IndyCar to reflect the merged series. The new [[Dallara DW12]] racecar was introduced for the 2012 season. Bernard was replaced by Mark Miles in 2012.
The series operated under the name [[Izod|IZOD]] IndyCar Series from 2010 to 2013, then became known as the [[Verizon Communications|Verizon]] IndyCar Series from 2014 to 2018, and the [[Nippon Telegraph and Telephone|NTT]] IndyCar Series since 2019.

===IndyCar (2020–present): Penske era===
In 2020, the IndyCar Series, as well as the [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway]] and other holdings, was sold to Penske Entertainment Corp., a subsidiary of the [[Penske Corporation]], owned by [[Roger Penske]].<ref name="name">((cite news|url=https://www.indycar.com/News/2019/11/11-04-INDYCAR-Penske|title=INDYCAR, IMS acquired by Penske Corporation |publisher=IndyCar.com|date=November 4, 2019|access-date=November 5, 2019))</ref>

== Car names and trademarks ==<!-- Pls do not rename.  Linked to by IndyCar DAB -->
[[File:PenskePC23.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Marlboro [[Penske PC-23]] Indy/Champ car]]
The race cars participating in national championship events have been referred to by various names. Early nomenclature was to call the machines "Championship Cars", which was later shortened to "Champ Cars". The term "Big Cars" saw some limited use; a term that identified the machines as larger and faster than junior formulae such as [[Sprint car racing|sprints]] and [[Midget car racing|midgets]]. That term disappeared from use and was instead largely used for [[Sprint car racing|Sprint cars]]. Since some promoters continued to advertise their championship events with the term "Big Cars", some which leads to some inconsistencies. In the post-[[World War II]] era, the term "Speedway Cars" saw limited use; a loosely descriptive term, distinguishing the machines as those driven at the Indianapolis Motor ''Speedway'' and other major ''speedways'', as opposed to those driven at smaller tracks, for instance. Nevertheless, the term "Championship/Champ Cars" prevailed as the preferred moniker.<ref>((cite web|url=https://auto.howstuffworks.com/champ-car.htm|title=How Champ Cars Work|date=June 2, 2000 |access-date=24 May 2022))</ref>

In most years since the USAC era, the term "Indy cars" (after the [[Indianapolis 500|Indy 500]]) has taken over as the preferred moniker. Apropos to that, when [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]] was founded in 1979, its [[acronym]] stood for ''Championship Auto Racing Teams'', a reflection of the historical use of the term "Championship Car". From its onset, CART started marketed itself with the two-word "Indy Car" term, advertising itself as the "CART Indy Car World Series".

Through the mid-1990s, the term "Indy car" referred to machines used to compete in events sanctioned by [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]], as well as the machines competing in the [[Indianapolis 500]] (sanctioned singly by [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]]).

In 1992, the [[CamelCase]] term "IndyCar" was trademarked by [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|IMS, Inc.]] It was licensed to CART from 1992 through 1996. After the inception of the [[IndyCar|Indy Racing League]] in 1996, the terms of the contract were voided after a lawsuit. As part of the settlement, the term was shelved by a six-year non-use agreement. Following the settlement, and the lack of connection to the [[Indianapolis 500|Indy 500]], CART decided to revert to the former term. It re-assumed the name [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]], and the machines would be referred to again as "Champ cars". This continued after CART was reorganized into [[Champ Car World Series|CCWS]].

Complicating the situation resulting from the open-wheel split, CART/Champ Car races held outside the United States were still permitted to use the ''Indy'' moniker (e.g., [[Honda Indy Toronto|Molson Indy Toronto]] and [[Nikon Indy 300|Lexmark Indy 300]]). Foreign venue promoters took advantage of the marketing power of the Indy 500 name for their events, even though the Champ Car series they were promoting no longer had any ties to that race. The exceptions created confusion, and Champ Car gradually phased out the usage to distance itself further from the IRL.

After the settlement expired in 2003, the IndyCar term was brought back. The Indy Racing League was re-branded as the "IRL IndyCar Series". The machines in the series were also referred to as "Indy cars". Despite the official acknowledgment, media and fans alike would continue to use the term "IRL" to describe the series, and to a lesser extent, "IRL cars" to describe the machines. Removing the "IRL" term from use proved difficult.

With two series ([[IndyCar Series|IndyCar]] and [[Champ Car World Series|Champ Car]]) still competing parallel, the umbrella terms "Open Wheel Cars" and "Open Wheel Racing" saw increased use during the split and post-split era. Many drivers had logged starts in both series at one time or another during their careers. The term was used as a way to combine a driver's career accomplishments without being series/machine specific. It also served to link the lineage of events, teams, drivers, etc., even as they switched sanctioning bodies.

In 2008, when [[Champ Car World Series]] was merged into the Indy Racing League, the term "Champ Car" was permanently retired. The unified racing series fell under the "IndyCar" name, and the machines would be known as "Indy cars". On January 1, 2011, the names "Indy Racing League" and "IRL" were officially retired. The sanction body was re-branded as [[IndyCar|INDYCAR LLC]], and the premier touring series was named the [[IndyCar Series]] (currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons).

==Comparison with Formula One==

At first, American and European open-wheel racing were not distinct disciplines. Races on both continents were mostly point-to-point races, and large ovals tracks emerged on both continents. But in America, racing took off at horse-race tracks and at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, while in Europe, racing from point to point and around large circuits gained in popularity. Grand Prix racing (which became [[Formula One]]) and [[rallying]] then diverged in Europe. Formula One was established after World War II as the World Championship for road racing, and F1 cars became increasingly specialized and high-tech.

In the 1960s, road racing gained popularity in North America, and Formula One-style design ideas changed IndyCars, which until then had all been classic-styled front-engined roadsters. When North America's road racing championship, [[Can-Am|Can-Am Challenge]], collapsed in the 1970s, the IndyCars were ready to fill the void. IndyCar was a combination road- and oval-racing championship from this time until the Split. Compared to F1 cars, IndyCars were partly specialized for oval-racing: they were larger and had other safety features,((citation needed|date=August 2015)) and were designed to run at the higher speeds necessary for oval racing. Because IndyCars were usually "customer" cars that the teams purchased from constructors, and because of rules to contain costs, they were considerably less expensive than F1 cars, each model of which was designed by the team that used it. After the Split in the 1990s, CART maintained the old formula while the IRL drifted toward the "spec" design that has been the only IndyCar model since 2003 (which changed in 2012, with specialized aero kits available from 2015 to 2017).

As engine formulas have changed, and as engine technology has developed over time, F1 cars and IndyCars have each produced more power than the other at different times. But for the foreseeable future, F1 cars will have considerably more power than the spec IndyCar.

[[Alex Zanardi]], who drove both in F1 and CART, said that the lighter, naturally aspirated F1 car was more responsive and accelerated off the turns faster, while the turbocharged CART car was more stable and accelerated to top speed faster. 

More recently [[FIA Formula 2 Championship|Formula 2]] drivers [[Callum Ilott]] and [[Christian Lundgaard]], who are both also test and reserve drivers for [[Alpine F1]] and [[Scuderia Ferrari]] respectively, have stated that the modern [[Dallara DW12]] spec car used in the IndyCar Series sits in between a Formula 2 and a Formula One car on road and street courses in terms of performance. Both Ilott and Lundgaard have stated that the IndyCar's lack of power steering combined with the lower downforce levels and roughly 100 horsepower advantage make the IndyCar harder to drive than a Formula 2 car. Both noted however that around a road or street course the Formula One car would be significantly faster than an IndyCar. 

There is debate on which series is more demanding. Some point out that champions that retired from F1 have won CART championships: e.g., Emerson Fittipaldi and Nigel Mansell. Drivers who did not excel in F1 have continued their careers in IndyCar with varying levels of success. Some successful IndyCar drivers have tried but failed to get a seat in even a low level Formula One team. A handful of notable IndyCar drivers, however, found subsequent success in F1, including Mario Andretti and Jacques Villeneuve, who became Formula One champions, and Juan Pablo Montoya, who won several F1 races. Conversely, some point to the different track designs of IndyCar (see below) as a bigger challenge to the drivers. Former [[Haas F1]] driver [[Romain Grosjean]] stated in 2021 that a modern IndyCar is more physically exerting to drive than a modern Formula One car but that the Formula One car was more mentally taxing due to all its additional complexity, horsepower, and downforce levels compared to the IndyCar as well as the need to manage fuel levels given that Formula One cars do not refuel during the race while IndyCar racing allows refueling during races. 

===Open-wheel cars===
* "Indy car" is a generic name for championship [[open-wheel car|open-wheel auto racing]] in the United States. "Indy car" initially described an [[open-wheel car]] that participated in the [[Indianapolis 500-Mile Race]].  Originally, the cars were generally referred to as "Championship cars". However, as the result of the Indianapolis being the most notable race on the calendar, many people started to apply the "Indy car" designation for the entire American open-wheel class of cars in order to differentiate those from other types of open-wheel cars, such as [[Formula One car|those used in]] [[Formula One]].
* In general, ''IndyCars'' of both [[Champ Car#Specifications|CART]] and [[IndyCar Series#Cars|IndyCar]] are slower on street and road courses, being less expensive and technology-centric platforms than their Formula One counterparts. This was even the case during the CART PPG era during the mid to late 1990s. With the bid to keep costs down around teams in IndyCar, a competitive ''Indy car'' team like [[Newman/Haas Racing]] operated on approximately US$20 Million per season, while the [[McLaren]]-[[Mercedes-Benz HighPerformanceEngines|Mercedes]] F1 team had an annual budget of US$400 million<ref>((Cite web|url=https://f1i.com/content/view/4377/0|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209182616/http://www.f1i.com/content/view/4377/0/|url-status=dead|title=F1i.com &#124; F1 News, F1 Live, F1 Results &#124; 2020 Formula 1 news from F1i.com|archive-date=February 9, 2008))</ref> in 2008. With the budget cap in Formula One which was introduced in 2021, a team now can spend a maximum of US$145 Million on developing their car.<ref>((Cite web|date=4 May 2020|title=F1 plans immediate reduction in new budget cap, reveals Ross Brawn ((!)) Formula 1®|url=https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-news-f1-plans-immediate-reduction-in-new-budget-cap-reveals-brawn.3ABXVY0AEr3Ad6ZfJh7yHN.html|access-date=2021-08-09|website=F1|language=en))</ref>
* The Formula One chassis was required to be built by their respective team/constructor since 1981, whereas an ''Indy car'' chassis could be purchased. The dominance of a select few manufacturers has essentially turned the [[IndyCar Series]] into a [[One-Design#Motor racing|spec series]]. CART/CCWS became a spec series more intentionally for cost savings purposes.
((update|section|date=May 2019))

===Racing description===
* Indy car racing historically tended to take place on high speed ovals, while Formula One used primarily permanent road courses. However, Champ Car had no oval tracks for the 2007 season (which was its last), while the IRL added road/street courses to what was originally an all-oval series, and IndyCar has had a nearly equal balance of ovals and road/street courses in some years. Currently, the IndyCar Series has fewer ovals on its schedule than road/street courses due to safety concerns; the [[2021 IndyCar Series|2021 season]] had only four oval races, out of 16 overall.
* Indy car racing was dominated by North American drivers until the 1980s and 1990s, which saw the debuts of drivers from Europe, South America, and Japan, many of whom had previously competed in Formula One. This led to [[Tony George]] forming the IRL in order to promote American drivers. Conversely, American drivers have not found much success in [[Formula One]] since the 1970s; the last American driver to date to have won a Formula One race or the World Drivers' Championship was [[Mario Andretti]], who accomplished both in 1978. Andretti was born in Italy and later became an American citizen.
* Due partly to the lack of American drivers and teams, Formula One struggled to establish itself in that market, with the [[United States Grand Prix]] not being part of the Formula One season in some years. However, since the 2023 season, the Formula One calendar featured three Grands Prix taking place in the United States. In a parallel, Indy car racing has made little headway outside of the United States and Canada, despite occasionally having races overseas.

== Types of circuits ==
((further|List of Indycar races))
((further|List of auto racing tracks in the United States))
The American National Championship is notable for the wide variety of racetracks it has used compared to other series, such as [[Formula One]] and the various forms of Endurance [[sports car racing]]. The mainstays of the championship are as follows:
* Paved [[Oval track racing|ovals]] and [[tri-oval]]s (e.g. [[Indianapolis Motor Speedway|Indianapolis]], [[Texas Motor Speedway|Texas]])
* Permanent (or "Natural") [[Road racing|road courses]] (e.g. [[Barber Motorsports Park|Barber]], [[Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course|Mid-Ohio]])
* Temporary [[Street circuit|street circuits/courses]] (e.g. [[Grand Prix of Long Beach|Long Beach]], [[Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg|St. Pete]])
* [[Oval track racing#Combined road course|Combined road course]] (e.g. [[IndyCar Grand Prix]])

Until 1970 the championship frequently raced on dirt and clay tracks, but all such tracks were removed permanently by USAC before the 1971 season.

From 1915 to 1931 [[Board track racing|board tracks]] were frequently used for championship races, however safety concerns and cost of maintenance, especially with the onset of the [[Great Depression]], and nearly all were demolished in the 1930s.

The [[Pikes Peak Hillclimb]] was a round of the championship in the years 1947—1955 and 1965–1969.

In 1909 a point-to-point race from [[Los Angeles]] to [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] was included in the championship.

Airport runways have also been used to create temporary circuits. The most notable used for open-wheel racing was the [[Grand Prix of Cleveland|Cleveland Grand Prix]] at [[Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport|Burke Lakefront Airport]]. St. Pete and Edmonton also utilize airport runways for parts of the course, however, they lead back to streets for the rest of the lap.

===Events outside the United States===
For the majority of the national championship, the races have been held inside the United States. American championship cars raced at the [[Autodromo Nazionale Monza|Monza]] oval in 1957 and 1958 alongside [[Formula One]] and [[sports car racing|sports cars]] in the non-championship [[Race of Two Worlds]].<ref>((cite web|last=Galpin |first=Darren |title=The Race of Two Worlds |url=http://www.forix.com/8w/rotw.html |work=8W |publisher=Forix Autosport.com |access-date=January 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120127091214/http://www.forix.com/8w/rotw.html |archive-date=January 27, 2012 |url-status=live ))</ref>  Also, in 1966 there was a non-championship USAC race at [[Fuji Speedway]] in Japan. The first championship events outside the U.S. took place in [[1967 USAC Championship Car season|1967]] at [[Canadian Tire Motorsport Park|Mosport]] and [[Circuit Mont-Tremblant|Saint-Jovite]] in [[Canada]]. In [[1971 USAC Championship Car season|1971]], the USAC season-opening race was held at [[Autódromo Ciudad de Rafaela|Rafaela]]. In the autumn of 1978, two races were held in [[England]], the first at [[Silverstone Circuit|Silverstone]], then a week later at [[Brands Hatch]].

Beginning in the mid-1980s, CART expanded throughout [[North America]], venturing into Mexico ([[Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez|Mexico City]]) and Canada ([[Sanair Super Speedway|Sanair]], [[Honda Indy Toronto|Toronto]] and [[Molson Indy Vancouver|Vancouver]]). In the 1990s and early 2000s, international expansion reached overseas with events at [[Nikon Indy 300|Surfer's Paradise]], [[Rio 200|Rio de Janeiro]], [[Indy Japan 300|Motegi]], [[EuroSpeedway Lausitz|Lausitz]], and [[Rockingham Motor Speedway|Rockingham]].

Towards the end of its run, Champ Car ran races at European tracks such as [[TT Circuit Assen]] and [[Zolder Circuit]], intentionally scheduled in regions and dates that would not compete with Formula One.

== Trophies and awards ==

===Astor Cup===
((main|Astor Cup (auto race)))
In 2011 IndyCar revived the Astor Cup, first awarded in 1915 as the series championship trophy.  A black granite base has been added displaying the names of all the American Championship car racing series winners since 1909.

===Vanderbilt Cup===
((main|Vanderbilt Cup))
The 1916, 1936 and 1937 Vanderbilt Cup races were included in the national championship. The 1909–1915 races were retrospectively added to the championship in 1926.
CART resurrected the Cup in 1996 as the winner's trophy for the US500 race. When that race was discontinued in 2000, the Cup changed roles and became the championship trophy. Champ Car retained the rights to use the trophy after CART's bankruptcy, but use of the trophy was discontinued after Champ Car's merger with the Indy Racing League.

== Indianapolis 500 as part of the national championship ==
From its inception in 1911, the [[Indianapolis 500]] has been considered the marquee event of Championship/Indy car racing. The race has been held every year from 1911, with the exception of 1917-1918 (World War I) and 1942-1945 (World War II). The Indianapolis 500 has been part of an official national championship in 1916, 1920–1941, and since 1946. In the years from 1911 to 1915, as well as 1919, the race was held as a formally sanctioned event, but an official national championship was not recognized in those years. Therefore, those six editions of the race were not attached to an officially recognized national championship.

Winning the Indianapolis 500 has frequently been considered at near or equal profile to winning the national championship. However, direct comparisons are difficult as many of the national champions are also Indy 500 winners in their own right. In many instances, drivers have won both the 500 and the championship in the same calendar year.

During the first [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]]/[[Champ Car|CART]] open-wheel "split", which encompasses the period from 1979 to 1995, the status of the Indianapolis 500 as part of the national championship changed somewhat. The Indy 500 was sanctioned by USAC, and during that time, was officially part of the USAC Gold Crown Championship calendar. However, the bulk of the field was CART-based teams and drivers. The Indy 500 paid points to the CART title in 1979 and 1980, but did not count towards the CART title in 1981 and 1982. By 1983, an arrangement was made such that the Indy 500 would continue to be sanctioned singly by USAC, but be it would be recognized on the CART schedule, and pay championship points towards the CART title.

Starting in 1996, the Indianapolis 500 became part of the new [[IndyCar|Indy Racing League]] championship. All ties to the CART championship were severed. It was the beginning of the second open-wheel "split". In 2008, when the two series unified as IndyCar, ending the "split", the Indianapolis 500 was now part of the unified IndyCar Series national championship. Since 2014, the Indy 500 has paid double points towards the IndyCar Series points championship, and additional championship points are awarded based on Indy 500 qualifying results.

== Notable drivers ==
((further|List of American Championship Car winners))
* The driver with the most championship titles and race wins is [[A. J. Foyt]]. From 1959 to 1981 Foyt won 67 [[United States Automobile Club|USAC]] championship races and seven USAC titles.
* [[Mario Andretti]] is the most successful driver born outside the United States with 52 total wins (33 USAC & 19 CART) and 4 titles (3 USAC & 1 CART).
* New Zealand's [[Scott Dixon]] is the most successful non-U.S. driver with 6 championship titles and holds the record for IndyCar race wins (49). He sits 3rd all time behind [[A. J. Foyt]] and [[Mario Andretti]] with a total of 50 race wins (includes 1 [[Champ Car|CART/Champ Car]] win in 2001).
* [[Michael Andretti]] has won the most [[Champ Car|CART/Champ Car]]-sanctioned races (42).
* [[Tony Bettenhausen]] (19) is credited with the most [[AAA Contest Board|AAA]] championship race wins.
* [[Danica Patrick]] is the only woman to ever win a national championship-level open-wheel race ([[Indy Japan 300|Motegi]], 2008). [[Sarah Fisher]] was the first female driver to win a pole position ([[Meijer Indy 300|Kentucky]], 2002).
* Four drivers have held the crowns of CART Champion and [[Formula One]] World Driving Champion.
** [[Mario Andretti]], [[Emerson Fittipaldi]], [[Nigel Mansell]], [[Jacques Villeneuve]]
* Six other drivers have won both a national championship race as well as at least one Formula One Grand Prix. They are as follows:
** [[Peter Revson]], [[Dan Gurney]], [[Jim Clark]], [[Graham Hill]], [[Juan Pablo Montoya]], [[Jackie Stewart]]

== Notable fatalities in competition ==
((further|List of fatal Champ Car accidents))
((further|List of Indianapolis 500 fatal accidents))
* [[Jimmy Murphy (racing driver)|Jimmy Murphy]], champion in 1922 and 1924, died after crashing at the [[Syracuse Mile|Syracuse, New York]] in September, 1924. 
* [[Ted Horn]], champion in 1946-1947-1948, died after crashing at the DuQuoin dirt track in late 1948.
* Defending Indianapolis 500 winners [[Floyd Roberts]] and [[Bill Vukovich]] were killed during the [[1939 Indianapolis 500|1939]] and [[1955 Indianapolis 500|1955]] Indy 500s respectively.
* 1951 and 1958 champion [[Tony Bettenhausen]] was killed in a crash at Indianapolis in May 1961.
* [[Eddie Sachs]] and [[Dave MacDonald]] were killed during the [[1964 Indianapolis 500]].
* [[Art Pollard]] (practice) and [[Swede Savage]] (race) died of injuries suffered during the [[1973 Indianapolis 500]].
* [[Gordon Smiley]] was killed while attempting to qualify for the [[1982 Indianapolis 500]].
* [[1996 Indianapolis 500]] pole-sitter [[Scott Brayton]] was killed May 17, 1996, during a practice session for the Indianapolis 500.
* [[Gonzalo Rodríguez (racing driver)|Gonzalo Rodríguez]] was killed September 11, 1999, during a qualifying in the [[1999 Honda Grand Prix of Monterey|IndyCar Monterey Grand Prix]] at [[WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca|Laguna Seca]].
* [[Greg Moore (race car driver)|Greg Moore]] died after an October 31, 1999, crash in the [[1999 Marlboro 500|Marlboro 500]] at [[California Speedway|Fontana]].
* [[Paul Dana]] died during practice for the first race of the [[2006 IndyCar Series]] season, at [[Homestead-Miami Speedway]] on March 26, 2006.
* [[2005 IndyCar Series]] champion and two-time Indianapolis 500 champion [[Dan Wheldon]] died after a 15-car pile-up on the 11th lap of the [[2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championships|IZOD IndyCar World Championships]] at [[Las Vegas Motor Speedway|Las Vegas]] on October 16, 2011.
* [[Justin Wilson (racing driver)|Justin Wilson]] died on August 24, 2015, the day after a crash on lap 180 of the [[ABC Supply 500|2015 ABC Supply 500]] at [[Pocono Raceway]].

== National champions ==
((Main|List of American open-wheel racing national champions))
[[File:Dario Resta.jpg|thumb|175px|Dario Resta, 1916 National Champion]]
[[File:JimmyMurphy08281920.jpg|thumb|175px|Jimmy Murphy (right), 1922 & 1924 National Champion]]
[[File:AJ Foyt dirt car 1961.jpg|thumb|175px|A. J. Foyt, 7-time National Champion (1960, '61, '63, '64, '67, '75, '79)]]
[[File:Mario Andretti 1984.jpg|thumb|175px|Mario Andretti; 1965, 1966, 1969, & 1984 Champion]]
[[File:Rick Mears 2011 Indianapolis.JPG|thumb|175px|Rick Mears; 1979, 1981, & 1982 IndyCar Champion]]
[[File:NigelMansell.jpg|thumb|175px|Nigel Mansell, 1993 IndyCar Champion]]
[[File:Jacques Villeneuve 2002.jpg|thumb|175px|Jacques Villeneuve, 1995 IndyCar Champion]]
[[File:j p montoya.jpg|thumb|175px|Juan Pablo Montoya, 1999 CART Champion]]
[[File:Bourdais.jpg|thumb|175px|Sébastien Bourdais, 4-time Champ Car World Series champion (2004–2007), the only champion under that banner]]
[[File:Dario Franchitti - 2015 Indianapolis 500 - Stierch 2.jpg|thumb|175px|Dario Franchitti; 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2011 IndyCar Series champion]]
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%;"
|-
!Year
!colspan=3| Champion<ref>((cite web|title=Through The Years |url=http://www.champcarstats.com/Year.htm |work=Champ Car Stats |access-date=June 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110903212708/http://www.champcarstats.com/Year.htm |archive-date=September 3, 2011 |url-status=live ))</ref>
|-
!colspan=4|AAA National Championship
|-
| [[1905 AAA Championship Car season|1905]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1896))  [[Barney Oldfield]]
|-
|colspan=4| 1906–1915: ''No championships''
|-
| [[1916 AAA Championship Car season|1916]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United Kingdom)) [[Dario Resta]]
|-
|colspan=4| 1917–1919: ''No championships ([[World War I]])''
|-
| [[1920 AAA Championship Car season|1920]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Gaston Chevrolet]]
|-
| [[1921 AAA Championship Car season|1921]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Tommy Milton]]
|-00
| [[1922 AAA Championship Car season|1922]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Jimmy Murphy (racing driver)|Jimmy Murphy]]
|-
| [[1923 AAA Championship Car season|1923]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Eddie Hearne]]
|-
| [[1924 AAA Championship Car season|1924]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Jimmy Murphy (racing driver)|Jimmy Murphy]] (2)
|-
| [[1925 AAA Championship Car season|1925]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Peter DePaolo]]
|-
| [[1926 AAA Championship Car season|1926]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Harry Hartz]]
|-
| [[1927 AAA Championship Car season|1927]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Peter DePaolo]] (2)
|-
| [[1928 AAA Championship Car season|1928]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Louis Meyer]]
|-
| [[1929 AAA Championship Car season|1929]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Louis Meyer]] (2)
|-
| [[1930 AAA Championship Car season|1930]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Billy Arnold (racing driver)|Billy Arnold]]
|-
| [[1931 AAA Championship Car season|1931]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Louis Schneider]]
|-
| [[1932 AAA Championship Car season|1932]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Bob Carey (racing driver)|Bob Carey]]
|-
| [[1933 AAA Championship Car season|1933]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Louis Meyer]] (3)
|-
| [[1934 AAA Championship Car season|1934]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Bill Cummings (racing driver)|Bill Cummings]]
|-
| [[1935 AAA Championship Car season|1935]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Kelly Petillo]]
|-
| [[1936 AAA Championship Car season|1936]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Mauri Rose]]
|-
| [[1937 AAA Championship Car season|1937]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Wilbur Shaw]]
|-
| [[1938 AAA Championship Car season|1938]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Floyd Roberts]]
|-
| [[1939 AAA Championship Car season|1939]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Wilbur Shaw]] (2)
|-
| [[1940 AAA Championship Car season|1940]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Rex Mays]]
|-
| [[1941 AAA Championship Car season|1941]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Rex Mays]] (2)
|-
|colspan=4| 1942–1945: ''No championships ([[World War II]])''
|-
| [[1946 AAA Championship Car season|1946]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Ted Horn]]
|-
| [[1947 AAA Championship Car season|1947]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Ted Horn]] (2)
|-
| [[1948 AAA Championship Car season|1948]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Ted Horn]] (3)
|-
| [[1949 AAA Championship Car season|1949]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Johnnie Parsons]]
|-
| [[1950 AAA Championship Car season|1950]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Henry Banks]]
|-
| [[1951 AAA Championship Car season|1951]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Tony Bettenhausen]]
|-
| [[1952 AAA Championship Car season|1952]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Chuck Stevenson]]
|-
| [[1953 AAA Championship Car season|1953]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Sam Hanks]]
|-
| [[1954 AAA Championship Car season|1954]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Jimmy Bryan]]
|-
| [[1955 AAA Championship Car season|1955]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Bob Sweikert]]
|-
!colspan=4|USAC National Championship
|-
| [[1956 USAC Championship Car season|1956]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Jimmy Bryan]] (2)
|-
| [[1957 USAC Championship Car season|1957]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Jimmy Bryan]] (3)
|-
| [[1958 USAC Championship Car season|1958]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1912)) [[Tony Bettenhausen]] (2)
|-
| [[1959 USAC Championship Car season|1959]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States|1959)) [[Rodger Ward]]
|-
| [[1960 USAC Championship Car season|1960]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[A. J. Foyt]]
|-
| [[1961 USAC Championship Car season|1961]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[A. J. Foyt]] (2)
|-
| [[1962 USAC Championship Car season|1962]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Rodger Ward]] (2)
|-
| [[1963 USAC Championship Car season|1963]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[A. J. Foyt]] (3)
|-
| [[1964 USAC Championship Car season|1964]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[A. J. Foyt]] (4)
|-
| [[1965 USAC Championship Car season|1965]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Mario Andretti]]
|-
| [[1966 USAC Championship Car season|1966]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Mario Andretti]] (2)
|-
| [[1967 USAC Championship Car season|1967]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[A. J. Foyt]] (5)
|-
| [[1968 USAC Championship Car season|1968]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Bobby Unser]]
|-
| [[1969 USAC Championship Car season|1969]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Mario Andretti]] (3)
|-
| [[1970 USAC Championship Car season|1970]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Al Unser]]
|-
| [[1971 USAC Championship Car season|1971]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Joe Leonard]]
|-
| [[1972 USAC Championship Car season|1972]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Joe Leonard]] (2)
|-
| [[1973 USAC Championship Car season|1973]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Roger McCluskey]]
|-
| [[1974 USAC Championship Car season|1974]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Bobby Unser]] (2)
|-
| [[1975 USAC Championship Car season|1975]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[A. J. Foyt]] (6)
|-
| [[1976 USAC Championship Car season|1976]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Gordon Johncock]]
|-
| [[1977 USAC Championship Car season|1977]] ||colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Tom Sneva]]
|-
| [[1978 USAC Championship Car season|1978]] ||colspan=1| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Tom Sneva]] (2)
! Year
! CART Indy Car Series
|-
| [[1979 USAC Championship Car season|1979]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[A. J. Foyt]] (7)
| [[1979 SCCA/CART Indy Car Series|1979]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Rick Mears]]
|-
| [[1980 USAC Championship Car season|1980]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]]
| [[1980 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1980]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Johnny Rutherford (driver)|Johnny Rutherford]] (2)
|-
!Year
!USAC Gold Crown Championship((ref|Champ|A))((ref|Champ|B))
| [[1981 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1981]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Rick Mears]] (2)
|-
| [[1981–82 USAC Championship Car season|1981–82]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[George Snider]]
| [[1982 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1982]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Rick Mears]] (3)
|-
| [[1982–83 USAC Championship Car season|1982–83]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Tom Sneva]]
| [[1983 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1983]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Al Unser]] (2)
|-
| [[1983–84 USAC Championship Car season|1983–84]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Rick Mears]]
| [[1984 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1984]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Mario Andretti]] (4)
|-
| [[1985 Indianapolis 500|1985]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Danny Sullivan]]
| [[1985 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1985]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Al Unser]] (3)
|-
| [[1986 Indianapolis 500|1986]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Bobby Rahal]]
| [[1986 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1986]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Bobby Rahal]]
|-
| [[1987 Indianapolis 500|1987]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Al Unser]]
| [[1987 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1987]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Bobby Rahal]] (2)
|-
| [[1988 Indianapolis 500|1988]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Rick Mears]]
| [[1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1988]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Danny Sullivan]]
|-
| [[1989 Indianapolis 500|1989]]
| ((flagicon|Brazil|1968)) [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]
| [[1989 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1989]]
| ((flagicon|Brazil|1968)) [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]
|-
| [[1990 Indianapolis 500|1990]]
| ((flagicon|Netherlands)) [[Arie Luyendyk]]
| [[1990 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1990]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Al Unser Jr.]]
|-
| [[1991 Indianapolis 500|1991]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Rick Mears]]
| [[1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series|1991]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Michael Andretti]]
|-
| [[1992 Indianapolis 500|1992]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Al Unser Jr.]]
| [[1992 PPG Indy Car World Series|1992]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Bobby Rahal]] (3)
|-
| [[1993 Indianapolis 500|1993]]
| ((flagicon|Brazil)) [[Emerson Fittipaldi]]
| [[1993 PPG Indy Car World Series|1993]]
| ((flagicon|United Kingdom)) [[Nigel Mansell]]
|-
| [[1994 Indianapolis 500|1994]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Al Unser Jr.]]
| [[1994 PPG Indy Car World Series|1994]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Al Unser Jr.]] (2)
|-
| [[1995 Indianapolis 500|1995]]
| ((flagicon|Canada)) [[Jacques Villeneuve]]
| [[1995 PPG Indy Car World Series|1995]]
| ((flagicon|Canada)) [[Jacques Villeneuve]]
|-
!Year
!Indy Racing League
|rowspan=2| [[1996 PPG Indy Car World Series|1996]]
|rowspan=2| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Jimmy Vasser]]
|-
| [[1996 Indy Racing League|1996]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Buzz Calkins]] / [[Scott Sharp]]
|-
| [[1996–1997 Indy Racing League|1996–97]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Tony Stewart]]
| [[1997 CART PPG World Series|1997]]
| ((flagicon|Italy)) [[Alex Zanardi]]
|-
| [[1998 Indy Racing League|1998]]
| ((flagicon|Sweden)) [[Kenny Bräck]]
| [[1998 CART FedEx Championship Series|1998]]
| ((flagicon|Italy)) [[Alex Zanardi]] (2)
|-
| [[1999 Indy Racing League|1999]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Greg Ray]]
| [[1999 CART season|1999]]
| ((flagicon|Colombia)) [[Juan Pablo Montoya]]
|-
| [[2000 Indy Racing League|2000]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Buddy Lazier]]
| [[2000 CART season|2000]]
| ((flagicon|Brazil)) [[Gil de Ferran]]
|-
| [[2001 Indy Racing League|2001]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Sam Hornish Jr.]]
| [[2001 CART season|2001]]
| ((flagicon|Brazil)) [[Gil de Ferran]] (2)
|-
| [[2002 Indy Racing League|2002]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Sam Hornish Jr.]] (2)
| [[2002 CART season|2002]]
| ((flagicon|Brazil)) [[Cristiano da Matta]]
|-
!Year
!IndyCar Series
|rowspan=2| [[2003 CART season|2003]]
|rowspan=2| ((flagicon|Canada)) [[Paul Tracy]]
|-
| [[2003 IndyCar Series|2003]]
| ((flagicon|New Zealand)) [[Scott Dixon]]
|-
|rowspan=2| [[2004 IndyCar Series|2004]]
|rowspan=2| ((flagicon|Brazil)) [[Tony Kanaan]]
!Year
!Champ Car World Series
|-
| [[2004 Champ Car season|2004]]
| ((flagicon|France)) [[Sébastien Bourdais]]
|-
| [[2005 IndyCar Series|2005]]
| ((flagicon|United Kingdom)) [[Dan Wheldon]]
| [[2005 Champ Car season|2005]]
| ((flagicon|France)) [[Sébastien Bourdais]] (2)
|-
| [[2006 IndyCar Series|2006]]
| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Sam Hornish Jr.]] (3)
| [[2006 Champ Car season|2006]]
| ((flagicon|France)) [[Sébastien Bourdais]] (3)
|-
| [[2007 IndyCar Series|2007]]
| ((flagicon|United Kingdom)) [[Dario Franchitti]]
| [[2007 Champ Car season|2007]]
| ((flagicon|France)) [[Sébastien Bourdais]] (4)
|-
!Year
!colspan=3|IndyCar Series
|-
| [[2008 IndyCar Series|2008]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|New Zealand)) [[Scott Dixon]] (2)
|-
| [[2009 IndyCar Series|2009]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|United Kingdom)) [[Dario Franchitti]] (2)
|-
| [[2010 IndyCar Series|2010]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|United Kingdom)) [[Dario Franchitti]] (3)
|-
| [[2011 IndyCar Series|2011]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|United Kingdom)) [[Dario Franchitti]] (4)
|-
| [[2012 IndyCar Series|2012]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|United States)) [[Ryan Hunter-Reay]]
|-
| [[2013 IndyCar Series|2013]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|New Zealand)) [[Scott Dixon]] (3)
|-
| [[2014 IndyCar Series|2014]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|Australia)) [[Will Power]]
|-
| [[2015 IndyCar Series|2015]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|New Zealand)) [[Scott Dixon]] (4)
|-
| [[2016 IndyCar Series|2016]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|France)) [[Simon Pagenaud]]
|-
| [[2017 IndyCar Series|2017]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|USA)) [[Josef Newgarden]]
|-
| [[2018 IndyCar Series|2018]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|New Zealand)) [[Scott Dixon]] (5)
|-
| [[2019 IndyCar Series|2019]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|USA)) [[Josef Newgarden]] (2)
|-
| [[2020 IndyCar Series|2020]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|New Zealand)) [[Scott Dixon]] (6)
|-
| [[2021 IndyCar Series|2021]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|ESP)) [[Álex Palou]]
|-
| [[2022 IndyCar Series|2022]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|Australia)) [[Will Power]] (2)
|-
| [[2023 IndyCar Series|2023]]
|colspan=3| ((flagicon|ESP)) [[Álex Palou]] (2)
|}

:((note|Champ|A)) From 1979 to 1995 the Indianapolis 500 and the national championship were sanctioned by separate organizations, USAC and [[Championship Auto Racing Teams|CART]], respectively. USAC continued to sanction their own national championship series until 1981, when they formed the [[USAC Gold Crown Championship]].
:((note|Champ|B)) From 1985 to 1995 the USAC Gold Crown Championship consisted solely of the Indianapolis 500, thus making such championship winners indistinguishable from Indianapolis winners. [[Indy Racing League|IndyCar]] does not recognize winners of the USAC Gold Crown Championship as full season champions.<ref>((Cite web |url=https://www.indycar.com/-/media/Files/2014/News/IndyCar_Historical_Record_Book_2015-All-Time-Champions.pdf?la=en |title=Archived copy |access-date=2018-09-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180917071432/https://www.indycar.com/-/media/Files/2014/News/IndyCar_Historical_Record_Book_2015-All-Time-Champions.pdf?la=en |archive-date=2018-09-17 |url-status=live ))</ref>

==In fiction==

; Films
* ''[[The Crowd Roars (1932 film)|The Crowd Roars]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Speed (1936 film)|Speed]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Indianapolis Speedway (film)|Indianapolis Speedway]]'' (1939)
* ''[[The Big Wheel (film)|The Big Wheel]]'' (1949)
* ''[[To Please a Lady]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Roar of the Crowd]]'' (1953)
* ''[[Winning (film)|Winning]]'' (1969)
* ''[[Super Speedway]]'' (1997)
* ''[[Driven (2001 film)|Driven]]'' (2001)
* ''[[Turbo (film)|Turbo]]'' (2013)

; Video games

((Indy Racing League games))

==See also==
* [[List of American Championship Car winners]]
* [[List of American Championship Car Rookie of the Year Winners]]
* [[List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems]]
* [[NASCAR Speedway Division]]
* [[American Indycar Series]]

==References==
((reflist|2))

==External links==
* [http://www.champcarstats.com/ ChampCarStats.com] complete AAA, USAC, CART, CCWS and IRL race results.

((Indy 500))
((AAA Championship Car seasons))
((Pre-1971 USAC Championship Car seasons))
((USAC Championship Car seasons))
((Champ Car series))
((Indy Racing League Seasons))

[[Category:Open wheel racing]]
[[Category:Auto racing series in the United States]]

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