Sports season
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 season's most successful entrants were Ganassi and
Team Penske
that had made the switch already the year before. New Zealander
Scott Dixon
won the opening race of the season at
Homestead
and ran very consistently all year long to win his first title at the age of 23.
Gil de Ferran
won Penske's third consecutive
Indianapolis 500
in May and finished second to Dixon in the title race. The finale however was marred by a severe incident that nearly killed former series' champion and Indy 500 winner
Kenny Brack
. De Ferran won the race with Dixon in second being well enough to seal the title. Brack would eventually recover; however,
Tony Renna
, a Ganassi development driver, lost his life in a test crash at
Indianapolis
after the season had officially ended.
2003 was also the first and only engine title for Toyota and also first Asian and Japanese car manufacturer to won
IndyCar Series
IRL
-era engine manufacturer's title and thus ending seven-year American engine manufacturer's supremacy. As of 2024, 2003 was also the last chassis manufacturer title victory for
G-Force Technologies
to date.
Confirmed entries
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Season Summary
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Schedule
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Rnd
|
Date
|
Race Name
|
Track
|
City
|
1
|
March 2
|
Toyota Indy 300
|
Homestead-Miami Speedway
|
Homestead, Florida
|
2
|
March 23
|
Purex Dial Indy 200
|
Phoenix International Raceway
|
Phoenix, Arizona
|
3
|
April 13
|
Indy Japan 300
|
Twin Ring Motegi
|
Motegi
,
Japan
|
4
|
May 25
|
87th Indianapolis 500
|
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
|
Speedway, Indiana
|
5
|
June 7
|
Bombardier 500
|
Texas Motor Speedway
|
Fort Worth, Texas
|
6
|
June 15
|
Honda Indy 225
|
Pikes Peak International Raceway
|
Fountain, Colorado
|
7
|
June 28
|
SunTrust Indy Challenge
|
Richmond International Raceway
|
Richmond, Virginia
|
8
|
July 6
|
Kansas Indy 300
|
Kansas Speedway
|
Kansas City, Kansas
|
9
|
July 19
|
Firestone Indy 200
|
Nashville Superspeedway
|
Lebanon, Tennessee
|
10
|
July 27
|
Firestone Indy 400
|
Michigan International Speedway
|
Brooklyn, Michigan
|
11
|
August 10
|
Emerson Indy 250
|
Gateway International Raceway
|
Madison, Illinois
|
12
|
August 17
|
Belterra Casino Indy 300
|
Kentucky Speedway
|
Sparta, Kentucky
|
13
|
August 24
|
Firestone Indy 225
|
Nazareth Speedway
|
Nazareth, Pennsylvania
|
14
|
September 7
|
Delphi Indy 300
|
Chicagoland Speedway
|
Joliet, Illinois
|
15
|
September 21
|
Toyota Indy 400
|
California Speedway
|
Fontana, California
|
16
|
October 12
|
Chevy 500
|
Texas Motor Speedway
|
Fort Worth, Texas
|
BOLD
indicates Superspeedways.
Race results
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Race summaries
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This race was held March 2 at
Homestead-Miami Speedway
.
Tony Kanaan
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 8-
Scott Sharp
- 7-
Michael Andretti
- 27-
Dario Franchitti
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
- 21-
Felipe Giaffone
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
This race was held March 23 at
Phoenix International Raceway
.
Tony Kanaan
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 21-
Felipe Giaffone
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 15-
Kenny Brack
- 2-
Jaques Lazier
- 8-
Scott Sharp
- 23-
Sarah Fisher
- 52-
Buddy Rice
- 5-
Shigeaki Hattori
This race was held April 13 at
Twin Ring Motegi
.
Scott Dixon
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 8-
Scott Sharp
- 15-
Kenny Brack
- 21-
Felipe Giaffone
- 7-
Michael Andretti
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 27-
Dan Wheldon
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 13-
Greg Ray
- 24-
Robbie Buhl
The 87th Indy 500 was held May 25 at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
.
Helio Castroneves
sat on pole but came up just short of the three-peat in the 500.
Top ten results
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 20-
Alex Barron
- 32-
Tony Renna
- 13-
Greg Ray
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 55-
Roger Yasukawa
This race was held June 7 at
Texas Motor Speedway
.
Tomas Scheckter
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 15-
Kenny Brack
- 27-
Bryan Herta
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 12-
Roger Yasukawa
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
This race was held June 15 at
Pikes Peak International Raceway
.
Tony Kanaan
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 27-
Dario Franchitti
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 15-
Kenny Brack
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
- 52-
Buddy Rice
- 91-
Buddy Lazier
This race was held June 28 at
Richmond International Raceway
.
Scott Dixon
won the pole.
[1]
The race was originally scheduled for 250 laps, but shortened to 206 laps due to rain.
[2]
Top ten results
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 21-
Felipe Giaffone
- 15-
Kenny Brack
- 26-
Dan Wheldon
- 52-
Buddy Rice
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
This race was held July 6 at
Kansas Speedway
.
Scott Dixon
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 27-
Bryan Herta
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 15-
Kenny Brack
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 55-
Roger Yasukawa
- 13-
Greg Ray
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
- 5-
Jaques Lazier
This race was held July 19 at
Nashville Superspeedway
.
Scott Dixon
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 26-
Dan Wheldon
- 21-
Alex Barron
- 15-
Kenny Brack
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
This race was held July 27 at
Michigan International Speedway
.
Tomas Scheckter
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 21-
Alex Barron
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
- 8-
Scott Sharp
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 12-
Roger Yasukawa
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 13-
Greg Ray
This race was held August 10 at
Gateway International Raceway
.
Helio Castroneves
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
- 26-
Dan Wheldon
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 13-
Greg Ray
- 2-
Vitor Meira
- 8-
Scott Sharp
This race was held August 17 at
Kentucky Speedway
.
Sam Hornish Jr.
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 27-
Bryan Herta
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 24-
Robbie Buhl
- 26-
Dan Wheldon
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
This race was held August 24 at
Nazareth Speedway
.
Scott Dixon
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 27-
Bryan Herta
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 15-
Kenny Brack
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 26-
Dan Wheldon
- 12-
Roger Yasukawa
- 24-
Robbie Buhl
- 91-
Buddy Rice
This race was held September 7 at
Chicagoland Speedway
.
Richie Hearn
won the pole.
Top ten results
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 27-
Bryan Herta
- 26-
Dan Wheldon
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 52-
Alex Barron
- 55-
Roger Yasukawa
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 24-
Robbie Buhl
This race was held September 21 at
California Speedway
.
Helio Castroneves
won the pole.
[3]
It was the fastest circuit race ever in motorsport history, with an average speed of 207.151 mph (333.306 km/h) over 400 miles (643.6 km).
[4]
This also makes it the de facto fastest ever 400 mile motor race beating the NASCAR record set during the 1999
Kmart 400
.
Top ten results
- 4-
Sam Hornish Jr.
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 11-
Tony Kanaan
- 26-
Dan Wheldon
- 10-
Tomas Scheckter
- 3-
Helio Castroneves
- 55-
Roger Yasukawa
- 8-
Scott Sharp
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 52-
Alex Barron
This race was held October 12 at
Texas Motor Speedway
.
Gil de Ferran
won the
pole
. The race was memorable for a five?way championship duel involving de Ferran,
Scott Dixon
,
Helio Castroneves
,
Tony Kanaan
, and two-time titlist
Sam Hornish Jr.
The race was also notable for a frightening, but non?fatal, accident involving
Tomas Scheckter
and
1999 Indianapolis 500
champion
Kenny Brack
. Scheckter was uninjured, but the
Swede
was launched into the air after wheel?to?wheel contact on the backstretch and violently clobbered the catch fencing.
Debris
was scattered across the track, and the already long period of yellow flag laps prompted IRL race control to end the race at lap 195 of 200. Because the race reached 1 lap past the halfway point the race was considered official.
Gil de Ferran
, Brack's former title rival in
CART
, won in his final
IndyCar
race, joining
Ray Harroun
and
Sam Hanks
(both of whom retired immediately after winning an Indianapolis 500) as drivers who retired from U.S. open wheel competition in the winner's circle. Scott Dixon won the IRL title in his first season in the
IndyCar Series
(having spent two seasons in
CART
) and
Englishman
Dan Wheldon
beat
Roger Yasukawa
for
Bombardier
Rookie of the Year
honors.
Top ten results
- 6-
Gil de Ferran
- 9-
Scott Dixon
- 7-
Dan Wheldon
- 2-
Vitor Meira
- 27-
Bryan Herta
- 8-
Scott Sharp
- 12-
Tora Takagi
- 13-
Greg Ray
- 31-
Al Unser Jr.
- 55-
Roger Yasukawa
Final driver standings
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|
Color
|
Result
|
Gold
|
Winner
|
Silver
|
2nd place
|
Bronze
|
3rd place
|
Green
|
4th & 5th place
|
Light Blue
|
6th?10th place
|
Dark Blue
|
Finished
(Outside Top 10)
|
Purple
|
Did not finish
(Ret)
|
Red
|
Did not qualify
(DNQ)
|
Brown
|
Withdrawn
(Wth)
|
Black
|
Disqualified
(DSQ)
|
White
|
Did not start
(DNS)
|
Blank
|
Did not
participate
(DNP)
|
Not competing
|
|
In-line notation
|
Bold
|
Pole position
|
Italics
|
Ran fastest race lap
|
*
|
Led most race laps
(2 points)
|
DNS
|
Any driver who qualifies
but does not start (DNS),
earns all the points
had they taken part.
|
RY
|
Rookie of the Year
|
R
|
Rookie
|
|
|
- Ties in points broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., and then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.
Note:
1
Tora Takagi
had 23 points deducted at
Texas Motor Speedway
due to unacceptable driving.
See also
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References
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External links
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