2003 IndyCar Series

American auto racing season February 2025 IndyCar 2003 File:IRL IndyCar Series.jpg IndyCar Series 16 March 2 October 17 NZL Scott Dixon JPN Toyota GBR Dan Wheldon BRA Gil de Ferran 2002 (IRL) 2004 right horizontal 300 Scott Dixon at the 2013 Grand Prix of Baltimore.jpg Gil_de_Ferran_2011_Indianapolis.JPG Scott Dixon (left) won his first Drivers' Championship while Gil de Ferran (right) finished second in the championship while winning the 2003 Indianapolis 500. The 2003 IndyCar Series was the 92nd official championship season of American open-wheel racing and the 8th season under Indy Racing League sanction. Its showcase event was the 87th running of the Indianapolis 500, which was won by Team Penske driver Gil de Ferran for his first and only time. Sam Hornish Jr. entered the season as the back-to-back defending champion. Season summary 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 Bräck. De Ferran won the race with Dixon in second being well enough to seal the title. Bräck 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 the first Asian and Japanese car manufacturer to win an IndyCar Series IRL-era engine manufacturer's title and thus ending a 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 TeamChassisEngineNoDriversRoundsA. J. Foyt EnterprisesDallaraG-ForceFoytGForce N Used by Daré, by Hattori at Homestead and Motegi, and by Foyt IV in seven rounds: Motegi, Texas 1 and 2, Kansas, Michigan, Kentucky and Fontana.Toyota5JPN Shigeaki Hattori1–4BRA Airton DaréJaques N Injured during a practice crash at Texas.5USA Jaques Lazier5–814USA A. J. Foyt IVAll41BRA Airton Daré4Access MotorsportsG-ForceHonda13USA Greg Ray3–16Andretti Green RacingDallaraHonda7USA Michael Andretti1–4GBR Dan Wheldon1611BRA Tony KanaanAll26GBR Dan Wheldon4–15273GBR Dario Franchitti1–2, 6USA Robby Gordon4USA Bryan Herta5, 7–16Beck MotorsportsDallaraHonda54JPN Shinji Nakano3–4Dreyer & Reinbold RacingDallaraChevrolet23USA Sarah FisherAll24USA Robbie BuhlAllFernández RacingDallaraHonda55USA Roger YasukawaAllHemelgarn RacingDallaraChevrolet91USA Buddy Lazier2–14USA Richie Hearn15–16Kelley RacingDallaraToyota8USA Scott SharpAll31USA Al Unser Jr.All32USA Tony Renna4Marlboro Team PenskeDallaraToyota3BRA Hélio CastronevesAll6BRA Gil de Ferran1–2, 6–14, 16G-Force4–5, 15USA Alex Barron3Mo Nunn RacingDallaraToyota12JPN Tora Takagi11–12G-Force1–10, 13–1620NED Arie LuyendykBarronArie N Injured during a practice crash at Indianapolis.4USA Alex Barron421BRA Felipe Giaffone1–8, 14–16USA Alex Barron9–13Panther RacingDallaraChevrolet4USA Sam Hornish Jr.All44USA Robby McGehee498USA Billy Boat4PDM RacingDallaraChevrolet18USA Scott Mayer1–3USA Jimmy Kite4USA Ed Carpenter14–16Red Bull Cheever RacingDallaraChevrolet52USA Buddy Rice1–13USA Alex Barron14–16Sam Schmidt MotorsportsG-ForceToyota99USA Richie Hearn4Target Chip Ganassi RacingG-ForceToyota9NZL Scott DixonAll10ZAF Tomas ScheckterAllTeam MenardDallaraChevrolet 2USA Jaques Lazier 1–4, 13BRA Vítor Meira 5–12, 15–16USA Richie Hearn 1422BRA Vítor Meira4Team RahalDallaraHonda 15SWE Kenny Bräck All 19USA Jimmy Vasser 4 Schedule RndDateRace NameTrackLocation1March 2Toyota Indy 300Homestead-Miami SpeedwayHomestead, Florida2March 23Purex Dial Indy 200Phoenix International RacewayPhoenix, Arizona3April 13Indy Japan 300Twin Ring MotegiMotegi, Japan4May 2587th Indianapolis 500Indianapolis Motor SpeedwaySpeedway, Indiana5June 7Bombardier 500Texas Motor SpeedwayFort Worth, Texas6June 15Honda Indy 225Pikes Peak International RacewayFountain, Colorado7June 28SunTrust Indy ChallengeRichmond International RacewayRichmond, Virginia8July 6Kansas Indy 300Kansas SpeedwayKansas City, Kansas9July 19Firestone Indy 200Nashville SuperspeedwayLebanon, Tennessee10July 27Firestone Indy 400Michigan International SpeedwayBrooklyn, Michigan11August 10Emerson Indy 250Gateway International RacewayMadison, Illinois12August 17Belterra Casino Indy 300Kentucky SpeedwaySparta, Kentucky13August 24Firestone Indy 225Nazareth SpeedwayNazareth, Pennsylvania14September 7Delphi Indy 300Chicagoland SpeedwayJoliet, Illinois15September 21Toyota Indy 400California SpeedwayFontana, California16October 12Chevy 500Texas Motor SpeedwayFort Worth, Texas Results Rd.RacePole positionFastest lapMost laps ledRace winnerDriverTeamChassisEngine1HomesteadBRA Tony KanaanBRA Tony KanaanBRA Gil de FerranNZL Scott DixonChip Ganassi RacingG-ForceToyota2PhoenixBRA Tony KanaanNZL Scott DixonBRA Tony KanaanBRA Tony KanaanAndretti Green RacingDallaraHonda3MotegiNZL Scott DixonRSA Tomas ScheckterBRA Tony KanaanUSA Scott SharpKelley RacingDallaraToyota4IndianapolisBRA Hélio CastronevesBRA Tony KanaanRSA Tomas ScheckterBRA Gil de FerranTeam PenskeG-ForceToyota5Texas 1RSA Tomas ScheckterBRA Felipe GiaffoneRSA Tomas ScheckterUSA Al Unser Jr.Kelley RacingDallaraToyota6Pikes PeakBRA Tony KanaanBRA Tony KanaanNZL Scott DixonNZL Scott DixonChip Ganassi RacingG-ForceToyota7RichmondNZL Scott DixonRSA Tomas ScheckterNZL Scott DixonNZL Scott DixonChip Ganassi RacingG-ForceToyota8KansasNZL Scott DixonBRA Tony KanaanBRA Gil de FerranUSA Bryan HertaAndretti Green RacingDallaraHonda9NashvilleNZL Scott DixonUSA Sam Hornish Jr.BRA Tony KanaanBRA Gil de FerranTeam PenskeDallaraToyota10MichiganRSA Tomas ScheckterUSA Bryan HertaUSA Sam Hornish Jr.USA Alex BarronMo Nunn RacingG-ForceToyota11GatewayBRA Hélio CastronevesNZL Scott DixonBRA Hélio CastronevesBRA Hélio CastronevesTeam PenskeDallaraToyota12KentuckyUSA Sam Hornish Jr.USA Sarah FisherUSA Sam Hornish Jr.USA Sam Hornish Jr.Panther RacingDallaraChevrolet13NazarethNZL Scott DixonUSA Sam Hornish Jr.BRA Hélio CastronevesBRA Hélio CastronevesTeam PenskeDallaraToyota14ChicagolandUSA Richie HearnUSA Bryan HertaRSA Tomas ScheckterUSA Sam Hornish Jr.Panther RacingDallaraChevrolet15FontanaBRA Hélio CastronevesNZL Scott DixonRSA Tomas ScheckterUSA Sam Hornish Jr.Panther RacingDallaraChevrolet16Texas 2BRA Gil de FerranBRA Tony KanaanBRA Gil de FerranBRA Gil de FerranTeam PenskeDallaraToyota Race summaries Toyota Indy 300 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- Hélio Castroneves 11- Tony Kanaan 8- Scott Sharp 7- Michael Andretti 27- Dario Franchitti 10- Tomas Scheckter 21- Felipe Giaffone 4- Sam Hornish Jr. Purex Dial Indy 200 This race was held March 23 at Phoenix International Raceway. Tony Kanaan won the pole. Top ten results 11- Tony Kanaan 3- Hélio Castroneves 21- Felipe Giaffone 31- Al Unser Jr. 15- Kenny Bräck 2- Jaques Lazier 8- Scott Sharp 23- Sarah Fisher 52- Buddy Rice 5- Shigeaki Hattori Inaugural Indy Japan 300 This race was held April 13 at Twin Ring Motegi. Scott Dixon won the pole. Top ten results 8- Scott Sharp 15- Kenny Bräck 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 87th Indianapolis 500 The 87th Indy 500 was held May 25 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Hélio Castroneves sat on pole. Top ten results 6- Gil de Ferran 3- Hélio 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 Hélio Castroneves came up just short of the three-peat in the 500. He got hung up in lap traffic which enabled Gil de Ferran to get by and lead the final 30 laps for his only 500 triumph. Bombardier 500 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 Bräck 27- Bryan Herta 9- Scott Dixon 3- Hélio Castroneves 6- Gil de Ferran 12- Roger Yasukawa 4- Sam Hornish Jr. Honda Indy 225 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 Bräck 10- Tomas Scheckter 52- Buddy Rice 91- Buddy Lazier SunTrust Indy Challenge This race was held June 28 at Richmond International Raceway. Scott Dixon won the pole.Scott Dixon secures pole in Virginia https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/sport/archives/2003/06/29/2003057410 Taipei Times Associated Press 22 June 29, 2003 April 2, 2024 Top ten results 9- Scott Dixon 3- Hélio Castroneves 6- Gil de Ferran 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 11- Tony Kanaan 21- Felipe Giaffone 15- Kenny Bräck 26- Dan Wheldon 52- Buddy Rice 31- Al Unser Jr. The race was originally scheduled for 250 laps, but shortened to 206 laps due to rain.Dixon wins rain-shortened race https://www.espn.com/rpm/irl/2003/0628/1574280.html ESPN Associated Press June 28, 2003 April 2, 2024 Kansas Indy 300 This race was held July 6 at Kansas Speedway. Scott Dixon won the pole. Top ten results 27- Bryan Herta 3- Hélio Castroneves 6- Gil de Ferran 11- Tony Kanaan 15- Kenny Bräck 9- Scott Dixon 55- Roger Yasukawa 13- Greg Ray 10- Tomas Scheckter 5- Jaques Lazier Firestone Indy 200 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- Hélio Castroneves 26- Dan Wheldon 21- Alex Barron 15- Kenny Bräck 12- Tora Takagi 31- Al Unser Jr. 11- Tony Kanaan 10- Tomas Scheckter Firestone Indy 400 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 55- Roger Yasukawa 31- Al Unser Jr. 13- Greg Ray Emerson Indy 250 This race was held August 10 at Gateway International Raceway. Hélio Castroneves won the pole. Top ten results 3- Hélio 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- Vítor Meira 8- Scott Sharp Belterra Casino Indy 300 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- Hélio Castroneves 11- Tony Kanaan 24- Robbie Buhl 26- Dan Wheldon 6- Gil de Ferran 10- Tomas Scheckter Firestone Indy 225 This race was held August 24 at Nazareth Speedway. Scott Dixon won the pole. Top ten results 3- Hélio Castroneves 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 27- Bryan Herta 6- Gil de Ferran 15- Kenny Bräck 31- Al Unser Jr. 26- Dan Wheldon 55- Roger Yasukawa 24- Robbie Buhl 91- Buddy Rice Delphi Indy 300 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 Toyota Indy 400 This race was held September 21 at California Speedway. Hélio Castroneves won the pole.Castroneves Races To Pole at California https://www.wthr.com/article/sports/castroneves-races-to-pole-at-california/531-9332769c-59e4-40e5-89b3-eb5cfb05ad70 WTHR Associated Press September 20, 2003 April 2, 2024 Top ten results 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 9- Scott Dixon 11- Tony Kanaan 26- Dan Wheldon 10- Tomas Scheckter 3- Hélio Castroneves 55- Roger Yasukawa 8- Scott Sharp 31- Al Unser Jr. 52- Alex Barron This race 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).McGuire Bill In With A Shout: California Victory Keeps Hornish In The Title Hunt https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2102361/shout-california-victory-keeps-hornish-title-hunt/ Autoweek September 21, 2003 April 2, 2024 This also makes it the de facto fastest ever 400 mile motor race beating the NASCAR record set during the 1999 Kmart 400. Chevy 500 This race was held October 12 at Texas Motor Speedway. Gil de Ferran won the pole. Top ten results 6- Gil de Ferran 9- Scott Dixon 7- Dan Wheldon 2- Vítor Meira 27- Bryan Herta 8- Scott Sharp 12- Tora Takagi 13- Greg Ray 31- Al Unser Jr. 55- Roger Yasukawa The race was memorable for a five-way championship duel involving de Ferran, Scott Dixon, Hélio 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 Bräck. 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, Bräck'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. Points standings List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems PosDriverHOMPHXMOTINDYTMS1PPRRICKANNSSMISGTWKENNAZCHICALTMS2Pts1NZL Scott Dixon120151761*1*625152162225072BRA Gil de Ferran2*1418333*1739412151*4893BRA Hélio Castroneves32222712223171*51*206134844BRA Tony Kanaan41*14*322549*16261863144765USA Sam Hornish Jr.1021615105417112*61*211174616USA Al Unser Jr.13459114101489204619993747ZAF Tomas Scheckter815164*18*8189103410195*5*153568USA Scott Sharp571201611171613410131211863519SWE Kenny Bräck11521647756181919521201634210JPN Tora Takagi1222853613187671814918731711GBR Dan Wheldon yellow RY silver 719201982142058744331212 USA Roger Yasukawa orange R silver 1417211091711715818128871030113USA Bryan Herta514112192133322527714USA Robbie Buhl19121023221515122113127910121126115USA Greg Ray981118128161081517Wth14825316USA Buddy Rice1691311149919181114111022917USA Alex Barron176511620157102021618USA Sarah Fisher15823311520191120151314DNS18191221119USA Buddy Lazier1119211310201314121116131620120BRA Felipe Giaffone93333171362215161919921USA A. J. Foyt IV orange R silver 1718181821222115171417171117172219822BRA Vítor Meira121216222019219Wth11417023USA Jaques Lazier206122919211610Wth12024USA Michael Andretti6134278025GBR Dario Franchitti71647226JPN Shigeaki Hattori181020304327USA Ed Carpenter orange R silver 1313214328USA Richie Hearn281421183929JPN Shinji Nakano11143530USA Tony Renna72631USA Scott Mayer orange R silver 2119242632USA Jimmy Kite131733USA Robby Gordon22834BRA Airton Daré24Wth635USA Robby McGehee25536USA Jimmy Vasser26437USA Billy Boat321-NLD Arie LuyendykWth0PosDriverHOMPHXMOTINDYTMS1PPRRICKANNSSMISGTWKENNAZCHICALTMS2PtsColorResultGoldWinnerSilver2nd placeBronze3rd placeGreen4th & 5th placeLight Blue6th–10th placeDark BlueFinished(Outside Top 10)PurpleDid not finish(Ret)RedDid not qualify(DNQ)BrownWithdrawn(Wth)BlackDisqualified(DSQ)WhiteDid not start(DNS)BlankDid notparticipate(DNP)Not competingIn-line notationBoldPole positionItalicsRan fastest race lap*Led most race laps(2 points)DNSAny driver who qualifiesbut does not start (DNS),earns all the pointshad they taken part.yellow RY silver Rookie of the Yearorange R silver 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 2003 Indianapolis 500 2003 Infiniti Pro Series season 2003 CART season 2003 Toyota Atlantic Championship season Footnotes N References Bibliography Small Steve Autocourse Indianapolis 500 & Indy Racing League Indycar Series Official Yearbook 2003 2004 Hazleton Publishing Richmond, UK 978-1-903135-34-1 External links IndyCar.com – official site Indianapolis 500 – official site https://web.archive.org/web/20120204113005/http://www.indy500.com/ February 4, 2012 IndyCar Series Category:IndyCar Series seasons IndyCar Series