Indy NXT
Firestone | |
Drivers' champion | Christian Rasmussen |
---|---|
Teams' champion | HMD Motorsports |
Official website | Indycar.com/INDYNXT |
Current season |
Indy NXT (pronounced "Indy Next"), previously Indy Lights, is an American
A similar series named Indy Lights filled the developmental role for the
Early origins
In the post-
USAC Mini Indy Series
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Super Vee and Formula Atlantic series were among the first formula-based ladder series. However, neither had any direct tie to USAC. In 1977, USAC started the "Mini-Indy" series, using Super Vee machines. The series ended after 1980 when USAC stopped sanctioning Indy car races outside of the Indianapolis 500.
Following the end of the "Mini Indy" series, the driver pool in the early 1980s for
Original series (1986–2001)
The original Indy Lights series was an open-wheeled racing series that acted as a developmental circuit for CART from 1986 to 2001. It was founded in 1986 as the American Racing Series (ARS). CART became the sanctioning body for the series in 1988, and it was renamed as Indy Lights in 1991, with title sponsorship by Firestone. Later, Firestone's subsidiary Dayton Tires took over as tire supplier and title sponsor.
A
The ARS/Indy Lights series' championship winners included two CART champions, two
The Indy Lights schedule closely followed that of the CART series, and typically had a gap of up to a month while the primary CART teams raced at the
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, CART was suffering from financial problems. Meanwhile, in 1996, the rival
Current series (2002–present)
The Infiniti Pro Series was re-founded by the Indy Racing League and began racing in 2002, the year after the CART-sanctioned Indy Lights series' demise. It was a spec series using a
The series was called the Menards Infiniti Pro Series (MIPS) until 2006 when both Menards and Nissan dropped their sponsorship of the series. It was then known as the Indy Pro Series. On March 26, 2008, the series announced a changing of names, when the historical records and proprietary information of Champ Car were acquired by the IRL. The series then became known as Firestone Indy Lights.
The centerpiece of the Indy Lights schedule was the
On September 9, 2007, during the
On May 24, 2013, Peter Dempsey captured his first Indy Lights win in the Freedom 100 in the closest finish in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history (0.0026 secs) in a four-wide finish.[3]
In June 2013, it was announced that the series would be promoted by Andersen Promotions beginning in
The 2020 season was canceled through a combination of low grid numbers and the COVID-19 pandemic.
As of 2021, the Dallara IL-15 continues to be the chassis employed by the series, but engines are now provided by AER, Advanced Engines Research, modifying and tuning base 2.0 liter I-4 Mazda power plants turbocharged to provide the same power and push-to-pass capability of the former engines, with the added capability of longevity: the engines are designed and fabricated to run an entire season without a rebuild. A halo was added to the IL-15 for the 2021 season.[9]
Andretti Autosport's Kyle Kirkwood captured the 2021 series championship, while HMD Motorsports' David Malukas finished second and Global Racing Group w/HMD Motorsports' Linus Lundqvist was third. HMD Motorsports/Global Racing Group secured their first Road to Indy team championship.
Firestone returned as the official tire supplier for the 2023 season. That season saw the series name changed to Indy NXT, and IndyCar assume direct operation of the series from Andersen Promotions, which continues to operate the affiliated lower-tier USF Championships under IndyCar sanctioning.
Teams
Team | Base | Founding Year |
---|---|---|
Andretti Autosport |
Indianapolis, Indiana | 2008 |
HMD Motorsports | Brownsburg, Indiana | 2019 |
Juncos Racing |
Indianapolis, Indiana | 2012 |
Specifications
Specifications (2002–2014)
- Engine displacement: DOHC V8
- Gearbox: 6-speed sequential manual transmission
- Weight: 1,490 lb (676 kg) on ovals; 1,520 lb (689 kg) on road/street courses
- Power output: 420 hp (313 kW)
- Fuel: Sunoco 100 RON unleaded
- Fuel capacity: 25 US gallons (95 litres)
- Fuel delivery: Fuel injection
- Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
- Length: 191.5 in (4,864 mm)
- Width: 75 in (1,905 mm)
- Wheelbase: 117 in (2,972 mm)
- Steering: Manual, rack and pinion
Specifications (2015–present)
- Chassis manufacturer:Dallara IL-15
- Engine displacement: inline-4
- Gearbox: 6-speed sequential semi-automaticgearbox
- Weight: 1,400 lb (635 kg) excluding driver and fuel
- Power output: 450 + 50 hp (336 + 37 kW) push-to-pass
- Fuel: VP Racing Fuels 101 RON unleaded
- Fuel delivery: Direct fuel injection
- Aspiration: Single-turbocharged
- Length: 192 in (4,877 mm)
- Width: 76 in (1,930 mm)
- Wheelbase: Undisclosed
- Steering: Manual, rack and pinion
Champions
USAC Mini-Indy Series
Season | Driver | Chassis | Engine |
---|---|---|---|
1977 | Tom Bagley | Zink Z11
|
Volkswagen |
Herm Johnson | Lola T324 | Volkswagen | |
1978 | Bill Alsup | Argo JM2 | Volkswagen |
1979 | Dennis Firestone | March 79V | Volkswagen |
1980 | Peter Kuhn | Ralt RT1/RT5 | Volkswagen |
- 1977: Bagley and Johnson tied in the points and were declared co-champions.
Indy Lights
1 Chaves and
Graduates
- Didier André
- Jeff Andretti
- Marco Andrettia
- Richard Antinucci
- Ian Ashley
- Oliver Askew
- Éric Bachelart
- Fabrizio Barbazza
- Dillon Battistini
- Ana Beatriz
- Jon Beekhuis
- Townsend Bell
- Billy Boata
- Brian Bonner
- Geoff Boss
- Claude Bourbonnais
- Matthew Brabham
- Steve Bren
- Jason Bright
- Robbie Buhla
- Buzz Calkinsa b
- Jaime Camara
- Juan Carlos Carbonell
- Ed Carpentera
- Patrick Carpentierd
- Hélio Castronevesa c d
- Alfonso Celis Jr.
- Gabby Chaves
- Ross Cheever
- P. J. Chesson
- Max Chilton
- Zachary Claman DeMelo
- Bryan Clauson
- Wade Cunningham
- Guido Daccò
- Wally Dallenbach Jr.
- Conor Daly
- Cristiano da Mattad e
- Paul Dana
- Airton Daréa
- James Davison
- Luis Díaz
- Mark Dismorea
- Scott Dixona b c d
- Mario Domínguezd
- Fredrik Ekblom
- RC Enerson
- Wim Eyckmans
- Juan Manuel Fangio II
- Adrián Fernándeza d
- Stan Fox
- A. J. Foyt IV
- Franck Fréon
- Luiz Garcia Jr.
- Affonso Giaffone
- Felipe Giaffonea
- Phil Giebler
- Jorge Goeters
- Marco Greco
- Michael Greenfield
- Mike Groff
- Robbie Groff
- Dean Hall
- Matt Halliday
- Scott Harrington
- Jack Harvey
- Naoki Hattori
- Shigeaki Hattori
- Jack Hawksworth
- Jon Herb
- Bryan Hertaa d
- Colton Hertaa
- J. R. Hildebrand
- James Hinchcliffea
- Jay Howard
- Ken Johnson
- Davy Jones
- Ed Jones
- P. J. Jones
- Niclas Jönsson
- Kyle Kaiser
- Tony Kanaana b c d
- Sage Karam
- Dalton Kellett
- Charlie Kimballa
- Kyle Kirkwooda
- David Kudrave
- Rodolfo Lavín
- Eddie Lawson
- Jaques Laziera
- Matheus Leist
- Alex Lloyd
- Linus Lundqvist
- Arie Luyendyk Jr.
- David Malukas
- Pippa Mann
- Raphael Matos
- Hiro Matsushita
- Casey Mears
- Thiago Medeiros
- Chris Menninga
- Dr. Jack Miller
- Greg Moored
- Carlos Muñoza
- Brad Murphey
- Hideki Mutoh
- Josef Newgardena b c
- Hideki Noda
- Ryan Norman
- Johnny O'Connell
- Patricio O'Warda
- Benjamin Pedersen
- Franck Perera
- Spencer Pigot
- Martin Plowman
- Ted Prappas
- Graham Rahala
- Christian Rasmussen
- Greg Raya b
- Tony Renna
- André Ribeirod
- Sting Ray Robb
- Billy Roe
- Mario Romancini
- Felix Rosenqvista
- Marty Roth
- Sebastián Saavedra
- Gualter Salles
- Vinicio Salmi
- Franco Scapini
- Oriol Serviàd
- Nolan Siegel
- Jeff Simmons
- Kyffin Simpson
- Guy Smith
- Mark Smith
- Sammy Swindell
- Mark Taylor
- Didier Theys
- Brian Till
- Paul Tracyd e
- Robby Unser
- Jimmy Vasserd e
- Tristan Vautier
- Zach Veach
- Rinus Veekaya
- Jeff Warda
- Dan Wheldona b c
- Stefan Wilson
- Cory Witherill
a denotes driver who has won an IndyCar Series event.
b denotes driver who has won an IndyCar Series championship.
c denotes driver who has won an Indianapolis 500.
d denotes driver who has won a CART/
e denotes driver who has won a CART/Champ Car World Series championship.
See also
- IndyCar
- Firestone Freedom 100
References
- ^ "To the fourth degree". IndyCar.com. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2007-09-14.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Closest finish recognized as world record". IndyCar.com. 2008-03-04. Retrieved 2008-03-04.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Marot, Michael. Indianapolis Motor Speedway With Historic Final Lap, Huffington Post, 24 May 2013, Retrieved 2013-05-24
- ^ Andersen Promotions to take over Indy Lights, Racer, June 20, 2013, Retrieved 2013-10-22
- ^ Cooper Tires Named Official Tire Of New Indy Lights Series Archived 2017-09-14 at the Wayback Machine, Performance Racing Industry, August 22, 2013, Retrieved 2013-10-22
- ^ DiZinno, Tony. No surprise: Indy Lights confirms Dallara for new 2015 chassis, NBC Sports, October 31, 2013, Retrieved 2013-10-31
- ^ new logo image
- ^ Pruett, Marshall. Indy Lights series selects 2015 engine supplier, Racer, November 26, 2013, Retrieved 2013-11-26
- ^ Pruett, Marshall (October 7, 2020). "Revamped Indy Lights to return in 2021". Racer. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
External links
- Media related to Indy NXT at Wikimedia Commons