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| 2007 IndyCar Series season | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Season | |
| Races | 17 |
| Start date | March 24 |
| End date | September 9 |
| Drivers | |
| Drivers' champion |  Dario Franchitti |
| Teams' champion |  Andretti Green Racing |
| Rookie of the year | Ryan Hunter-Reay |
| Most popular driver | Danica Patrick |
| Indy 500 winner | Dario Franchitti |
| Chronology | |
| Previous season | Next season |
| 2006 | 2008 |
The 2007 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series season began with a night race on Saturday March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The season's premiere event, the 91st Indianapolis 500 was held May 27. The season finale was held at Chicagoland Speedway on September 9. Dario Franchitti, who won four races during the season, including the Indy 500, clinched the 2007 IndyCar Series Championship on the final lap of the final race, by winning the race after points leader Scott Dixon ran out of fuel while leading with less than ⅓ of a lap to go.
At the conclusion of the season, Danica Patrick was voted Most Popular Driver for the third consecutive year.1
All races were televised on the ESPN family of networks. In addition, all races were broadcast live on the IMS Radio Network, and XM IndyCar Channel 145 and simulcast on XM Sports Nation.
The 2007 schedule was the twelfth season of the Indy Racing League, and part of the 96th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing. It also marked A.J. Foyt's 50th anniversary of participation in IndyCar racing.
2007 IndyCar Series schedule
Team and Driver Chart
Schedule announcements
- August 2, 2006 - The first event at Iowa Speedway will be held June 24, 2007.2
- August 10, 2006 - Milwaukee will move from July to the weekend following the Indy 500.3
- August 17, 2006 - Texas (June 9) and Kentucky (August 11). Kentucky will switch to a night race.4
- September 19, 2006 - Kansas (April 29) and Watkins Glen (July 8). Kansas will become the final race before the Indy 500. The change was made to avoid hot and humid July temperatures.5
- September 20, 2006 - Richmond (June 30).6
- September 21, 2006 - Chicagoland Speedway (September 9). It will serve as the season finale.7
- September 25, 2006- Twin Ring Motegi (April 21)8
- September 27, 2006 - Homestead (March 24). The race will switch to a Saturday night race.9
- The race at Michigan International Speedway will move from the last weekend in July, up one week, or one week later. This is due to the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard moving from the first weekend in August to the last weekend in July. Ticket renewal forms sent out by the speedway incicate the race will be held July 22. However, according to published reports, the IRL is requesting MIS accept the first week of August for the race date. On October 13, MIS confirmed August 5th for their IRL event.10
- A rumor on irllive.com suggested a possible race on August 5 in Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. On September 20, Indy Racing League president Brian Barnhart announced there would be a race on that date, but did not give any details. That date would be a NASCAR Busch Series combination event. However, as of September 27, the event was reported as unlikely.11 Instead, the league is expected to fill the slot with a race at Mid-Ohio. If a race at Mid-Ohio is announced, it will be scheduled for July 22.12
- September 29, 2006 - The Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle will return and be held September 213
- October 12, 2006 - Mid-Ohio (July 22) and 14 Sonoma (August 26)15
- After originally agreeing in principle to a July 22 date, the IRL and Michigan International Speedway rescheduled the 2007 event for August 5 in order to accommodate new venues.16 The announcement finalized the 2007 IndyCar schedule
- On December 8, 2006, the IRL announced that the June 9, 2007 race at Texas Motor Speedway would be lengthened to 550 kilometers (228 laps/342 miles).17
- On December 14, 2006 it was announced that Marquis Sports Marketing, a Dallas-based company, is in coordination to add another race to the 2007 schedule. A non-points, exhibition race in the streets of Biloxi, Mississippi is in the planning stages for September or October 2007 as an effort to revitalize the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. The race would be the first step in what are plans to build an oval track in the area by 2009.18
Driver changes
- Danica Patrick switched from Rahal Letterman Racing to Andretti Green Racing.
- Buddy Rice left Rahal Letterman Racing and raced a one-off event in the Champ Car series at Mexico City on November 12, 2006 for Forsythe Racing. Afterwards, he signed full-time for Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
- Kosuke Matsuura switched from Super Aguri Fernández Racing to Panther Racing.
- Scott Sharp switched from Delphi Fernandez Racing to Rahal Letterman Racing.
- A.J. Foyt Racing signed Darren Manning for a one car operation.
- Dario Franchitti was confirmed for Andretti Green Racing in both the IndyCar Series and ALMS.
- Vision Racing signed A.J. Foyt IV as their third driver.
- Sarah Fisher rejoined Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for a full-time ride.
- Michael Andretti announced he would compete in the 2007 Indy 500 for Andretti Green Racing.
- CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports raced in the season opener at Homestead, Kansas, and the Indy 500 with driver Alex Barron.
- Milka Duno signed to compete in ten races, including Indianapolis, for SAMAX Motorsport in 2007.
- On August 6, 2007, Duno was put on probation by chief stewart Brian Barnhart. She will be required to improve her skills before racing in another event.19
- On July 19, 2007 it was announced that Ryan Hunter-Reay would replace Jeff Simmons for Rahal Letterman Racing.20
- On July 21, 2007 it was announced that Hideki Mutoh will run the final race of the IndyCar Series season at Chicago in a third Panther entry.
- On August 21, 2007 it was announced that both P. J. Chesson, and Marty Roth will run the final race of the IndyCar Series season at Chicagoland.
Rule changes for 2007
- All cars will utilize a 100% fuel blend of ethanol. In the 2006 season, cars utilized a 90%-10% blend of methanol and ethanol. From 1965-2005, Indy cars in USAC, CART, and IRL used a 100% methanol blend.
- Teams will utilize 3.5 liter displacement engines. From 2004-2006, the IndyCar Series used 3.0 L engines. From 2000-2003, the IndyCar Series also used 3.5 liter engines. The increase in displacement is to counter the expected horsepower loss resulting from the switch to a 100% ethanol fuel blend.
- Fuel cells in the cars will be reduced from 30 gallons to 22 gallons to offset the improved mileage experienced by ethanol.21
- All cars will carry a rear-mounted safety light, to be controlled by race officials.
- On short ovals and road courses, front wings may be set at any angle between negative 5 and positive 5 degrees.
- Race day morning warm-up practice sessions have been eliminated. As a result, pre-qualifying practice sessions will be extended by 15 minutes.
- If qualifications are cancelled for an event, the starting lineup will be based on entrant points. In previous seasons, top practice speeds have been used.
- Series officials will have the discretion to determine the rookie status of any driver, regardless of the number of races started in previous seasons.22
- IndyCar Series teams that participate in the Indy Pro Series can earn bonus testing days for the 2007 calendar year. The bonus testing days will be awarded following participation in designated 2007 IPS events, and are shared by the team's IndyCar Series driver and IPS driver. They can be conducted at any IndyCar Series venue except Indianapolis or Mid-Ohio.
Television
- All races will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, or ESPN on ABC. Broadcast rights for the 2007 season adhere to a contract extension signed May 27, 2004, which extended broadcast rights to the IndyCar Series on ABC/ESPN through the 2009 season. 2007 will mark ABC's twelfth year broadcasting events of the IndyCar Series, and 43rd year at the Indianapolis 500.
- The announcing crew for the 2007 IndyCar Series season will be Marty Reid (play-by-play announcer), Scott Goodyear (Color commentator), along with three pit reporters: Jack Arute, Vince Welch and Brienne Pedigo. Rusty Wallace (analyst) and Jamie Little (pits) will join the crew for the broadcast of the Indy 500.23
- The television ratings for the March 24 season-opening race at Homestead earned a 0.7 rating, the highest-rated IndyCar Series race ever on ESPN2. It was the fourth-highest IndyCar Series cable rating since 2000 and the highest cable rating since June 2005.
IndyCar Series testing
- Mid-Ohio (September 19, 2006) - Private testing featured Ed Carpenter, Tomas Scheckter, and Jeff Simmons.
- Daytona (September 26-27, 2006) - A highly anticipated compatibility test took place at Daytona International Speedway, utilizing a 10-turn, 2.73-mile (4.39 km) combined road course layout. Drivers participating included Vitor Meira, Sam Hornish Jr., Scott Dixon, Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan. No major incidents were reported.24
- Indianapolis (October 2-3, 2006) - A two-day Firestone tire test took place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Four drivers took part in the test, focusing on new 3.5 liter Honda engines utilizing a 100% ethanol fuel mixture. Tony Kanaan, Jeff Simmons, Dan Wheldon, Helio Castroneves participated. The top speed reported was 224.3 mph (361.0 km/h) by Kannan. Jeff Simmons crashed exiting turn two on the backstrech. He was uninjured.25
- Iowa (October 9-10, 2006) - The first IndyCar Series test featured drivers Vitor Meira, and Scott Sharp.26
- Daytona (January 31-February 1, 2007) - Seventeen cars tested nearly 1,700 laps around the combined road course. Helio Castroneves completed the fastest lap at 1:12.3538.27
- Homestead (February 21-22, 2007) - A full open test was held under the lights. Nineteen car and driver combinations participated. On the first day of testing, Dan Wheldon turned the fastest lap, at 214.858 mph (345.780 km/h). Wheldon, however, later crashed his car. The Indy Pro Series also tested at the track during daylight hours.28
- Mid-Ohio (June 13, 2007) - A one-day open test featured eighteen car and driver combinations. Dario Franchitti drove the fastest lap (1:07.6667) on the 2.258-mile (3.634 km) circuit.29
- Iowa (June 22, 2007) - Half-day open test. Scott Dixon was fastest at 182.857 mph (294.280 km/h).30
- Detroit (July 24, 2007) - Helio Castroneves conducted a brief compatibility test on roads that comprise the circuit.31
Race summaries
Round 1 of 17: XM Satellite Radio Indy 300
- Saturday March 24, 2007 - 8:00 p.m. EDT
- Homestead-Miami Speedway - Homestead, Florida (1.485 mile oval)
- Distance: 200 laps / 297 miles
- Race weather: 73° F, mostly cloudy, isolated showers, windy
- Television: ESPN2 - race advertised as the Ethanol 300 Presented by XM Satellite Radio.
- Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
- Rating: 0.39 (pre-race), 0.7 (race)32
- Attendance: 30,000+ (estimated)33
- Pole position winner: Dan Wheldon- 24.9438 seconds, 214.322 mph (344.918 km/h)
- Race Summary: The start of the race was delayed about 30 minutes due to a short shower and was interrupted by a brief mist on lap 67. Even with the weather conditions the race was able to take place and complete all 200 laps. The race was dominated by driver Dan Wheldon who led 179 laps and won despite a mistake in the pits, which led to a pit stop over 22 seconds. Wheldon restarted 9th after the miscue, but retook the lead within 11 laps, and never looked back. Wheldon won for the third year in a row at Homestead and allowed only four other cars to finish on the lead lap. This marked the first race by a major racing series to use renewable fuel, as a 100% ethanol blend was used by all cars.
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led |
Points |
| 1 | 1 | 10 | Dan Wheldon |
Target Chip Ganassi | 200 | 1:48:06.8893 | 179 | 53 |
| 2 | 6 | 9 |  Scott Dixon |
Target Chip Ganassi | 200 | +6.4993 | 15 | 40 |
| 3 | 2 | 6 | Sam Hornish, Jr. |
Team Penske | 200 | +17.4754 | 0 | 35 |
| 4 | 10 | 4 |  Vitor Meira |
Delphi Panther | 200 | +22.5373 | 0 | 32 |
| 5 | 4 | 11 | Tony Kanaan |
Andretti Green | 200 | +23.1179 | 3 | 30 |
| Race average speed: 164.825 mph (265.260 km/h) | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 5 between 4 drivers | ||||||||
| Cautions: 3 for 32 laps | ||||||||
Round 2 of 17: Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
- Sunday April 1, 2007 - 2:30 p.m. EDT
- Streets of St. Petersburg - St. Petersburg, Florida (1.8 mile street/airport course)
- Distance: 100 laps / 180 miles
- Race weather: 79° F, sunny
- Television: ESPN - race advertised as Honda Indycar Grand Prix presented by XM Satellite Radio.
- Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
- Ratings: 0.6 national, 0.4 coverage area
- Attendance: 100,000+ (estimated weekend attendance)[23]
- Pole position winner: Helio Castroneves- 1:01.6839, 105.052 mph (169.065 km/h)
- Race Summary: Pole winner Helio Castroneves led 95 of the 100 laps, holding off Scott Dixon for the win by 0.6007 seconds, the closest finish on a road circuit in IRL history. On the first lap, five cars were involved in a spin, including Tony Kanaan. In practice, Kanaan had crashed his qualified car, but the team made repairs so he could start in the 6th position rather than using a backup. The spin dropped him to the rear of the field. After a series of pit stops under yellow, Dan Wheldon took the lead. On a lap 35 restart, Castroneves bumped Wheldon from behind, and slipped by to take the lead for good. In the best run by a Foyt team in a few season, Darren Manning ran as high as third until a late spin dropped him to 13th. After the first lap spin, Tony Kanaan recovered to finish third.
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led |
Points |
| 1 | 1 | 3 | Helio Castroneves |
Team Penske | 100 | 2:01:07.3512 | 95 | 53 |
| 2 | 4 | 9 | Scott Dixon |
Target Chip Ganassi | 100 | +0.6007 | 0 | 40 |
| 3 | 6 | 11 | Tony Kanaan |
Andretti Green | 100 | +7.9130 | 0 | 35 |
| 4 | 2 | 26 | Marco Andretti |
Andretti Green | 100 | +13.5090 | 3 | 32 |
| 5 | 3 | 27 | Dario Franchitti |
Andretti Green | 100 | +14.5935 | 0 | 30 |
| Race average speed: 89.166 mph (143.499 km/h) | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 4 between 3 drivers | ||||||||
| Cautions: 5 for 20 laps | ||||||||
Round 3 of 17: Indy Japan 300
- Saturday April 21 - 1:00 p.m. JST / 12:00 a.m. EDT
- Twin Ring Motegi - Motegi, Japan (1.52 mile oval)
- Distance: 200 laps / 304 miles
- Race weather: 70° F, cloudy
- Television: ESPN (same-day tape delay at 3:00 p.m. EDT) - race advertised as Firestone Indycar 300
- Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute
- Broadcast originally scheduled for 12 noon EDT, rescheduled for 3:00 p.m. due to NBA playoffs coverage.
- Broadcast delayed 6 minutes due to Nets/Raptors game running long.
- Ratings: 0.4
- Attendance:
- Pole Position winner: Helio Castroneves 26.6416 seconds, 205.393 mph (330.548 km/h)
- Race Summary: For the second time in two oval races this season, Dan Wheldon dominated much of the race. However, unlike at Homestead, he would not be victorious, and even lost use of his two-way radio. With about 15 laps to go, the final sequence of pit stops for fuel began, and threatened to shuffle the field. Tony Kanaan's AGR team used a late-pit strategy, which saw him take on less fuel and a shorter stop. With four laps to go, Kannan took the lead and held off Wheldon to claim his first victory of the season. With Kanaan's win, the first three races of the season have produced three different winners representing three different teams. During practice, both Kosuke Matsuura and Danica Patrick turned in some of their best on-track performances thus far this season. Neither were factors during the race however, and Matsuura, in fact, crashed out on the first lap in front of his home country.
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led |
Points |
| 1 | 3 | 11 | Tony Kanaan |
Andretti Green | 200 | 1:52:23.2574 | 26 | 50 |
| 2 | 2 | 10 | Dan Wheldon |
Target Chip Ganassi | 200 | +0.4828 | 126 | 43 |
| 3 | 7 | 27 | Dario Franchitti |
Andretti Green | 200 | +11.5538 | 0 | 35 |
| 4 | 6 | 9 | Scott Dixon |
Target Chip Ganassi | 200 | +13.0623 | 2 | 32 |
| 5 | 2 | 6 | Sam Hornish, Jr. |
Team Penske | 199 | +1 LAP | 3 | 30 |
| Race average speed: 162.295 mph (261.188 km/h) | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 9 between 5 drivers | ||||||||
| Cautions: 3 for 30 laps | ||||||||
Round 4 of 17: Kansas Lottery Indy 300
- Sunday April 29 - 3:30 p.m. CDT / 4:30 p.m. EDT
- Kansas Speedway - Kansas City, Kansas (1.52 mile oval)
- Distance: 200 laps / 304 miles
- Race weather: 85 °F (29 °C), Sunny
- Television: ESPN2 - race advertised as Kansas IndyCar 300
- Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo
- Ratings: 0.3 3435
- Attendance: 70,000 (media estimate) 36
- AAMCO Pole Award: Tony Kanaan 25.5476 sec, 214.188 mph (344.702 km/h)
- Race Summary: Tony Kanaan and Dan Wheldon dueled until the first pit stop when Kanaan and his teammate Danica Patrick made contact during the stop and Kanaan lost several laps due to repairs. The only other car that could run with Wheldon for the remainder of the race was teammate Scott Dixon until Dixon was brought in for a penalty for entering the pits improperly. Wheldon dominated the remainder of the race which finished under caution after a solo crash by Scott Sharp with 2 laps to go. This race made history as it was the first major open-wheel race to feature three female drivers: Patrick, Sarah Fisher, and rookie Milka Duno. It also registered the highest average speed of any race at Kansas Speedway.
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led |
Points |
| 1 | 4 | 10 | Dan Wheldon |
Target Chip Ganassi | 200 | 1:36:56.0586 | 177 | 53 |
| 2 | 6 | 27 | Dario Franchitti |
Andretti Green | 200 | +18.4830 | 0 | 40 |
| 3 | 3 | 3 | Helio Castroneves |
Team Penske | 200 | +33.2280 | 0 | 35 |
| 4 | 5 | 9 | Scott Dixon |
Target Chip Ganassi | 200 | +34.4208 | 16 | 32 |
| 5 | 7 | 2 |  Tomas Scheckter |
Vision | 199 | +1 LAP | 0 | 30 |
| Race average speed: 188.169 mph (302.829 km/h) | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 9 between 3 drivers | ||||||||
| Cautions: 3 for 15 laps | ||||||||
Round 5 of 17: 91st Indianapolis 500
- Sunday May 27 - 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway - Speedway, Indiana (2.50 mile oval)
- Distance: 200 laps / 500 miles, although reduced to 166 laps / 415 miles, due to rain.
- Race weather: Overcast, with rain throughout the day, high 76 F.
- Television: ABC - race advertised as Indianapolis 500 broadcast presented by GoDaddy.com
- Announcers: Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Rusty Wallace, Jack Arute, Vince Welch, Brienne Pedigo, Jamie Little
- Ratings: 4.3/12
- Attendance: 251,000 (estimated based on track capacity)
- AAMCO Pole Award: Hélio Castroneves - 2:42.3336, 225.817 mph (363.417 km/h)
- Race Summary: Rain fell overnight, and in the morning, but the race started on-time as scheduled. In the early segments of the race, the competition was intense as Helio Castroneves, Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Scott Dixon all took their turn at the lead. After a caution period, with rain only a few miles away, a restart on lap 107 could have decided the winner. As the green came out, Tony Kanaan got the jump on Marco Andretti, and took the lead in turn 1. Moments later, Phil Giebler crashed, brining the yellow out once again. Before safety crews could clear the track, heavy rain fell, and the race was red flagged after lap 113. After nearly three hours, the race resumed, with Kanaan leading. On the 156th lap, the field went back to green after Marty Roth's crash, however, in turn four, Tony Kanaan came up on the back of Jacques Lazier, sending Lazier into the wall, and sending Kanaan's car into a spin. He blew a tire and coasted into the pits. Moments later, the field assembled for what was expected to be the final restart before the rains came. Franchitti, working lap 163, held the lead into the backstrech. Behind him, Marco Andretti tangled with Dan Wheldon, and Andretti's car flipped down the backstrech. Before the track could be cleared, a heavy rainstorm fell on the track, and the race was called after 166 laps with Dario Franchitti declared the winner.
| Top Five Finishers | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fin. Pos |
St. Pos |
Car No. |
Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led |
Points |
| 1 | 3 | 27 | Dario Franchitti |
Andretti Green | 166 | 2:44:03.5608 | 34 | 50 |
| 2 | 4 | 9 | Scott Dixon |
Target Chip Ganassi | 166 | +0.3610 | 11 | 40 |
| 3 | 1 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves |
Team Penske | 166 | +1.8485 | 19 | 35 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | Sam Hornish Jr. |
Team Penske | 166 | +4.6324 | 2 | 32 |
| 5 | 7 | 12 |  Ryan Briscoe |
Luczo-Dragon Racing | 166 | +5.2109 | 0 | 30 |
| Race average speed: 151.774 | ||||||||
| Lead changes: 23 between 9 drivers | ||||||||
| Cautions: 11 for 55 laps | ||||||||
Round 6 of 17: ABC Supply Company A.J. Foyt 225
- Sunday June 3 - 3:00 p.m. CDT / 4:00 p.m. EDT
- Milwaukee Mile -