1996 Indy Racing League

1996 Indy Racing League season
Indy Racing League
Season
Races	3
Start date	January 27
End date	May 26
Awards
Drivers' champion	Buzz Calkins Scott Sharp
Indianapolis 500 winner	Buddy Lazier
Chronology
Previous season	Next season
1995 (ICWS)	1996–97

The 1996 Indy Racing League, the first in the history of the league, consisted of only three races, as the season concluded in May with the 80th Indianapolis 500. Walt Disney World Speedway was completed in time to host the first race of the season, and the first ever event of the IRL, and Phoenix International Raceway switched alliances from CART to IRL and hosted the second event of the season. At the conclusion of the three-race schedule, Scott Sharp and Buzz Calkins ended up tied for first place in the season championship. With no tiebreaker rule in place, the two drivers were declared co-champions. Therefore, if the tie was broken, Calkins would've been declared the season champion, as he had one win as opposed to Sharp's zero.

On January 23, 1995, at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort the IRL announced the dates for two of the races scheduled for the inaugural 1996 season. The Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway was scheduled for January 27, 1996 and 80th Indianapolis 500 was set for May 26, 1996. On April 3, the IRL announced that Phoenix International Raceway and the then-under construction Las Vegas Motor Speedway would be on the 1996 schedule, but no dates were confirmed. Later that month, on April 13, 1995, the respective dates were finalized for Phoenix (March 24, 1996) and Las Vegas (September 15, 1996). On May 30, 1995, New Hampshire Motor Speedway officially switched alliances from CART to IRL, and scheduled their race for August 18.

The original plan was to have every Indy Racing League season end with the Indianapolis 500. Thus the IRL champion would be awarded at the conclusion of the Indy 500, and quite possibly could be the Indy 500 winner. The next season (in this case the 1996–97 season) would begin immediately after the Indy 500, and spread over two calendar years to conclude at the next Indianapolis 500. As a result, the two races at New Hampshire and Las Vegas, already announced, would in fact open the 1996–97 season. The schedule format, however, went against the traditional motorsports grain, and the idea was eventually scrapped in October. The 1996–97 season was expanded in order to bring the schedule back in sync with the rest of the motorsports world for 1998.

The season was contested with 1995 and older CART chassis produced by Lola and Reynard with a fixed limit on how much a team could spend on its combination. In addition, nearly every car was powered by a Ford Cosworth XB, Menard V6 or Buick V6 engine. Despite the short season, only fifteen drivers competed in all three. All races were well-attended by competitors as a legal chassis and engine combination could be acquired for well under $100,000.

Teams and drivers

Team	Chassis	Engine	Tires	No.	Drivers	Rounds
ABF Motorsports	Lola T92	Buick	Goodyear	96	Paul Durant	2–3
A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Lola T95	Ford Cosworth	Goodyear	11	Scott Sharp[N 1]	All
				14	Davey Hamilton	All
				41	Mike Groff[N 2]	1–2
	Lola T94				Marco Greco	3
				84	Billy Boat[N 3]	3
Beck Motorsports	Lola T94 Reynard 94I[N 4]	Ford Cosworth	Firestone	52	Hideshi Matsuda	3
				54	Robbie Buhl[N 5]	All
Blueprint Racing	Lola T93	Menard	Firestone Goodyear[N 6]	16	Johnny Parsons	All
				27	Jim Guthrie	2–3
Bradley Motorsports	Reynard 95I	Ford Cosworth	Firestone	12	Buzz Calkins	All
Brickell Racing	Lola T93	Menard	Goodyear	77	Tyce Carlson[N 7]	3
Byrd-Cunningham Racing	Reynard 95I Lola T94[N 4]	Ford Cosworth	Firestone	75	Johnny O'Connell	All
Byrd-Treadway Racing	Reynard 95I	Ford Cosworth	Firestone Goodyear[N 4]	5	Arie Luyendyk	All
Della Penna Motorsports	Reynard 95I	Ford Cosworth	Goodyear	4	Richie Hearn	All
				44	Scott Harrington[N 8]	3
DeLorto Motorsports	Lola T92	Buick	Goodyear	81	Rick DeLorto	1
Galles Racing	Lola T95	Mercedes-Ilmor	Goodyear	70	Davy Jones	3
Hemelgarn Racing	Reynard 95I Reynard 94I[N 9]	Ford Cosworth	Firestone	9	Stéphan Grégoire	All
				10	Brad Murphey	3
				91	Buddy Lazier	All
Leigh Miller Racing	Lola T94	Ford Cosworth	Firestone	17	Stan Wattles[N 10]	1–2
Loop Hole Racing	Lola T92	Buick	Goodyear	36	Dan Drinan[N 11]	2–3
Pagan Racing	Reynard 94I Reynard 95I[N 12]	Ford Cosworth	Goodyear	21	Roberto Guerrero	All
PDM Racing	Lola T93	Menard	Goodyear	18	John Paul, Jr.	All
Project Indy	Lola T93	Ford Cosworth	Goodyear	46	Rob Wilson	3
	Reynard 94I Reynard 95I[N 13]			64	Johnny Unser	2–3
Team Menard	Lola T95	Menard	Firestone Goodyear[N 4]	2	Scott Brayton	1–2
				3	Eddie Cheever	All
				20	Tony Stewart	All
				30	Mark Dismore	3
				32	Danny Ongais[N 14]	3
Team Scandia	Lola T95 Lola T94[N 15] Lola T93[N 16] Reynard 95I[N 17]	Ford Cosworth	Goodyear	7	Eliseo Salazar[N 18]	1, 3
					Fermín Vélez	2
				8	Alessandro Zampedri	3
				22	Michel Jourdain, Jr.	2–3
				33	Michele Alboreto	All
				34	Fermín Vélez	3
				43	Joe Gosek[N 19]	3
				90	Lyn St. James	1–2
					Racin Gardner	3
Tempero-Giuffre Racing	Lola T92 Lola T93[N 20]	Buick	Goodyear	15	Bill Tempero[N 21]	1
					Dave Kudrave	2
				25		1
					Billy Roe	2
Walker Racing	Reynard 95I	Ford Cosworth	Goodyear	60	Mike Groff	3
Zunne Group Racing	Lola T93	Buick	Firestone	24	Randy Tolsma	3
	Lola T94	Ford Cosworth	Goodyear	45	Lyn St. James	3

Schedule

ABC Sports televised all three races. All races running on Oval/Speedway.

Rd	Date	Race Name	Track	City
1	January 27	Indy 200 at Walt Disney World	Walt Disney World Speedway	Bay Lake, Florida
2	March 24	Dura Lube 200	Phoenix International Raceway	Phoenix, Arizona
3	May 26	80th Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana

Controversy

In a controversial move, in July 1995, it was announced that the top 25 drivers in IRL points would secure guaranteed starting positions for the 1996 Indianapolis 500. Presumably, that left only eight positions open for at-large competitors. However, some interpreted the rule otherwise.^[1]

The IRL points system was to be staggered to adjust for the number of races each driver entered. The number of points awarded per race would be multiplied by the number of events the driver had participated in. For example, if a driver had entered all three events, the points awarded for that third race were multiplied by three. This move was supposed to be an encouragement to enter all IRL events, but it did not attract any additional teams from the rival CART series.

Initially, IRL officials hoped that competitors from the rival CART series would choose to race in the IRL events, presumably since there were no foreseen conflicts in their respective schedules. The 1996 IRL schedule was finalized by May 30, 1995. However, a couple weeks later the CART series announced their 1996 schedule, immediately with conflicting dates. The CART race at Road America was scheduled for the same day as the IRL event at Loudon, while the CART races at Rio and Australia were bookended around the IRL race at Phoenix, creating an impossible travel situation. The only CART teams that participated in any IRL events in 1996 were Galles and Walker, but neither fielded drivers who were CART regulars.

Race summaries

Race 1: Walt Disney World

The first race for the new Indy Racing League was held at Walt Disney World Speedway and televised on ABC. Though no CART teams showed up, a full field of 25 cars arrived, with 20 qualifying. Buddy Lazier won the pole position with a track record 181.388 mph (19.847 seconds). Indycar rookies Tony Stewart and Buzz Calkins emerged as race leaders most of the afternoon, while former CART veterans Eddie Cheever, Scott Brayton, Arie Luyendyk, and Buddy Lazier all fell by the wayside. On lap 189, Scott Sharp and Eddie Cheever tangled and crashed in turn one, which set up a restart with 6 laps to go. Calkins and Stewart restarted together nose-to-tail, and Calkins held off the challenge to win by 0.886 seconds.

Top ten results

1. 12 - Buzz Calkins
2. 20 - Tony Stewart
3. 54 - Robbie Buhl
4. 33 - Michele Alboreto
5. 21 - Roberto Guerrero
6. 11 - Mike Groff
7. 75 - Johnny O'Connell
8. 90 - Lyn St. James
9. 18 - John Paul, Jr.
10. 3 - Eddie Cheever, Jr.

Race 2: Phoenix

Arie Luyendyk won the pole. On the 128th lap, Foyt Racing drivers Scott Sharp and Mike Groff (running 1st–2nd) ducked into the pits for their final stop. However, they did not see that the yellow flag had come out, and were penalized one lap for pitting while the pits were closed. Robbie Buhl suffered a broken header, which left Arie Luyendyk in the lead for the final 66 laps to victory.

Top ten results

1. 5 - Arie Luyendyk
2. 11 - Scott Sharp
3. 41 - Mike Groff
4. 4 - Richie Hearn
5. 75 - Johnny O'Connell
6. 12 - Buzz Calkins
7. 9 - Stephan Gregoire
8. 33 - Michele Alboreto
9. 64 - Johnny Unser
10. 15 - Dave Kudrave

Race 3: Indianapolis 500

The first Indy 500 of the Indy Racing League era was held May 26 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Scott Brayton won the pole but was fatally injured in a practice crash and replaced by Danny Ongais. Tony Stewart started the race from the pole. Arie Luyendyk set the fastest qualifying lap on the second day of qualifying with track 1 and 4 lap records that still stand.

Top ten results

1. 91 - Buddy Lazier
2. 70 - Davy Jones
3. 4 - Richie Hearn
4. 8 - Alessandro Zampedri
5. 21 - Roberto Guerrero
6. 7 - Eliseo Salazar
7. 32 - Danny Ongais
8. 52 - Hideshi Matsuda
9. 54 - Robbie Buhl
10. 11 - Scott Sharp

Season Summary

Race results

Round	Race	Pole position	Fastest lap	Most laps led	Race Winner		Report
					Driver	Team
1	Walt Disney World	Buddy Lazier	Buzz Calkins	Buzz Calkins	Buzz Calkins	Bradley Motorsports	Report
2	Phoenix	Arie Luyendyk	Arie Luyendyk	Arie Luyendyk	Arie Luyendyk	Byrd-Treadway Racing	Report
3	Indianapolis	Tony Stewart^A	Eddie Cheever	Roberto Guerrero	Buddy Lazier	Hemelgarn Racing	Report

^A Scott Brayton was the fastest qualifier for the 1996 Indianapolis 500, but was killed during practice. Hence, second-fastest qualifier Tony Stewart started from the pole.

Driver standings

Pos Driver WDW PHX INDY Pts^1 1 Buzz Calkins 1* 6 17 246 Scott Sharp 11 2 10 246 3 Robbie Buhl 3 13 9 240 4 Richie Hearn 19 4 3 237 Roberto Guerrero 5 16 5* 237 6 Mike Groff 6 3 20 228 7 Arie Luyendyk 14 1* 16 225 8 Tony Stewart 2 11 24 204 9 Johnny O'Connell 7 5 29 192 Davey Hamilton 12 17 12 192 11 Michele Alboreto 4 8 30 189 12 Lyn St. James 8 21 14 186 13 Stéphan Grégoire 16 7 27 165 14 Buddy Lazier 17 Wth 1 159 15 John Paul, Jr. 9 14 31 153 16 Eddie Cheever 10 Wth 11 147 17 Johnny Parsons 18 12 28 141 18 Scott Brayton 15 18 DNS^† 111 19 David Kudrave 20 10 80 20 Michel Jourdain, Jr. 20 13 74 Jim Guthrie 15 18 74 22 Fermín Vélez 19 21 60 23 Eliseo Salazar Wth 6 58 24 Johnny Unser 9 33 56 25 Stan Wattles 13 Wth 44 26 Davy Jones 2 33 27 Paul Durant 22 32 32 28 Alessandro Zampedri 4 31 29 Danny Ongais 7 28 30 Hideshi Matsuda 8 27 31 Scott Harrington 15 20 32 Mark Dismore 19 16 33 Joe Gosek 22 13 34 Brad Murphey 23 12 35 Racin Gardner 25 10 36 Marco Greco 26 9 — Dan Drinan DNQ DNQ 0 — Rick DeLorto DNQ 0 — Bill Tempero DNQ 0 — Billy Roe DNQ 0 — Billy Boat DNQ 0 — Tyce Carlson DNQ 0 — Randy Tolsma DNQ 0 — Rob Wilson DNQ 0 Pos Driver WDW PHX INDY Pts^1

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 ^† Fatal accident Pts^1 The number of points awarded per race would be multiplied by the number of events the driver had participated in.

Note: ^† Scott Brayton, 37, won the pole for the 1996 Indianapolis 500, but was killed in a crash during practice after qualifying.

See also

• 1996 Indianapolis 500
• 1996 Indy Lights season
• 1996 IndyCar season
• 1996 Toyota Atlantic Championship season

Footnotes

1. 1. 41 at Walt Disney World.
2. 1. 11 at Walt Disney World.
3. Switched from Pagan Racing (car #99) during practice for the Indy 500.
4. Used at Walt Disney World.
5. 1. 45 at Phoenix.
6. Used by Jim Guthrie at Phoenix.
7. Replaced Danny Ongais during practice for the Indy 500 after Ongais signed with Team Menard as a replacement for the fatally injured Scott Brayton.
8. Switched from Harrington Motorsport during practice for the Indy 500.
9. Used by Brad Murphey.
10. Missed the Indy 500 due to injuries sustained in a practice crash at Phoenix.
11. Tyce Carlson and Andy Michner passed his Indianapolis rookie test in the car.
12. Used at the Indy 500.
13. Used at Phoenix.
14. At the Indy 500, Brayton withdrew his already qualified primary car and won the pole in the backup #32, but was fatally injured in a practice crash and replaced by Ongais, who switched from Brickell Racing.
15. Used by Alessandro Zampedri, Joe Gosek and Racin Gardner.
16. Used by Lyn St. James at Walt Disney World
17. Used by Michele Alboreto at Walt Disney World and Lyn St. James at Phoenix.
18. Injured in a practice crash at Walt Disney World
19. Switched from Tempero-Giuffre Racing (car #15) during practice for the Indy 500.
20. Used by Dave Kudrave
21. Justin Bell passed his Indianapolis rookie test in the car.

References

1. http://www.motorsport.com/news/article.asp?ID=4140&FS=CHAMPCAR