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| 2001 Indy Racing League season | |
|---|---|
| Indy Racing Northern Light Series | |
 2001 Indy Racing League | |
| Season | |
| Races | 13 |
| Start date | March 18 |
| End date | October 6 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |  Sam Hornish Jr. |
| Manufacturers' Cup | Oldsmobile |
| Rookie of the Year |  Felipe Giaffone |
| Indianapolis 500 winner | Hélio Castroneves |
| ← 20002002 → | |
Sam Hornish Jr. (left) won his first Drivers' Championship while Buddy Lazier (right) finished second in the championship.
The 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series saw the addition of five races and loss of one to bring the total to 13. Chip Ganassi Racing returned to the Indy 500 with four cars and were joined on the grid by Penske Racing and Team Kool Green. Sam Hornish Jr. won 3 races on his way to the championship while the less consistent Buddy Lazier won four races on his way to second place in his title defense.
Confirmed entries
All drivers and teams used Firestone Tires.
Schedule
| Rnd | Date | Race Name | Track | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 18 | Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 | Phoenix International Raceway | Phoenix, Arizona |
| 2 | April 8 | Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami | Homestead-Miami Speedway | Homestead, Florida |
| 3 | April 28 | zMax 500 | Atlanta Motor Speedway | Hampton, Georgia |
| 4 | May 27 | 85th Indianapolis 500 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana |
| 5 | June 9 | Casino Magic 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, Texas |
| 6 | June 17 | Radisson Indy 200 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, Colorado |
| 7 | June 30 | SunTrust Indy Challenge | Richmond International Raceway | Richmond, Virginia |
| 8 | July 8 | Ameristar Casino Indy 200 | Kansas Speedway | Kansas City, Kansas |
| 9 | July 21 | Harrah's 200 | Nashville Superspeedway | Lebanon, Tennessee |
| 10 | August 12 | Belterra Resort Indy 300 | Kentucky Speedway | Sparta, Kentucky |
| 11 | August 26 | Gateway Indy 250 | Gateway International Raceway | Madison, Illinois |
| 12 | September 2 | Delphi Indy 300 | Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet, Illinois |
| 13 | October 6* | Chevy 500 | Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, Texas |
| Sources: | ||||
- This race was originally scheduled for September 16th but was postponed in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.
Results
Note: All races running on Oval/Speedway.
Race summaries
Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200
This race was held March 18 at Phoenix International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 14- Eliseo Salazar
- 91- Buddy Lazier
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 98- Billy Boat
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- 35- Jeff Ward
- 10- Robby McGehee
- 12- Buzz Calkins
- 88- Airton Daré
Inaugural Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami
This race was held April 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jeff Ward won the pole. Sarah Fisher's second place was the highest finish in an Indy car race by a female driver at the time.
Top ten results
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 15- Sarah Fisher
- 14- Eliseo Salazar
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- 35- Jeff Ward
- 3- Al Unser Jr.
- 28- Mark Dismore
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 51- Eddie Cheever
- 32- Didier André
zMax 500
This race was held April 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results
- 2- Greg Ray
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 12- Buzz Calkins
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 14- Eliseo Salazar
- 91- Buddy Lazier
- 35- Jeff Ward
- 55- Shigeaki Hattori
- 88- Airton Daré
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- A huge 11-car pileup occurred on lap 54, sending Dr. Jack Miller to the hospital with a concussion. It would be Miller's final race.
- This was the final Indy car race held at Atlanta to-date.
- Fifth and final career win for Greg Ray.
85th Indianapolis 500
The 85th running of the Indianapolis 500 was held May 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Scott Sharp sat on pole.
Top ten results
- 68- Hélio Castroneves
- 66- Gil de Ferran
- 39- Michael Andretti
- 44- Jimmy Vasser
- 50- Bruno Junqueira
- 33- Tony Stewart
- 14- Eliseo Salazar
- 88- Airton Daré
- 98- Billy Boat
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- Polesitter Sharp crashed on the opening lap, and finished last.
- Team Penske returned to Indy after failing to qualify in 1995 and boycotting the race due to the IRL/CART "split" from 1996 to 2000. Penske finished 1st–2nd with Hélio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran, Roger Penske's first-ever 1–2 at Indy as an owner.
- Second straight 500 victory for a race rookie.
Casino Magic 500
This race was held June 9 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mark Dismore won the pole.
Top ten results
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 91- Buddy Lazier
- 98- Billy Boat
- 11- Donnie Beechler
- 14- Eliseo Salazar
- 3- Al Unser Jr.
- 77- Jaques Lazier
- 55- Shigeaki Hattori
- A serious crash on lap 56 involved Davey Hamilton, who lost control after Jeret Schroeder blew an engine, and Hamilton drove in the oil. Hamilton then crashed hard into the turn 2 wall, causing serious injuries to both legs and feet. The crash effectively ended Hamilton's full-time racing career.
- Scott Sharp stole the win after Eddie Cheever and Greg Ray crashed hard on the backstretch while battling for the victory in the final laps. Robby McGehee, who was running many laps down, was also caught up in the mishap; McGehee suffered leg and head injuries and missed several races.
Radisson Indy 200
This race was held June 17 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results
- 91- Buddy Lazier
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 24- Robbie Buhl
- 98- Billy Boat
- 88- Airton Daré
- 51- Eddie Cheever
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 99- Richie Hearn
- 15- Sarah Fisher
Inaugural SunTrust Indy Challenge
This race was held June 30 at Richmond International Raceway. Jaques Lazier won the pole.
Top ten results
- 91- Buddy Lazier
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 3- Al Unser Jr.
- 32- Didier André
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 28- Mark Dismore
- 11- Donnie Beechler
- 35- Jeff Ward
- 24- Robbie Buhl
- 12- Buzz Calkins
Ameristar Casino Indy 200
This race was held July 8 at Kansas Speedway. Scott Sharp won the pole.
Top ten results
- 51- Eddie Cheever*
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 11- Donnie Beechler
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- 91- Buddy Lazier
- 88- Airton Daré
- 14- Eliseo Salazar
- 55- Shigeaki Hattori
- 98- Billy Boat
- 10- Robby McGehee
- Final career win for Eddie Cheever.
Inaugural Harrah's 200
This race was held July 21 at Nashville Superspeedway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results
- 91- Buddy Lazier
- 98- Billy Boat
- 99- Jaques Lazier
- 10- Robby McGehee
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 55- Shigeaki Hattori
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- 12- Buzz Calkins
- 11- Donnie Beechler*
- On lap 103 of the race, Cheever was attempting to lap the slower car of Greg Ray, when the two made contact in turn 2. The resulting accident also caught up Unser, Jr., Beechler, and Dismore, who was struck from behind by a charging Airton Dare. No one was injured in the crash. This was the first caution of the race and lasted 18 laps, with Buddy Lazier in the lead as racing resumed. He would go on to win.
- Second and final career top ten finish for Donnie Beechler.
Belterra Resort Indy 300
This race was held August 12 at Kentucky Speedway. Scott Sharp won the pole.
Top ten results
- 91- Buddy Lazier
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 3- Al Unser Jr.
- 11- Donnie Beechler
- 98- Billy Boat
- 55- Shigeaki Hattori
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- 24- Robbie Buhl
- 35- Jeff Ward
- Final career win for Buddy Lazier.
- This race was Greg Rays last for Team Menard. He would part ways with the team after finishing 3 laps down to the winner in 13th.
Inaugural Gateway Indy 250
This race was held August 26 at Gateway International Raceway. Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole.
Top ten results
- 3- Al Unser Jr.
- 28- Mark Dismore
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 51- Eddie Cheever
- 24- Robbie Buhl
- 98- Billy Boat
- 35- Jeff Ward
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 88- Airton Daré
- 10- Robby McGehee
- Penultimate career win for Al Unser Jr.
Inaugural Delphi Indy 300
This race was held September 2 at Chicagoland Speedway. Jaques Lazier won the pole.
Top ten results
- 2- Jaques Lazier
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 51- Eddie Cheever
- 35- Jeff Ward
- 11- Donnie Beechler
- 99- Richie Hearn
- 34- Laurent Redon
- 3- Al Unser Jr.
- 12- Buzz Calkins
- 21- Felipe Giaffone
- This was Jaques Laziers only IndyCar win. It was his second start for the Menard team after taking over the car previously driven by Greg Ray.
Chevy 500
This race was originally scheduled for September 16th at Texas Motor Speedway but was postponed in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. The race was eventually held October 6. Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole.
Top ten results
- 4- Sam Hornish Jr.
- 8- Scott Sharp
- 24- Robbie Buhl
- 14- Eliseo Salazar
- 5- Rick Treadway
- 3- Al Unser Jr.
- 88- Airton Daré
- 11- Greg Ray
- 18- Jon Herb
- 12- Buzz Calkins
- Only career top five finish for Rick Treadway. Also his best finish ever.
- Greg Rays first race back after losing his Team Menard ride. He drove for A.J. Foyts team in this race.
- Final career start for Buzz Calkins. Also his final top ten finish.
- Only career top ten finish for Jon Herb. Also his best ever finish.
Points standings
Further information: List of American Championship car racing point scoring systems
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- 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.
See also
- 2001 Indianapolis 500
- 2001 Indy Lights season
- 2001 CART season
- 2001 Toyota Atlantic Championship season
- http://www.champcarstats.com/year/2001i.htm
- http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine (p. 125–126)
References
- "NTT IndyCar Series Calendar 2001". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
- "Indy Racing League". Kenosha News. October 26, 2001. p. B4. Retrieved November 17, 2023 – via Newspapers.com
.
- https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2001/09/14/texas-track-decides-to-postpone-races/62130931007/
- https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/2001/09/14/texas-track-decides-to-postpone-races/62130931007/
| American Championship car racing (Indy car) seasons | |
|---|---|
| AAA | |
| USAC | |
| CART | |
| CCWS | |
| IRL | |
| IndyCar | |
| Years marked in italics are not official championship years or upcoming seasons. | |