2006 IndyCar Series
2006 IndyCar season | |
---|---|
IndyCar Series | |
Season | |
Races | 14 |
Start date | March 26 |
End date | September 10 |
Awards | |
Drivers' champion | Sam Hornish Jr. |
Rookie of the Year | Marco Andretti |
Indianapolis 500 winner | Sam Hornish Jr. |
The 2006 IRL IndyCar Series began on March 26 and concluded on September 10. Sam Hornish Jr. won his third IndyCar Series championship. Hornish also won the 90th Indianapolis 500, passing rookie Marco Andretti on the final lap less than 500 feet (150 m) from the finish line. The title chase was very dramatic between Penske drivers Hornish and Hélio Castroneves battling Ganassi drivers Dan Wheldon and Scott Dixon. The four drivers occupied the first four positions in the final race at Chicagoland Speedway, with Wheldon leading Dixon home for a Ganassi 1–2, but Hornish finishing third, edging out reigning champion Wheldon on a tiebreak. Third would have been enough to catapult fourth-place finisher Castroneves to take the title, but he instead ended up two points behind Hornish and Wheldon. Dixon was also in strong title contention, finishing a mere 15 points adrift of the championship.
The season was marred by the death of Paul Dana during practice at Homestead.
2006 also the final season for Panoz chassis as an official chassis manufacturer in the series.
Commentators
The official commentators were Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, and Rusty Wallace, with pit reports from Jack Arute, Jerry Punch, Vince Welch, and Jamie Little, and pre race hosting from Brent Musburger.
ABC Television | |
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Booth Announcers | Pit/garage reporters
|
Host: Brent Musburger |
Jack Arute Jerry Punch Vince Welch Jamie Little |
Off season changes
2006 for the Indy Racing League was much different from
The chassis situation is little changed from 2005, the largest change being Ganassi Racing's switch from Panoz to Dallara for oval races. The full-season runners using the Panoz in 2006 were Rahal Letterman Racing's three cars and Delphi Fernandez Racing's Scott Sharp.
2006 also saw the elimination of three rounds of the championship from the 2005 season. The
There were also a handful of significant driver moves, most important of which was 2005 series champion
There were also ongoing rumors during the offseason that Tony George and
Mid-season changes
- Following Paul Dana's death in a crash before the first race, Rahal-Letterman hired Jeff Simmons to drive the #17 car two races later at Motegi.
- Roberto Moreno replaced an injured Ed Carpenter for round 2 only. Carpenter returned for all the remaining races.
- Following an Indy 500 where both Hemelgarn cars crashed into each other and finished in the last two positions, Hemelgarn Racing, which had been running full-time with P. J. Chesson, ceased operations.
- After the Kansas Speedway race, Cheever Racing ceased operations due to lack of sponsorship and financial problems. Also, Foyt Enterprises replaced Felipe Giaffone with Jeff Bucknum.
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing announced that Ryan Briscoe, who drove their car to a third place at Watkins Glen, would drive their car in the remaining short oval and road course races instead of Buddy Lazier and that Sarah Fisher would race the car at the remaining 1.5-mile (2.4 km) tracks, Kentucky and Chicagoland.
- Marty Roth returned to the series after crashing in Indy 500 practice and missing the race to drive his own Roth Racing machine in the final 3 oval races of the season (Michigan, Kentucky, and Chicagoland).
Confirmed entries
Following the 2005 season both Chevrolet and Toyota exited the series as Engine suppliers leaving Honda as the sole engine manufacturer in the sport.
All entries utilize
Race summaries
Toyota Indy 300
This race held at
The race was marred by a violent crash in the final practice session. Paul Dana was killed in the crash and teammates Danica Patrick and Buddy Rice withdrew from the race to honor his memory. He was the third driver to lose his life in the IRL. Ed Carpenter was also injured and would miss this race plus the next race.[3]
Top ten results
- 10- Dan Wheldon 200 laps
- 3- Hélio Castroneves +0.0147 (9th closest finish in IRL history)
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. +0.4744
- 27- Dario Franchitti +0.9401
- 9- Scott Dixon +1.1989
- 55- Kosuke Matsuura +2 laps
- 8- Scott Sharp +2 laps
- 14- Felipe Giaffone +2 laps
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +3 laps
- 51- Eddie Cheever +4 laps
IRL Video Synopsis of the Race
Annotated Video of Race Summary
Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
The
Top ten results
- 3- Hélio Castroneves 100 laps
- 9- Scott Dixon +0.1386
- 11- Tony Kanaan +0.6284
- 7- Bryan Herta +0.7813
- 4- Vítor Meira +2.5995
- 16- Danica Patrick +3.0433
- 55- Kosuke Matsuura +52.7172
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. +1 lap
- 14- Felipe Giaffone +1 lap
- 8- Scott Sharp +1 lap
Indy Japan 300
The
Top ten results
- 3- Hélio Castroneves 200 laps
- 10- Dan Wheldon +6.3851
- 11- Tony Kanaan +8.6163
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. +9.0011
- 15- Buddy Rice +9.7491
- 7- Bryan Herta +13.8972
- 55- Kosuke Matsuura +14.7633
- 16- Danica Patrick +15.4456
- 9- Scott Dixon +1 lap
- 4- Vítor Meira +1 lap
90th Indianapolis 500
The Indy 500 was run on May 28 and covered by ABC. Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole with a 4-lap average of 228.985 mph (2:37.2155). It was Hornish's 10th pole of his short, but yet outstanding career. Hornish then went on to win the race, beating Marco Andretti in the second-closest finish in Indy 500 history. Dan Wheldon led most laps with 148.
Top ten results
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. 200 laps
- 26- Marco Andretti +0.0635
- 1- Michael Andretti +1.0087
- 10- Dan Wheldon +1.2692
- 11- Tony Kanaan +1.6456
- 9- Scott Dixon +3.0566
- 27- Dario Franchitti +5.6249
- 16- Danica Patrick +5.7263
- 8- Scott Sharp +11.1252
- 4- Vítor Meira +17.9554
Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix presented by Tissot
The
As of 2020 it was the last-ever IndyCar Series victory for Panoz chassis to date.
Top ten results
- 9- Scott Dixon 55 laps
- 4- Vítor Meira +2.3311
- 5- Ryan Briscoe +2.7999
- 15- Buddy Rice +9.2284
- 14- Felipe Giaffone +11.4811
- 20- Ed Carpenter +12.4427
- 3- Hélio Castroneves +13.0455
- 16- Danica Patrick +13.3289
- 8- Scott Sharp +16.6462
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +48.4872
Video Synopsis of Race
- Annotated Version of IRL Race Summary Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
Bombardier Learjet 500
The Texas race was run on June 10 and covered by ESPN. Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole. Hélio Castroneves captured his second Texas win and third win of the season. Dan Wheldon had led most of the race and looked in control only for a short delay on his final pit stop to drop him back to third.
Top ten results
- 3- Hélio Castroneves 200 laps
- 9- Scott Dixon +0.2402
- 10- Dan Wheldon +0.2981
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. +14.5389
- 8- Scott Sharp +14.5895
- 4- Vítor Meira +15.9294
- 11- Tony Kanaan +16.1398
- 55- Kosuke Matsuura +22.3327
- 20- Ed Carpenter +22.9791
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +1 lap
IRL Race Summary
- Annotated Race Summary Video Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
SunTrust Indy Challenge
The
Top Ten Results
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. 250 laps
- 4- Vítor Meira +0.3907
- 27- Dario Franchitti +1.5895
- 26- Marco Andretti +6.5400
- 8- Scott Sharp +6.6677
- 7- Bryan Herta +10.9217
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +1 lap
- 20- Ed Carpenter +1 lap
- 10- Dan Wheldon +1 lap
- 3- Hélio Castroneves +1 lap
Kansas Lottery Indy 300
The Kansas Speedway race was run on July 2 and covered by ABC. Dan Wheldon won the pole. Sam Hornish Jr. won the race taking the lead from Wheldon with two laps to go. This was the 50th IRL race where 1st and 2nd were separated by less than a second.
Top ten results
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. 200 laps
- 10- Dan Wheldon +0.0793
- 4- Vítor Meira +5.3892
- 9- Scott Dixon +5.5158
- 11- Tony Kanaan +5.7762
- 3- Hélio Castroneves +7.0432
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +9.6925
- 55- Kosuke Matsuura +9.9881
- 26- Marco Andretti +1 lap
- 17- Jeff Simmons +1 lap
Firestone Indy 200
The Nashville Superspeedway race was run on July 15 and covered by ESPN. Dan Wheldon won the pole. Scott Dixon won his second race of the season and captured his first win on an oval since 2003.
Top ten results:
- 9- Scott Dixon 200 laps
- 10- Dan Wheldon +0.1176
- 4- Vítor Meira +1.2756
- 16- Danica Patrick +2.5019
- 3- Hélio Castroneves +3.5647
- 27- Dario Franchitti +11.9449
- 17- Jeff Simmons +1 lap
- 26- Marco Andretti +1 lap
- 5- Ryan Briscoe +1 lap
- 20- Ed Carpenter +2 laps
ABC Supply Company A. J. Foyt 225
Top ten results
- 11- Tony Kanaan 225 laps
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. +1.8276
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +2.0114
- 16- Danica Patrick +8.4708
- 26- Marco Andretti +10.2611
- 27- Dario Franchitti +11.2373
- 7- Bryan Herta +14.1195
- 10- Dan Wheldon +1 lap
- 17- Jeff Simmons +2 laps
- 9- Scott Dixon +2 laps
Firestone Indy 400
The Michigan International Speedway race was run on July 30 and covered by ABC. The race start was delayed almost 3 hours and the race was aired tape delayed on ESPN2. Hélio Castroneves got his fourth race win of the season from the pole.
Top ten results:
- 3- Hélio Castroneves 200 laps
- 4- Vítor Meira +1.6229
- 10- Dan Wheldon +6.2259
- 11- Tony Kanaan +6.9874
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +27.9005
- 8- Scott Sharp +28.5560
- 20- Ed Carpenter +1 lap
- 26- Marco Andretti +1 lap
- 55- Kosuke Matsuura +1 lap
- 17- Jeff Simmons +1 lap
Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Secret
The Kentucky Speedway race was run on August 13 and covered by ABC. Hélio Castroneves won the pole. Sam Hornish Jr. captured his 4th win of the year and re-took the points lead. This was also the second IRL race with two female drivers in the field, the first was the 2000 Indianapolis 500.
Top ten results:
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. 200 laps
- 9- Scott Dixon +0.5866
- 3- Hélio Castroneves +0.6511
- 10- Dan Wheldon +1.8913
- 11- Tony Kanaan +2.3049
- 4- Vítor Meira +2.5191
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +2.8124
- 16- Danica Patrick +3.2408
- 27- Dario Franchitti +4.7070
- 7- Bryan Herta +4.7966
Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
The
Top ten results:
- 26- Marco Andretti 80 laps
- 27- Dario Franchitti +0.6557
- 4- Vítor Meira +10.6535
- 9- Scott Dixon +11.1867
- 3- Hélio Castroneves +12.5049
- 10- Dan Wheldon +13.4493
- 17- Jeff Simmons +13.8754
- 16- Danica Patrick +15.7417
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. +16.3369
- 7- Bryan Herta +18.5571
Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 presented by Mr. Clean
The Chicagoland Speedway race was run on September 10 and covered by ABC. Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole and clinched the championship by finishing third. Dan Wheldon won the race and tied Hornish in season points, but lost the title due to the tiebreaker (most wins).
Top ten results:
- 10- Dan Wheldon 200 laps
- 9- Scott Dixon +0.1897
- 6- Sam Hornish Jr. +0.2323
- 3- Hélio Castroneves +2.6913
- 20- Ed Carpenter +1 lap
- 4- Vítor Meira +1 lap
- 11- Tony Kanaan +1 lap
- 17- Jeff Simmons +1 lap
- 8- Scott Sharp +1 lap
- 2- Tomas Scheckter +1 lap
Season summary
Schedule
The schedule consisted of 11 oval races, 2 road course races, and one street course race.
Rnd | Date | Race Name | Track | City |
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1 | March 26 | Toyota Indy 300
|
O Homestead-Miami Speedway
|
Homestead, Florida |
2 | April 2 | Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
|
R Streets of St. Petersburg
|
St. Petersburg, Florida |
3 | April 22 | Indy Japan 300 | O Twin Ring Motegi | Motegi, Japan |
4 | May 28 | 90th Indianapolis 500 | O Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana |
5 | June 4 | Watkins Glen Indy Grand Prix presented by Tissot
|
R Watkins Glen International | Watkins Glen, New York |
6 | June 10 | Bombardier Learjet 500
|
O Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, Texas |
7 | June 24 | SunTrust Indy Challenge
|
O Richmond International Raceway
|
Richmond, Virginia |
8 | July 2 | Kansas Lottery Indy 300 | O Kansas Speedway | Kansas City, Kansas |
9 | July 15 | Firestone Indy 200 | O Nashville Superspeedway | Lebanon, Tennessee |
10 | July 23 | ABC Supply Company A. J. Foyt 225
|
O The Milwaukee Mile
|
West Allis, Wisconsin |
11 | July 30 | Firestone Indy 400
|
O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan |
12 | August 13 | Meijer Indy 300 presented by Coca-Cola and Secret | O Kentucky Speedway | Sparta, Kentucky |
13 | August 27 | Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
|
R Infineon Raceway
|
Sonoma, California |
14 | September 10 | Peak Antifreeze Indy 300 presented by Mr. Clean
|
O Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet, Illinois |
O Oval/Speedway
R Road/Street course
BOLD indicates Superspeedways.
Race results
Final driver standings
|
|
- 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.
- † Paul Dana collided with Ed Carpenter's disabled car in the practice session at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Dana was transported to a hospital, where he died due to complications from his injuries sustained in the crash. He was 30 years old.
See also
- 2006 Indianapolis 500
- 2006 Indy Pro Series season
- 2006 Champ Car season
- 2006 Champ Car Atlantic season
Footnotes
- Homestead to Watkins Glen, and at Sonoma.
- ^ Used in the road courses.
References
- ^ "IRL IndyCar Series – 2006: Entrylist". Speedsport Magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ "Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole for…". Chicago Tribune. March 26, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
- ^ Caldwell, Dave (March 26, 2006). "Indy Racing Rookie Dies in Crash During Practice". The New York Times. Retrieved April 2, 2024.