On July 30, 2008, the 2009 schedule for the IndyCar Series was officially released.[2] New to the schedule were Long Beach and Toronto, with Nashville having been removed to make way for the new events.
Dario Franchitti won his second IndyCar Series championship, putting a disappointing foray into NASCAR in 2008 behind him. Franchitti took his Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda to victory at Long Beach, Iowa Speedway, Toronto and Infineon Raceway in a season long battle with his Chip Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon and Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe. Dixon led the series heading into the final round, but Franchitti's win at the series finale at Homestead pushed the British driver eleven points clear at season's end.
Dixon, who took five wins, held second place by a solitary point over Briscoe. Briscoe, with three wins, had his best ever season leading Team Penske after Hélio Castroneves's abbreviated start to the season from his tax-evasion trial. The Brazilian recovered by winning his third Indianapolis 500 before taking a win at Texas Motor Speedway a month later.
The Ganassi and Penske teams dominated the season, only two race victories were taken by drivers other than the four regulars from these two teams, and one of them, at Edmonton, was claimed by part-time Penske driver Will Power. The only other winner was Justin Wilson, scoring Dale Coyne Racing's first victory at Watkins Glen.
The Andretti Green Racing team had their first ever season without a win. Drivers Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan and Hideki Mutoh each scored podium finishes, and Patrick finished fifth in the season points, setting a new record for highest points finish by a female driver.
Brazilian racer Raphael Matos claimed rookie of the year honors for the Luczo-Dragon Racing team, finishing thirteenth in the season point score, 29 points clear of Robert Doornbos with a season best result of sixth at Milwaukee.
Originally Honda was supposed to end their IndyCar Series single engine supplier after 2009. But on September 23, 2009, it was confirmed that Honda renewed their single engine supplier until the 2011 season.[3]
Series news
2009 started a 10-year TV deal with the Versus TV network. Versus agreed to broadcast at least twelve IndyCar Series events a year in HD, as well as pre-race coverage, a one-hour preview show the day before each race including qualifying highlights, qualifications for the Indianapolis 500, a Firestone Indy Lights weekly telecast, replays of all series races a week after original broadcast, and at least ten hours of ancillary programming.[4]Bob Jenkins, Robbie Buhl, and Jon Beekhuis made up the broadcast team along with Jack Arute, Robbie Floyd, and Lindy Thackston in the pits. Emmy Award-winning auto-racing producer Terry Lingner produced the coverage.[5] Versus will air commercials using IndyCar Non-Stop. In 2011 Versus was renamed NBC Sports Network.
Firestone supplied two sets of tire compounds beginning in 2009 on road and street courses for the IR5 chassis. Alternate tires would be marked with red sidewalls and would be made of a softer compound. They contain more grip and allow for faster times, but do not last as long as the regular tires. Each team received six sets of the regular tires ("the blacks") and three sets of the new alternate tires ("the reds") for the race weekend. The cars were required to run at least two green flag laps with the alternate tires during a race. Oval races used the primary tire only.
A new private testing policy was put into place for team for 2009, provided they participate in the TEAM revenue-sharing program.[6] Teams were permitted:
800 miles (1,300 km) or six days of testing, whichever comes first, along with eight sets of tires.
Two-car teams may conduct 1,200 miles (1,900 km) of testing with 26 sets of tires.
Additional team cars gained 200 miles (320 km) and four sets of tires per car.
No testing at any track within seven days of a race.
Teams could earn additional test days by providing opportunities to Firestone Indy Lights drivers.
Bonus practice time for rookies and teams outside the Top 10 in points were added starting at Long Beach. The bonus session lasted from 30 to 45 minutes at each venue before the first practice sessions of the day for all cars. The policy was intended to promote competition, allowing teams a chance to close the gap on the Top 10 teams without paying for expensive private testing, and provided more opportunities for rookie drivers, particularly those moving up from Indy Lights.[7]
Slight changes were made to the points system in 2009, the number of points awarded for leading the most laps in a race was reduced from three to two. A point was awarded for winning pole for a race.
On December 26, 2008, IndyCar Series introduced a new exhaust design to reduce noise of Honda Indy V8 engines.[8]
IndyCar Series officials have banned formerly optional 118 and 120 inch wheelbases, requiring teams to uniformly adopt 122 inch wheelbases. This will provide cost savings for the teams as well as greatly enhancing competition on the oval tracks.[9]
On July 28, 2009, the IRL approved "push to pass" buttons on all the cars. This gave a driver a 20 hp boost for 12 seconds with a 10-second recharge time. This was available for use only 20 times during a given race. This feature debuted at the event at Kentucky Speedway on August 1, 2009.[10]
With the series undergoing a development freeze until the 2011 season, IndyCar Series teams carried over chassis and engine from 2008 season but modified due to new exhaust design. The series was concentrating on 2012 new car development to save costs.[11]
Penske Racing: Hélio Castroneves signed a multi-year contract extension with Penske Racing. However, on October 2, 2008, Castroneves was faced with a federal indictment, and was charged with six counts of tax evasion. Castroneves went on hiatus from the team during the trial. Will Power was named as a replacement, and drove the St. Petersburg race in the #3 car. With Castroneves being acquitted on all tax evasion charges later in the month, he returned to the #3 car starting at Long Beach, with the team running a third car, the #12 Penske Championship Racing machine for Will Power at Long Beach and the Indianapolis 500. Roger Penske announced after the Indianapolis 500 that he would field a third car for Power at additional races in the 2009 season.
A. J. Foyt Enterprises: Vítor Meira replaced Darren Manning in the #14 entry.[26] Meira suffered two fractured vertebrae at Indianapolis and missed most of the remainder of the season.[12]Paul Tracy was the replacement driver for Milwaukee.[27] The team fielded the #41 driven by A. J. Foyt IV in the Indianapolis 500. The #48 car was entered in the race but did not appear.[28]
KV Racing: Oriol Servia did not re-sign with the team and Will Power left for Penske Racing.[29]Mario Moraes signed with the team for 2009 and will be the team's sole full-season entry.[30] In addition to Servia, Paul Tracy and GP2 driver Lucas di Grassi also have been linked with a seat with the team.[31][32] Team co-owner Jimmy Vasser has stated that he is confident the team will have a deal in place to run a second car starting with the Indy 500. It was announced on April 17 that Paul Tracy will drive the #15 car for the team at the Indy 500, with additional races up to the rest of the season possible. A later release from the team confirmed Tracy would appear in the #15 at the Edmonton and Toronto races. A third car, the #8, was listed for the team on the Indianapolis 500 entry list, and was raced by Townsend Bell.[28]
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing: Justin Wilson did not return to the team in 2009. However, Graham Rahal's option was picked up for 2009 and he returned.[34] 2007 Champ Car Rookie of the Year Robert Doornbos' signing was confirmed on February 20, 2009.[35]Milka Duno tested with the team at Homestead, but the deal to run a third full-season car for her apparently fell apart as she lost her backing from Citgo according to a report.[36]
Conquest Racing: A marketing brochure on the team's official site states that "Conquest Racing will field two cars in the 2009 IndyCar Series. With Alex Tagliani, the team will have a wily veteran with the experience and commitment to continue moving the team forward. Joining Tagliani will be a driver of equal gift and grit to round out a balanced driver package.".[37] On February 16, the team announced that Jaime Camara will return to the #34 car for the Homestead test, but that its 2009 driver lineup had not been finalized.[38] On a conference call on February 18, owner Eric Bachelart said the team's ambition was to remain a two-car team, but they may have to have two drivers share one car for the season.[39] On April 1, Tagliani was confirmed as the team's sole driver at St. Pete. The team has announced a partnership with the former Rubicon Race Team to attempt to add additional sponsorship. A second car is listed for the team on the Indy 500 entry list and it will be driven by Bruno Junqueira.[28]
Roth Racing: Roth Racing has closed its doors and will not return as a full-season. The equipment was put up for sale. The team's employees were used to assist Conquest Racing for the second car that was prepared for Junqueira.[45] The team entered two cars, the #25 and #52, on the Indy 500 entry list, but neither appeared.[28]
Rubicon Race Team/Pacific Coast Motorsports: Curt Cavin confirmed that Pacific Coast Motorsports and Rubicon had merged on January 23, and Rubicon's website updated listing PCM owner Tyler Tadevic and Panther Racing co-founder Doug Boles as new co-owners.[46]Buddy Rice was reported as in-line for the seat with the combined team and the team claimed to be close to funding for a full schedule.[47] The team did not participate in any open test or race and on the team's Twitter page they announced a name change to Rubicon Sports Agency. They formally announcing a partnership with Conquest Racing.
Dale Coyne Racing: Mario Moraes left for KV Racing. Justin Wilson tested one of the Coyne cars at Homestead. Wilson was confirmed as the driver of Coyne's single entry at St. Petersburg and has signed a full-season deal. The team is still looking at possibilities to field a second car starting with the Indy 500. The team has a second entry, the #19 listed for the Indy 500.[28] The team's primary entry was originally #19 but was changed by sponsor Z-Line Designs to #18 to match the NASCARNationwide SeriesToyota Camry of Joe Gibbs Racing cars they sponsor starting at Long Beach.
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: The team announced Mike Conway signed for the 2009 campaign.[48] The team plans to run a second car.[49] Driver Roger Yasukawa will race with the team at Motegi.[50] On April 1, 2009, it was confirmed that Darren Manning would drive the #23 Dreyer & Reinbold entry at St. Petersburg; Manning continued in the seat at Long Beach. Milka Duno will return to the team run a limited schedule in the #23 starting at Kansas.[51]Davey Hamilton and Kingdom Racing will also partner with the team to field an Indy 500 entry.[28] A fourth D&R entry at the Indianapolis 500 was announced on April 6, co-branded with George Gillett's Richard Petty Motorsports. That entry featured John Andretti with Window World as sponsor.[52]
Forsythe Racing: Former Champ Car team Forsythe Racing announced intentions to race in the IndyCar Series in 2009, and stated that they were close (95%) to finalizing programs according to team manager Ken Siweck in July 2008. Plans were also announced for a foray into the ALMS and a return to Indy Lights.[56] No Forsythe car has appeared in any of the three series, but a blurb on usatoday.com on April 23, 2009, mentioned the team was "mulling an IndyCar entry".[57]
Pole position winner: #02 Graham Rahal, 1:02.4110 sec, 103.828 mph (167.095 km/h)
Race Summary: On the opening lap, polesitter Graham Rahal was involved in light contact with Tony Kanaan, which damaged his nosecone, and dropped him deep in the standings. With 20 laps to go, defending IndyCar champion Scott Dixon crashed out after contact with Hideki Mutoh. With 14 laps to go, Ryan Briscoe took the lead from Justin Wilson on a restart. Briscoe held off Ryan Hunter-Reay to secure the victory.
Pole Position winner: #12 Will Power, 1:09.7107 sec, 101.631 mph (163.559 km/h)
Race Summary: At the start, Will Power took the lead from the pole position and led the first 16 laps. Dario Franchitti and Danica Patrick both pitted early on lap 16, and benefitted from a full-course caution. Over the next 30 laps, the lead traded between Tony Kanaan, Marco Andretti, and Dario Franchitti. Pitting early once more, Dario Franchitti and Danica Patrick again benefitted. Moments later, Mike Conway spun into the tire barrier in turn 8, bringing out the full course caution again. Most of the leaders pit under the yellow, while Franchitti stayed out to take the lead. Franchitti pulled away and held the lead to the finish, taking the victory. It was his first IndyCar win since 2007, having spent 2008 racing in NASCAR.
Pole Position winner: #3 Hélio Castroneves, 2:40.0967 sec, 224.864 mph (361.884 km/h) (4-lap)
Race Summary: Dario Franchitti made the move at the start, passing Ryan Briscoe on the first lap and polesitter Hélio Castroneves at a restart on the eighth lap. Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan, starting fifth and sixth made short work of Graham Rahal and joined the top three. Castroneves lost out to Briscoe and Dixon in the first round of stops. Briscoe, now second took the lead from Franchitti on lap 53. Graham Rahal crashed from sixth on lap 56 which brought out the caution. Another poor stop for Castroneves got him behind Kanaan as well, while the two Ganassi cars of Dixon and Franchitti switched places. The race turned green on lap 64, and it was evident that Briscoe had a bad set of tires. He lost many places immediately, and Castroneves also lost out to Raphael Matos and Danica Patrick. Meanwhile, Briscoe had to pit again, and rejoined 24th. The top three pulled away, while Castroneves passed Patrick on lap 81. During the third round of stops (after another caution), Franchitti got ahead of Dixon, and Castroneves got in front of Matos. There was the green flag on lap 91, and Dixon used Franchitti's slipstream to take the lead. Kanaan, running third on lap 98 had a huge impact with the wall at Turn 3 after a mechanical failure. He was okay except for some bruises, and the caution was brought out again leading to the fourth round of stops. The top two retained order, while third placed Castroneves again lost out, this time to Will Power and Matos. Danica Patrick had a bad stop as well, dropping from sixth to tenth. During the next restart, Castroneves made short work of Matos, and had a go at Power, but Power kept the place. The order remained the same until lap 131, when Nelson Philippe crashed, bringing out the fifth caution. This led to another round of stops. While Dixon maintained his lead, Franchitti had a slow stop, dropping from second to eighth, and Castrineves got the jump on power. The order after the stops is Dixon from Castroneves, Power, Paul Tracy and Dan Wheldon. The green flag came out on lap 142, and it was Castroneves who immediately was on sond, taking the lead from Dixon even before they had reached the first turn. Tracy started dropping back, quickly passed by Wheldon and Townsend Bell. Franchitti, frustrated after his bad stop, further dropped down to 12th after running wide when trying to pass Ed Carpenter. On lap 159, Power passed Dixon for second. The next caution came after Justin Wilson crashed. This led to one more round of stops. Power and Dixon, running second and third had bad stops, and Danica Patrick got in front of Townsend Bell during this time. Ryan Briscoe did not stop, and was in second. There were no changes at the restart. There was one more caution, during which Briscoe pitted from second. He rejoined 16th. At the last restart with twenty laps to go, Patrick had a go at Wheldon but Wheldon defended well. Castroneves pulled away and won, with Wheldon, Patrick, Bell and Power making the top 5.
Pole Position winner: #6 Ryan Briscoe, 1:26.7966 sec, 168.394 mph (271.004 km/h) (4-lap)
Race Summary: Polesitter Ryan Briscoe overcame a bad start to pass Tony Kanaan and Graham Rahal to lead. He led until lap 200, when Scott Dixon took advantage of backmarker Tomas Scheckter to pass him on the inside of Turn 2. Dixon went on to win ahead of Briscoe and Dario Franchitti.
Pole Position winner: #10 Dario Franchitti, 1:37.6725 sec, 214.513 mph (345.225 km/h) (4-lap)
Race Summary: Ryan Briscoe passed polesitter Dario Franchitti at a restart on lap 10, and as there were no cautions for the next 140 laps, Briscoe built up a 15-second lead over second placed Marco Andretti. A caution for debris on lap 151 took away the lead. Three laps after the restart, Hélio Castroneves passed Andretti for second. A crash for A. J. Foyt IV brought out the yellow flag again, and led to the final round of stops. A quicker stop for Castroneves got him ahead of Briscoe. Castroneves held off Briscoe for the win, with Scott Dixon, Andretti and Franchitti making up the top 5.
Pole Position winner: #6 Ryan Briscoe, 1:28.5970 sec, 136.935 mph (220.376 km/h)
Race Summary: Justin Wilson dominated most of the event, en route to victory, the first-ever Indy car win for Dale Coyne Racing. Late in the race, Wilson was carrying the optional red tires. A late-race caution bunched the field for a sprint to the finish. Wilson got the jump on the restart, and pulled out to over a 4-second lead to preserve the win. It was the first race all season, and the first since the 2008 Detroit event, which saw neither Ganassi nor Penske in victory lane.
Pole Position winner: #9 Scott Dixon (qualifying cancelled; field set by owner points)
Race Summary: Series officials implemented a mid-season rules change on oval races to encourage increased competition. A push-to-pass system was added to the cars, along with various aerodynamic enhancements. The changes were well-received, and the race became the most competitive oval race on the circuit in almost two years. In the final 50 laps, Ed Carpenter of Vision Racing led Ryan Briscoe and Tony Kanaan, with Hélio Castroneves lurking amongst the top 5. In the final ten laps, Carpenter and Briscoe raced side by side, swapping the lead several times each lap. On the final turn, Briscoe edged ahead, and denied Carpenter his first career victory by 0.0162 seconds. The race's average speed, only slowed by a single caution flag for a second straight race, was over 200 mph (320 km/h), making it the second fastest IndyCar Series race held.
Pole Position winner: #10 Dario Franchitti, 1:40.5378 sec, 212.696 mph (342.301 km/h) (4-lap)
Race Summary: The championship battle came down to a three-man race between Scott Dixon, Dario Franchitti (5 points behind), and Ryan Briscoe (8 points behind). In what became the series' first oval race to run caution-free the full distance, the three title contenders dominated and were the only cars to finish on the lead lap. In the final 50 laps, fuel strategy became key, as Dixon and Briscoe ran 1st–2nd, with Franchitti trailing some 25 seconds in third. Both Dixon and Briscoe were forced to pit for fuel in the final 8 laps, while Franchitti stayed out and stretched his fuel to the finish. Franchitti's race victory clinched his second IndyCar Series title.
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.
