Emerson Indy 250
Encyclopedia
The Emerson Indy 250 is a former American Open Wheel Racing
event held at Gateway International Speedway from 1997 to 2003. It was a part of the CART
series from 1997 to 2000, and part of the IRL
from 2001-2003.
The first running was a CART
series race held on Saturday May 24, 1997, the day before the rival Indy Racing League's Indianapolis 500
. Rather than scheduling a race directly opposite the Indy 500 (as they had done in 1996 with the U.S. 500
), CART scheduled Gateway the day before to serve as their Memorial Day
weekend open-wheel alternative without direct conflict. In a couple instances, a handful of drivers actually competed in both events in the same weekend. After a couple years, track management grew increasingly dissatisfied with its apparent use, as seen by some, as a political pawn
or statement
by CART. This event had poor attendance as fans generally chose to travel to the Indy 500 for the weekend instead. For 2000, the race was moved to the fall.
In 2001, its was dropped from the CART series schedule, and switched alliances to the Indy Racing League. The event suffered from continually declining attendance. The event was dropped altogether after 2003. Rumors have surfaced about a possible return to the now-unified IndyCar schedule, but no official announcements have been made.
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
event held at Gateway International Speedway from 1997 to 2003. It was a part of the CART
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
series from 1997 to 2000, and part of the IRL
IndyCar
IndyCar is the trade name of an American-based open-wheel auto racing sanctioning body. IndyCar sanctions three racing series, the premier IZOD IndyCar Series with its centerpiece Indianapolis 500, and developmental series Firestone Indy Lights and the U.S...
from 2001-2003.
The first running was a CART
Champ Car
Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...
series race held on Saturday May 24, 1997, the day before the rival Indy Racing League's Indianapolis 500
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...
. Rather than scheduling a race directly opposite the Indy 500 (as they had done in 1996 with the U.S. 500
U.S. 500
The U.S. 500 was an automobile race sanctioned by CART on May 26, 1996 at the Michigan International Speedway as an alternative to the 1996 Indianapolis 500....
), CART scheduled Gateway the day before to serve as their Memorial Day
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it originated after the American Civil War to commemorate the fallen Union soldiers of the Civil War...
weekend open-wheel alternative without direct conflict. In a couple instances, a handful of drivers actually competed in both events in the same weekend. After a couple years, track management grew increasingly dissatisfied with its apparent use, as seen by some, as a political pawn
Exploitation
This article discusses the term exploitation in the meaning of using something in an unjust or cruel manner.- As unjust benefit :In political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation involves a persistent social relationship in which certain persons are being mistreated or unfairly used for...
or statement
Political statement
The term political statement is used to refer to any act or non-verbal form of communication that is intended to influence a decision to be made for or by a political party....
by CART. This event had poor attendance as fans generally chose to travel to the Indy 500 for the weekend instead. For 2000, the race was moved to the fall.
In 2001, its was dropped from the CART series schedule, and switched alliances to the Indy Racing League. The event suffered from continually declining attendance. The event was dropped altogether after 2003. Rumors have surfaced about a possible return to the now-unified IndyCar schedule, but no official announcements have been made.
Race Winners
| Season | Date | Race Name | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CART World Series History | ||||||
| 1997 | May 24 | Motorola Motorola Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009... 300 |
 Canada Paul TracyPaul Tracy Paul Tracy is a professional automobile racer who has competed in CART, the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series... |
Penske Penske Racing Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske... |
Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG... -Ilmor Ilmor Ilmor, founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in November 1983, is a British independent high-performance autosport engineering company. With manufacturing based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, and maintenance offices in Plymouth, Michigan, the company supplies engines and consultancy to the... |
Penske Racing Penske Racing Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske... |
| 1998 | May 23 | Motorola 300 |  Italy Alex ZanardiAlex Zanardi Alessandro "Alex" Zanardi is an Italian racing driver and paracyclist.He won two CART championship titles in North America during the late 1990s. He also had a less successful career as a Formula One driver... |
Reynard Reynard Motorsport Reynard Motorsport was at one time the world's largest racing car manufacturer. Initially based at Bicester and latterly at Reynard Park, Brackley, England the company built successful cars in Formula Ford 1600, Formula Ford 2000, Formula Vauxhall Lotus, Formula Three, Formula 3000 and Indy... |
Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... |
Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an automotive racing organization with teams competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is owned by businessmen Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates. They have won 4 Champ Car, 3 Indy Racing League and 1 Grand-Am championships... |
| 1999 | May 29 | Motorola 300 |  United States Michael AndrettiMichael Andretti Michael Mario Andretti is a retired American CART and Formula One driver and owner of the Andretti Autosport team in the IndyCar Series. Andretti is the son of Mario Andretti. His son is Marco Andretti.-Early career:... |
Swift Swift Engineering Swift Engineering is an American engineering firm, most notable for producing racing cars for a variety of open-wheel racing series, including Champ Car World Series, Formula Atlantic, and Formula Nippon.-History:... |
Ford-Cosworth | Newman/Haas Racing |
| 2000 | September 17 | Motorola 300 |  Colombia Juan Pablo MontoyaJuan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán is a Colombian race car driver known internationally for participating and winning in Formula One and CART race competitions. He has enjoyed great success. Currently, he competes in NASCAR, driving the #42 Target Chevrolet Impala for Earnhardt Ganassi Racing in the Sprint... |
Lola | Toyota | Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an automotive racing organization with teams competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is owned by businessmen Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates. They have won 4 Champ Car, 3 Indy Racing League and 1 Grand-Am championships... |
| IRL IndyCar Series IndyCar Series The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and... History |
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| 2001 | August 26 | Gateway Indy 250 | United States Al Unser Jr. |
G-Force Panoz Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante... |
Oldsmobile Oldsmobile Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory... |
Kelley Racing Kelley Racing Kelley Racing is a former Indy Racing League team founded by Fort Wayne, Indiana-based car dealer Tom Kelley that most notably fielded a Delphi sponsored car for Scott Sharp during its entire existence from 1998 to 2004... |
| 2002 | August 25 | Gateway Indy 250 |  Brazil Gil de FerranGil de Ferran Gil de Ferran , is a professional racing driver and team owner. De Ferran was the 2000 and 2001 Champ Car champion driving for the Penske Honda Team and the winner of the 2003 Indianapolis 500.Inspired by the success of fellow Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi, de Ferran began his career in kart racing... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Chevrolet Chevrolet Chevrolet , also known as Chevy , is a brand of vehicle produced by General Motors Company . Founded by Louis Chevrolet and ousted GM founder William C. Durant on November 3, 1911, General Motors acquired Chevrolet in 1918... |
Penske Racing Penske Racing Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske... |
| 2003 | August 10 | Emerson Indy 250 | Brazil Helio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves Hélio Castroneves is a Brazilian auto racing driver currently competing in the North American IndyCar Series. In IndyCar competition, Castroneves has 14 wins and 28 poles, and has never placed lower than sixth in the standings in a complete season of racing... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Toyota | Penske Racing Penske Racing Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske... |
Atlantics & Lights Winners
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