Jeff Ward (motocross)
Encyclopedia
Jeff Ward is the first motocross
rider in history to win every major AMA
motocross
national championship. Nicknamed 'The Flying Freckle', throughout his motocross career Ward stayed loyal to the Kawasaki brand and retired from motocross with seven national titles, 56 national race wins and having represented the USA 7 times on Motocross Des Nations winning teams.
Following his motocross career, Ward moved to racing cars in the Indy Racing League. Ward finished 6th in series points in 1998, and won the 2002 race at Texas Motor Speedway
. He established a solid reputation at the prestigious Indianapolis 500
: he was 1997 Rookie of the Year with a third place finish and garnered four top five finishes in just seven starts.
He has 4 children: Brandon, Ayrton, Alain, and Siena. He is now racing short course off road trucks in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series for the Speed Technologies team.
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
rider in history to win every major AMA
American Motorcyclist Association
The American Motorcyclist Association is an American not-for-profit organization of more than 300,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights...
motocross
Motocross
Motocross is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off road circuits. It evolved from trials, and was called scrambles, and later motocross, combining the French moto with cross-country...
national championship. Nicknamed 'The Flying Freckle', throughout his motocross career Ward stayed loyal to the Kawasaki brand and retired from motocross with seven national titles, 56 national race wins and having represented the USA 7 times on Motocross Des Nations winning teams.
Following his motocross career, Ward moved to racing cars in the Indy Racing League. Ward finished 6th in series points in 1998, and won the 2002 race at Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
. He established a solid reputation at the prestigious 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...
: he was 1997 Rookie of the Year with a third place finish and garnered four top five finishes in just seven starts.
He has 4 children: Brandon, Ayrton, Alain, and Siena. He is now racing short course off road trucks in the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series for the Speed Technologies team.
Awards
- Ward was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of FameMotorcycle Hall of FameThe Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association that recognizes individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction and motorcycling in general. It displays motorcycles and riding gear and memoribilia. The museum is located in...
in 1999. - Ward was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of AmericaMotorsports Hall of Fame of AmericaThe Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...
on August 12, 2006.
AMA Motocross / Supermoto Accomplishments
- 1984—Won AMA 125cc national motocross title.
- 1985—Won AMA national 250cc motocross and Supercross titles.
- 1987—Won second AMA national 250cc Supercross championship.
- 1988—Captured second AMA national 250cc motocross title.
- 1989—Won AMA national 500cc motocross championship to become first rider in history to win every major AMA national motocross title.
- 1990—Won second consecutive AMA national 500cc motocross championship.
- 2004—Won AMA Supermoto Championship at 43 years of age.
- 2006—Won X-Games Supermoto Championship at 45 years of age.
- 2006—Won AMA Supermoto Championship (second title)
- 2008—Won X-Games Supermoto Championship at 47 years of age (second title).
Indy Racing League Accomplishments
- 1997—Finished third at Indianapolis 500 in maiden effort, finished 30th in IRL season point standings.
- 1998—Earned career-first pole position at Phoenix IRL race, four top five finishes, finished career-best 6th in IRL season point standings.
- 1999—Finished career-best second at Indianapolis 500, three top five finishes, finished 11th in IRL season point standings.
- 2000—Finished fourth at Indianapolis 500, two top five finishes, finished 11th in IRL season point standings.
- 2001—Two top five finishes, finished 11th in IRL season point standings.
- 2002—Winner of Boomtown 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, finished ninth at Indianapolis 500, two top five finishes, finished 11th in IRL season point standings.
Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Accomplishments
- 2009—Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Rookie of the Year
- 2009—Dirt Sports Rookie of the Year
- 2009—2nd Place in Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series Championship, behind by 1 point
IndyCar results
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1996-1997 1996-1997 in IRL The 1996-1997 Indy Racing League season was a result of the league abandoning the concept of ending each season with the Indianapolis 500. The 1996-97 season would ultimately comprise the events following the Indy 500 in 1996, and all events contested in the calendar year of 1997.The 1996-97 season... |
Galles Galles Racing Galles Racing is a former auto racing team owned by Rick Galles that competed in the CART series, Can-Am and Indy Racing League, winning the 1990 CART Championship and 1992 Indianapolis 500 with driver Al Unser, Jr..-Early years:... |
NHM |
LVS |
WDW 16 |
PHX |
30th | 69 | |||||||||||||
Cheever | INDY 1997 Indianapolis 500 The 81st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over three days, May 25–27, 1997. It was originally scheduled Sunday, May 25, however, rain washed out all activities for the day. The race was started on Monday May 26, but rain halted the race after only 15 laps... 3 |
TXS |
PPIR |
CLT |
NH2 |
|||||||||||||||
Sinden/ISM ISM Racing ISM Racing is a former autoracing team owned by Bob Hancher. The team fielded entries in the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.-Indy Racing League:... |
LV2 17 |
|||||||||||||||||||
1998 1998 in IRL The 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League season was one of relative stability compared to the previous two seasons. For the first time the season consisted of a single and complete spring, summer, and fall like all other forms of motorsport. 15 drivers completed the entire 11 race schedule, twice as... |
ISM ISM Racing ISM Racing is a former autoracing team owned by Bob Hancher. The team fielded entries in the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.-Indy Racing League:... |
WDW 2 |
PHX 5 |
INDY 1998 Indianapolis 500 The 82nd Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 24, 1998. This was the first Indianapolis 500 fully sanctioned by the Indy Racing League after the IRL relied on USAC to sanction the 1996–1997 races... 13 |
TXS 17 |
NHM 22 |
DOV 19 |
CLT 2 |
PPIR 20 |
ATL 6 |
TX2 3 |
LVS 21 |
6th | 252 | ||||||
1999 1999 in IRL The 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League season was highly competitive and parity was the order of the year. Team Menard had a very good season with their driver Greg Ray capturing 3 race wins in a row and the series championship... |
ISM ISM Racing ISM Racing is a former autoracing team owned by Bob Hancher. The team fielded entries in the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.-Indy Racing League:... |
WDW 3 |
11th | 206 | ||||||||||||||||
Pagan Pagan Racing -CART Indy 500 entries:The team was founded in 1993 when the team purchased the CART IndyCar equipment of Kenny Bernstein's King Racing. The team fielded a car for Jeff Andretti for the 1993 Indianapolis 500 who finished 29th after a crash. The following year they signed veteran Roberto Guerrero to... |
PHX 2 |
INDY 1999 Indianapolis 500 The 1999 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1999.-Recap:Robby Gordon and Team Menard take a major gamble late in the race, and try to stretch their fuel for the win. Gordon had last pit on lap 164, and attempted to run the final 36 laps on one tank... 2 |
TXS 18 |
PPIR 9 |
ATL 26 |
DOV 13 |
PPI2 23 |
LVS 10 |
TX2 21 |
|||||||||||
2000 2000 in IRL The 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series season was another season that saw a high level of parity as only one driver, champion Buddy Lazier, won more than a single race. It also saw the beginning of the jump from CART as Al Unser Jr. moved to the series full time and Chip Ganassi Racing came... |
Foyt | WDW 7 |
PHX 11 |
LVS 21 |
INDY 2000 Indianapolis 500 The 2000 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, 2000.-Recap:Chip Ganassi Racing became the first regular CART series team to break ranks and compete at Indianapolis since the CART/IRL split in 1996, entering 1996 CART series champion Jimmy Vasser and reigning... 4 |
TXS 19 |
PPIR 15 |
ATL 19 |
KTY 6 |
TX2 8 |
11th | 176 | ||||||||
2001 2001 in IRL The 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series season 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. Many other CART teams made clear their intention... |
Heritage | PHX 7 |
HMS 5 |
ATL 7 |
INDY 2001 Indianapolis 500 The 85th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 2001. Race rookie Hélio Castroneves led the final 52 laps and won his first Indy 500.-Changes for 2001:... 24 |
TXS 16 |
PPIR 12 |
RIR 8 |
KAN Wth |
NSH 20 |
KTY 10 |
STL 7 |
CHI 4 |
TX2 24 |
11th | 238 | ||||
2002 2002 in IRL The 2002 Indy Racing League season was one of transition, with many CART teams participating in a partial IRL schedule while retaining "lame duck" status in their original series with their CART engine suppliers Toyota and Honda... |
Ganassi 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... |
HMS 4 |
PHX 18 |
FON 10 |
NZR 19 |
INDY 2002 Indianapolis 500 The 86th Indianapolis race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 2002. It was the seventh Indianapolis 500 held as part of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series schedule, and was part of the 2002 Indy Racing League season.... 9 |
TXS 1 |
PPIR 20 |
RIR 8 |
KAN 12 |
NSH 11 |
MIS 25 |
KTY 16 |
STL 13 |
CHI 21 |
TX2 25 |
11th | 268 | ||
2005 | Vision Vision Racing Vision Racing was a racing team in the Indy Racing League founded in 2005 when Tony George purchased the assets of the defunct Kelley Racing and hired his stepson Ed Carpenter to be the driver. The team has previously raced in the Izod IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and the Grand-Am Sports... |
HMS |
PHX |
STP |
MOT |
INDY 2005 Indianapolis 500 The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season, and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheldon won the race under a yellow flag... 27 |
TXS |
RIR |
KAN |
NSH |
MIL |
MIS |
KTY |
PPIR |
SNM |
CHI |
WGL |
FON |
35th | 10 |
Indy 500 results
Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish | Team |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1995 1995 Indianapolis 500 The 79th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Sanctioned by USAC, it was part of the 1995 CART Indycar season. Jacques Villenueve won in his second start. After dominating the 1994 race and the 1994 IndyCar season, Marlboro Team Penske failed to... |
Lola | Ford-Cosworth | Failed to Qualify | Arizona | |
1997 1997 Indianapolis 500 The 81st Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over three days, May 25–27, 1997. It was originally scheduled Sunday, May 25, however, rain washed out all activities for the day. The race was started on Monday May 26, but rain halted the race after only 15 laps... |
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... |
7th | 3rd | Cheever |
1998 1998 Indianapolis 500 The 82nd Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 24, 1998. This was the first Indianapolis 500 fully sanctioned by the Indy Racing League after the IRL relied on USAC to sanction the 1996–1997 races... |
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... |
27th | 13th | Team Tabasco ISM Racing ISM Racing is a former autoracing team owned by Bob Hancher. The team fielded entries in the Indy Racing League and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.-Indy Racing League:... |
1999 1999 Indianapolis 500 The 1999 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 30, 1999.-Recap:Robby Gordon and Team Menard take a major gamble late in the race, and try to stretch their fuel for the win. Gordon had last pit on lap 164, and attempted to run the final 36 laps on one tank... |
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... |
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... |
14th | 2nd | Pagan Pagan Racing -CART Indy 500 entries:The team was founded in 1993 when the team purchased the CART IndyCar equipment of Kenny Bernstein's King Racing. The team fielded a car for Jeff Andretti for the 1993 Indianapolis 500 who finished 29th after a crash. The following year they signed veteran Roberto Guerrero to... |
2000 2000 Indianapolis 500 The 2000 Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 28, 2000.-Recap:Chip Ganassi Racing became the first regular CART series team to break ranks and compete at Indianapolis since the CART/IRL split in 1996, entering 1996 CART series champion Jimmy Vasser and reigning... |
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... |
6th | 4th | Foyt |
2001 2001 Indianapolis 500 The 85th Indianapolis 500 was held at Indianapolis on Sunday, May 27, 2001. Race rookie Hélio Castroneves led the final 52 laps and won his first Indy 500.-Changes for 2001:... |
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... |
8th | 24th | Heritage |
2002 2002 Indianapolis 500 The 86th Indianapolis race was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 26, 2002. It was the seventh Indianapolis 500 held as part of the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series schedule, and was part of the 2002 Indy Racing League season.... |
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... |
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... |
15th | 9th | Ganassi 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... |
2005 2005 Indianapolis 500 The 89th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, May 29, 2005. It was the premier event of the 2005 IndyCar Series season, and the tenth Indy 500 sanctioned by the Indy Racing League. Dan Wheldon won the race under a yellow flag... |
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 | 31st | 27th | Vision Vision Racing Vision Racing was a racing team in the Indy Racing League founded in 2005 when Tony George purchased the assets of the defunct Kelley Racing and hired his stepson Ed Carpenter to be the driver. The team has previously raced in the Izod IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and the Grand-Am Sports... |