Team Leader Motorsports - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Beck Motorsports was a team in the Indy Racing League 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...

owned by Greg Beck. At times in its history the team was partnered with Curb Agajanian Performance Group

Curb Agajanian Performance Group

The Curb Agajanian Performance Group is a NASCAR Busch Series team. It is owned by record executive Mike Curb and racing personality Cary Agajanian. It has fielded the #43 entry for many years in the Busch Series.- NASCAR Winston Cup :...

and 3G Racing owners Stanton Barrett

Stanton Barrett

Stanton Thomas Barrett is a NASCAR driver and Hollywood stuntman. He has driven in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, as well in the IZOD IndyCar Series.-NASCAR:...

and Steve Sudler.

1995-2000

Beck Motorsports first arrived in 1995 to field an entry for Japanese driver Hideshi Matsuda

Hideshi Matsuda

Hideshi Matsuda , is a racecar driver and Japanese TV reporter. He has raced in several 24-hour races, including Daytona and LeMans. He also raced 4 times in the Indianapolis 500, in 1994-1996 and 1999, usually for Beck Motorsports. He also drove in one CART Championship Car race at Twin Ring...

in the 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...

and finished 15th. In 1996 with the split in major open-wheel racing, the team sided with the Indy Racing League and fielded a full-time entry for Robbie Buhl

Robbie Buhl

Robbie Buhl is a former Indy Racing League competitor and current team-owner, with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team in the IRL's IndyCar Series...

who finished 3rd in the series' first race at Walt Disney World Speedway

Walt Disney World Speedway

Walt Disney World Speedway is a racing facility located on the grounds of the Walt Disney World resort near Orlando, Florida.It was built in 1995 by IMS Events, Inc., a subsidiary of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, and was designed primarily as a venue for the Indy 200 at Walt Disney...

and finished 3rd in points. They also fielded another Indy 500 entry for Matsuda who finished a career-best 8th. Buhl began the 1996 races of the 1996-1997 season

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...

but left for the powerhouse Team Menard

Team Menard

Team Menard was an auto racing team in the Indianapolis 500 and Indy Racing League owned by John Menard. From 1991 to 1996 they modified their own Buick V6 engines for racing. This combination won pole for the 500 with Scott Brayton in 1995 and 1996; Tony Stewart used this combination for the first...

in 1997, leaving Beck to only field an entry for Dennis Vitolo

Dennis Vitolo

Dennis Vitolo , is a former driver in the CART Championship Car series. He raced in the 1988 and 1991-1999 seasons with 36 career starts, including the 1994 Indianapolis 500. He was involved in a notorious pit-lane crash in that race, taking out reigning CART champion Nigel Mansell...

in the Indy 500. The team suffered from severely underpowered Infiniti

Infiniti

is the luxury division of automaker Nissan. Infiniti officially started selling vehicles on November 8, 1989 in North America. Marketing operations have since grown to include the Middle East, South Korea, Russia, Taiwan, China, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Infiniti began sales in additional...

engines and had to controversially rely on a guaranteed starting position from the "25 and 8 rule" based on their points from the 1996 season in order to make the race. Vitolo finished 15th. Beck Motorsports did not return for the 1998 season.

They returned for a one-off entry for the 1999 Indianapolis 500, again with Matsuda who qualified and finished 10th. Matsuda returned in 2000 but failed to qualify.

2001 - First partnership with Curb Agajanian

For the 2001 season, the team partnered with Curb Agajanian Performance Group

Curb Agajanian Performance Group

and returned to full-time competition with veteran driver Billy Boat

Billy Boat

William "Billy" Leonard Boat is a former American open wheel driver who raced in the Indy Racing League....

. Boat finished 2nd at Nashville Superspeedway

Nashville Superspeedway

Nashville Superspeedway is a motor racing complex located in Gladeville, Tennessee , United States, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville. On August 2, 2011, it was announced that Nashville Superspeedway will not host any NASCAR events in 2012. It is a concrete oval track 1 1/3 miles in...

and finished 4th in points.

2002-2003

In 2002 Beck Motorsports fielded a car in 3 mid-season races for Robby McGehee

Robby McGehee

Robby McGehee is a Indy Racing League driver from St. Louis, Missouri. He won the Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year award in 1999 after finishing fifth and raced for veteran owner Fred Treadway the next few seasons...

. Beck fielded a car at Motegi

Indy Japan 300

The Indy Japan 300 presented by Bridgestone is an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race held at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Japan. The 2008 race marked the historic first ever win for a woman driver in American open wheel racing when Danica Patrick of Andretti-Green Racing took the checkered...

and the Indy 500 for Japanese former F1 driver Shinji Nakano

Shinji Nakano

Shinji Nakano is a racing driver from Japan.His father, Tsuneharu was also a racing driver who competed in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship etc.-Pre Formula One Career:-Formula One Career:...

who finished 14th .

2004-2009 - Second partnership with Curb Agajanian

In 2004 CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports came into being and P. J. Jones drove their entry in the Indy 500 to a 28th place DNF. In 2005, the team fielded a last-minute Indy 500 entry for rookie Arie Luyendyk, Jr.

Arie Luyendyk, Jr.

Arie Luyendyk, Jr. is an auto racing driver and son of Indianapolis 500 winner Arie Luyendyk. Despite his European birth, all of his adult racing has taken place in North America where his father lives and made his career. He placed second in points in the 2002 inaugural season of the Infiniti Pro...

, however the car never handled properly and Luyendyk's best speed was easily bumped by Felipe Giaffone

Felipe Giaffone

Felipe Giaffone is a race car driver from Brazil. He competed in the Indy Racing League between 2001 and 2006. His father, "Zeca" Giaffone is the 1987 Stock Car Brasil champion and Mil Milhas Brasil five times winner in the 1980s.-Racing career:...

, leaving Luyendyk and the C/A/B team the only entry bumped from the field that year.

The team merged with Team Leader Motorsports

Team Leader Motorsports

Beck Motorsports was a team in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series owned by Greg Beck. At times in its history the team was partnered with Curb Agajanian Performance Group and 3G Racing owners Stanton Barrett and Steve Sudler.-1995-2000:...

to field 2 cars for the 2006

2006 Indianapolis 500

The 90th Indianapolis 500 was held on Sunday, May 28, 2006. Sam Hornish, Jr. won the race by passing rookie Marco Andretti on the final straightaway, about 450 feet from the finish line...

Indianapolis 500

. The first team with driver PJ Jones was Beck Motorsports owned by Greg Beck which was founded in 1995. The second team driven by Stephan Gregoire

Stephan Gregoire

Stéphan Grégoire is a French race car driver. Currently living in Carmel, Ind.Gregoire is a veteran of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex Sports Car Series, the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Racing League. He made 44 IRL starts between 1996 and 2001 with a best finish of 2nd at Pikes Peak...

was owned by Kent Baker

Team Leader Motorsports

which was founded in 1988. Both Baker and Beck had many years experience working with their own and various other Indy Car teams. They were joined by Cary Agajanian and Mike Curb of Curb Agajanian Motorsports. The two teams ended their partnership for 2007 with PJ Jones competing for Team Leader Motorsports.

The team made a surprise entry into the 2007

2007 in IRL

The 2007 IndyCar Series season began with a night race on Saturday March 24 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The season's premiere event, the 91st Indianapolis 500 was held May 27. The season finale was held at Chicagoland Speedway on September 9...

XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Homestead-Miami Speedway is a race track in Homestead, Florida southwest of Miami.Since 2002 Homestead has hosted the final races of the season in all three of NASCAR's series: the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and the Camping World Truck Series...

and participated in it, the Kansas Speedway

Kansas Speedway

Kansas Speedway is a tri-oval race track in Kansas City, Kansas. The speedway was built in 2001 and currently hosts two annual NASCAR race weekends. The IndyCar Series also raced at the speedway until 2011...

race and the Indy 500. Alex Barron

Alex Barron (driver)

Alex Barron in San Diego, California) is an American race car driver. He began racing CART FedEx World Series Championship cars in 1998 and made his first Indy Racing League Northern Lights Series start in 2001....

drove in all 3 races and finished 15th in the Indy 500, 1 lap down.

The team made its 2008 debut at Twin Ring Motegi with Roger Yasukawa

Roger Yasukawa

Roger Yasukawa is a Japanese-American auto racing driver.Yasukawa started karting in Southern California, winning the California State Championship in 1991 in Junior Sportsman. He then moved to Italy to compete in JICA...

at the controls. Yasukawa also attempted to qualify the Curb Records car in the Indianapolis 500 as well but was bumped from the field.

In 2009, the team fielded a full-time IndyCar Series

IndyCar Series

entry, beginning the season with NASCAR driver Stanton Barrett

Stanton Barrett

Stanton Thomas Barrett is a NASCAR driver and Hollywood stuntman. He has driven in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, as well in the IZOD IndyCar Series.-NASCAR:...

behind the wheel. Barrett and sports marketer Steve Sudler both joined as partners of the team and the new name was CURB/Agajanian/3G Racing (3 Guys Racing). Jaques Lazier

Jaques Lazier

Jaques Lazier is an American racing driver born January 25, 1971 in Denver, Colorado and is the younger brother of 1996 Indianapolis 500 champion Buddy Lazier and son of former Indy racer Bob Lazier....

was brought on to replace Barrett 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....

after the team went home after a practice crash the previous week at the Milwaukee Mile

Milwaukee Mile

The Milwaukee Mile is a -long oval race track in West Allis, Wisconsin that seats about 40,000 spectators. It operated as a dirt track until 1953. The track was paved in 1954....

. Lazier drove the next three oval races and Richard Antinucci

Richard Antinucci

Richard Antinucci is an American race car driver.-Career:In 1998 he competed in Italian Formula Ford, moving to the British Formula Renault Winter Series in 1999 and to Formula Renault 2000 Eurocup in 2000, where he stayed for one season .In 2002 he moved to the Manor team in British Formula Three,...

was brought in to drive the remaining road and street course races of the schedule. Barrett drove at Twin Ring Motegi, where he had sponsorship, and Lazier drove on all other remaining ovals.

2010

The team did not announce any plans for 2010, but Sudler indicated in an interview that they hoped to find sponsorship to run a full schedule for Antinucci and a part-time schedule for Barrett. The team has so far not appeared at any races in 2010.

Beck Motorsports

Robbie Buhl

Robbie Buhl is a former Indy Racing League competitor and current team-owner, with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team in the IRL's IndyCar Series...

(1996-1997) Hideshi Matsuda

Hideshi Matsuda

(1995-1996, 1998-1999) Robby McGehee

Robby McGehee

(2002) Shinji Nakano

Shinji Nakano

Shinji Nakano is a racing driver from Japan.His father, Tsuneharu was also a racing driver who competed in the All-Japan Formula Three Championship etc.-Pre Formula One Career:-Formula One Career:...

(2003) Dennis Vitolo

Dennis Vitolo

(1997)

CURB/Agajanian/Beck

Alex Barron

Alex Barron (driver)

(2007) Billy Boat

Billy Boat

William "Billy" Leonard Boat is a former American open wheel driver who raced in the Indy Racing League....

(2001-2002) P. J. Jones (2004) Roger Yasukawa

Roger Yasukawa

(2008)

CURB/Agaganian/3G Racing

Richard Antinucci

(2009) Stanton Barrett

Stanton Barrett

Stanton Thomas Barrett is a NASCAR driver and Hollywood stuntman. He has driven in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, as well in the IZOD IndyCar Series.-NASCAR:...

(2009) Jaques Lazier

Jaques Lazier

(2009)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.