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Indy Car (Known formally as the Indy Car Series), is perhaps the greatest racing series in America... that everyone forgot. The series is named for the annual Indianapolis 500, which has been running every year since 1911 (With the exception of during World War I and II). The cars are open-wheeled and open-cockpit, very similar to Formula One, although the differences between the two are many. Indy Car, once the pinnacle of American motorsport, has slowly seen a decline in ratings and popularity over the past thirty years as NASCAR became popular for its wild, down-to-earth appeal. Even today, the Indianapolis 500, the crown jewel in the series schedule, is normally overshadowed in the ratings by just about any NASCAR race during the year.The reason for the decline stems from a split within the series itself back in 1979. Back then, the United States Automobile Club (USAC) had organized and run the Indianapolis 500 as well as other American championship car races since 1956. However, many prolific team owners such as Dan Gurney, Roger Penske, and U.E. "Pat" Patrick had long disagreed with USAC due to alleged ineptitude on the organization's part. As a result, they formed Championship Auto Racing Teams, (CART) which was founded as an advocacy group to keep USAC in check. However, such an agreement was flat-out denied by USAC bigwigs, which then led to CART becoming a breakaway series. After several years of legal battling, USAC finally allowed the Indianapolis 500 to be part of the CART calendar, and all was good. CART enjoyed immense success in America as drivers such as Emerson Fittipaldi, Mario Andretti, and Nigel Mansell, coming off of highly successful Formula One drives, touted its competitiveness. But then things changed. In 1994, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George took a stand against CART, protesting the series' arbitrary rules (CART was often charged with changing rules to benefit certain teams), escalating costs (Which squeezed out small privateer teams who could not afford to race), the lack of opportunities for American drivers (Only 10 Americans raced in 1996), and the emphasis on road course racing. In response, he teamed up with USAC and created the Indy Racing League (IRL), using the Indianapolis 500 as leverage to get the series off the ground. IRL was created to be a cheaper, all-oval, all-American alternative to CART, and George enforced it by allowing the top 25 drivers in his series a guaranteed spot in the Indianapolis 500, leaving only eight spots on the grid to CART regulars. CART, outraged, filed a lawsuit in 1996, which ultimately ended in a settlement and the legality of the new series. In response, they created the U.S. 500 the same weekend as the Indianapolis 500 to show their technical superiority to the "CART rejects series". However, this backfired when the front row drivers collided on the pace-lap, leading to a multi-car pileup before the race began. Although the race was restarted and the Indy 500 was won by a relative unknown driver (Buddy Lazier, who had been a makeweight in previous races), the damage to CART's 'professional' image had been done. George and IRL then pushed CART series against the wall when they announced new technical regulations which basically outlawed CART-spec cars from competing at Indy. IRL slowly climbed in popularity, as they held the one card the CART series couldn't hold; the Indianapolis 500. The tradition and prestige of Indy completely overshadowed everything else and CART's leading teams, Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti, found it increasingly difficult to justify staying away from the big race to their sponsors. Eventually they bowed to the pressure and abandoned the series for IRL.Now on the decline, CART began to get desperate. Trying to outdo IRL with a race at Texas Motor Speedway in 2001, they found that the greater performance of the cars led to many drivers coming close to to blacking out under the extreme g-forces imposed. Forced by the series doctors to cancel the race for medical reasons, CART took a huge blow in prestige, which was then compounded when a row over engine rules resulted in key engine manufacturers Honda and Toyota defecting to IRL. CART tried to pick up the pieces in 2003 by reforming under the name "Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford (Champ Car)." After declaring bankruptcy in 2003 and again in 2008, Champ Car was finally bought out by IRL, which then became simply the Indy Car Series. In a final twist of the saga George was voted out of his position at the head of the series by his own sisters, allegedly angry at the amount of family money that had been spent over the years, and a new boss was brought in (Randy Bernard, a former head of Professional Rodeo). Now the 'IRL' name is largely history too, and the series is officially the 'Izod Indycar Series', a series contested between US and non-US drivers on oval, street and road courses. Current Drivers Chip Ganassi Racing:- Charlie Kimball - Handicapped Badass. Although 2011 was his first time in the Indy 500, he deserves recognition as being the first ever driver at the race with Type 1 Diabetes. He didn't get a podium finish but for him to complete the race at all (which he did handily) was a noteworthy achievement. Due to his condition he needed to have two drink reservoirs, one with water, the other with a high-glucose drink, and a switch to let him select which reservoir he'd be drinking from, chosen based on a blood-sugar-level gage integrated into his car's custom steering wheel. In the event that an insulin shot was needed, his pit crew included a doctor who could provide him with the needed injection on the next pit-stop.
- Dario Franchitti - Jack-of-All-Stats. He doesn't specialize in road course or oval track racing, but he is still amazing at what he does - and that's racing. The result is two Indy 500 wins and three Indy Car championships, including the last one.
- Scott Dixon - A divisive figure. To some an Indy Car legend to others unskilled driver an who drives with no respect for anyone else.
- Graham Rahal - The Wild Card. Because his successful father refuses to let him ride on his coattails, Rahal is known for signing with many teams simply so he can race (In 2010, he raced with four different teams). However, when he does race, he is extremely competitive.
Team Penske:- Hélio Castroneves - Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass. Some say he's a very credible driver. Others say he only wins when he feels like it. But you can't deny that when he wins, he does it like a true champion. Too bad he can't do it every time.
- Ryan Briscoe - Seems to have fallen victim to Always Second Best, on the team and on the racetrack. It's not that he's bad, but he seems perpetually overshadowed by Will Power.
- Will Power - His successes on road course tracks are balanced by his failures on oval tracks, usually due to outside circumstances. He always is competing for the title, but his failure to get results on oval tracks means that he loses to the more consistent Dario Franchitti.
KV Racing Technology:Andretti Autosport:- Danica Patrick - Part Action Girl and part Sex Sells. While it's true that her performance at the 2005 Indianapolis 500 boosted Indy Car's popularity, the result was subsequent Hype Backlash by many of the more hardcore fans. The TV coverage and fandom was subject to I Have Boobs, You Must Obey! for years, and it wasn't until recently that the Danica-craze died down. Nonetheless, she is a prominent figure in the series, performing well on ovals.
- Marco Andretti - The Spoiled Brat. Despite having raced for several years with limited success, he still manages to be the epitome of immaturity when things don't go his way. Of course, following in the footsteps of your legendary father and grandfather must be no easy feat, considering many people believe he's cursed.
- Mike Conway & Ryan Hunter-Reay - Those Two Guys. Both are part of Andretti Autosport. Conway has one win (at Long Beach) and is normally seen puttering around the back. RHR is more well-rounded with five wins across his CART/CCWS and Indy Car career, all of which have been on non-ovals or short ovals. Both have one or two Days in the Limelight Once a Season.
- Takuma Sato - The Klutz. After a brief stint in Formula One, he found a home at KV Racing Technologies and immediately began making a name for himself - by flying off the track in banzai-style every race. He's calmed down a bit over 2011, still susceptible to trouble, but has also picked up some top fives to show for it.
Newman-Haas Racing:- Oriol Servia - The Badass Spaniard. His time in both CART/Champ Car and Indy Car had proven him to be an indefatigable veteran who seems to be returning to form in 2011.
- James Hinchcliffe - Canada, Eh? "The Mayor of Hinchtown" has pulled some silly stunts such as getting cleaned up in a dog wash to gain fans. It's worked too, as he's challenged Hildebrand for top rookie honors despite missing a race and has been as competitive as his teammate Servia on numerous occasions.
Panther Racing:- J.R. Hildebrand - The Rookie. Became a minor celebrity after his heartbreaking crash at the final corner of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 while in the lead, giving the win to Dan Wheldon. Whether or not he has talent behind the wheel remains to be seen.
A.J. Foyt Racing:- Vitor Meira - Who Is This Guy Again? Despite being an Indy Car driver since 2002, the only noteworthy thing he's known for is using the Indy wall as a track and becoming too injured to race for the rest of the season.
Sam Schmidt Motorsports:- Alex Tagliani - The Older Canadian. 'Nuff said.
HVM Racing:- Simona de Silvestro - This Swiss Miss is considered by many to be The Rival of Danica Patrick: She doesn't prefer to be in the spotlight and is a road course master. Her ability to shake off horrific crashes one after another have solidified her as Made of Iron.
Dale Coyne Racing:- Sébastien Bourdais - The Bus Came Back. After winning four straight Champ Car championships, he was Put on a Bus and left for Formula One. His failure in the series meant that for the 2011 season, He's Back.
- Alex Lloyd - The Kid Sidekick. His 4th place finish at the 2010 Indianapolis 500 meant that he would live to race another day, but his form is still to be seen.
Journeymen:- Paul Tracy - Small Name, Big Ego. While definitely a former great, his form has not been up to par as of late, and his hot temper usually leads to his big ego.
- Tomas Scheckter - Glass Cannon. Son of former Formula One champion Jody Scheckter, Tomas is best known for his spectacular outside lane charges on the ovals...and his spectacular wipeouts that often result from it (especially when he drove for Red Bull in the early 2000s).
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