Draft:CART–IRL split
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The CART–IRL split refers to the split within the top series of open wheel racing in the United States, known as Indycar over the costs related to compete and the focus on ovals. In 1994, the Indy Racing League (IRL) was founded as an oval-forward IndyCar series to start in 1996 by then Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George.[1] Before the founding of the IRL, top-tier American open wheel racing was unified under the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) sanctioning body from the 1980s after the CART–USAC split.[2] The split led to a period from 1996–1999 where no CART teams ran at the Indianapolis 500, which was sanction by the IRL, including an attempt at a direct competitor to the Indianapolis 500 in 1996, with the running of the 1996 U.S. 500 in Michigan on the same day as that year's Indianapolis 500.[3] The split continued until 2008, when the Champ Car World Series, the successor to CART from 2004 onward, folded after the 2008 Grand Prix of Long Beach;[4] This left the IRL as the only remaining series, which was renamed to IndyCar.[5]
CART–USAC split
In 1979, there was a split between CART and the United States Auto Club (USAC), resulting in the first major split in American open wheel racing. After dissatisfaction with the way USAC operated, Dan Gurney, along with other racing team owners, founded a competing organization that also ran IndyCars.[2] This split led to acrimony initially, with USAC refusing to allow CART cars to compete in the Indianapolis 500, the most notable race in American open wheel racing, for the 1979 edition of the event.[6] This attempted ban on CART cars did not come to fruition, as a court order required that USAC allow for CART cars to enter, stating that USAC's position was in violation of antitrust laws.[7] In 1980, the two had attempted to reunify under the Championship Racing League, which lasted for five races in the 1980 season, until the CART–USAC agreement fell apart.[8] After this season, CART went on to gain much more prominence, and by 1985 USAC's only sanctioned top level open wheel race was the Indianapolis 500.[9]
IRL–CART split beginnings (1994–2000)
While CART had become the premiere organization for American open-wheel racing; there grew growing discontent with how CART was run from the management of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, with Tony George complaining of being regularly shut out from having any input into CART. CART, for its part, had placed Tony George on their board; however, as a non-voting member, and it has been reported that many of George's suggestions to the CART board were rejected. With the conflict between Tony George and CART management reaching a boiling point in 1994, George announced the creation of a new racing league called the Indy Racing League (IRL), which began racing in 1996. In July 1995, months before the IRL had started racing, the IRL sent out a PR document that 25 of the 33 seats at the 1996 Indianapolis 500 and all Indianapolis 500 races going forwards, would be reserved for cars in the IRL; this is generally known as the 25-8 rule. This broke with tradition of the Indianapolis 500, where traditionally, regardless of what series a car ran, as long as a car within the specifications qualified within the top 33, that the car could race.[10] CART responded to this by announcing a race of its own, the 1996 U.S. 500 at Michigan International Speedway on the same day as the 1996 Indianapolis 500, effectively leading to a CART boycott of the Indianapolis 500.[11] This boycott continued into 1997, where CART ran a race the 1997 Motorola 300 at Gateway Motorsports Park in suburban St. Louis the day before the Indianapolis 500. The IRL withdrew the 25-8 rule after the 1997 Indianapolis 500;[12] however, this did not bring back any CART teams for the 1998 Indianapolis 500, with no CART teams entering the Indianapolis 500 until Chip Ganassi Racing entered cars in the 2000 Indianapolis 500.[13]
References
- ^ "INDY RACING LEAGUE TIMELINE". Tampa Bay Times. 31 March 2006. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ a b Lerner, Preston (8 April 2021). "Remembering the split that nearly sunk Indycar racing". Motor Sport Magazine. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ Blackstock, Elizabeth (23 May 2022). "Indianapolis 500 vs. U.S. 500: The Year American Open-Wheel Racing Split in Two". Jalopnik. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
- ^ Mayer, Steve (1 August 2008). "IRL-CART Merger". Car and Driver. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ Blackstone, Elizabeth (22 May 2023). "This Is Why IndyCar Is Named 'IndyCar'". Jalopnik. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "6 CART Entries for Indy 500 Turned Down". The New York Times. 21 April 1979. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "Judge, With Injunction, Reinstates CART for 500". The New York Times. 6 May 1979. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ Gates, Bob (26 October 2020). "1980: The Year Of Rutherford - Page 2 of 2". SPEED SPORT. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ "1984-85 USAC Gold Crown Championship". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
- ^ Hinton, Ed (17 May 2010). "The Damage Done: The Gathering Storm". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ Ryan, Nate (26 May 2021). "The ill-fated 1996 U.S. 500 and CART-IRL split: 'I didn't think we would get to that point'". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on 14 September 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ Glick, Shav (17 May 1997). "IRL Drops Rule, Hopes to End Boycott". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
- ^ Martin, Bruce (2 March 2000). "CART's Vasser, Montoya to race in Indy 500". www.espn.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 14 September 2023.