The IndyCar Series has memorable moments every year, but 2008 was really big
The IndyCar Series experienced more than its fair share of memorable moments in 2008. If you add them up, the year even set a positive tone, writes John Oreovicz.
IndyCar Series Tests For A Newer, Safer Headrest
After finally emerging as America's sole top-level open-wheel racing formula, the IndyCar Series rode out an eventful year in 2008.
Scott Dixon dominated on the track, yet barely emerged with the series championship over Helio Castroneves, who hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Danica Patrick won a race and finished a career-high sixth in the championship, but led fewer laps on the season than her generally ridiculed female rival, Milka Duno.
The IndyCar field grew, but by the end of the year, the series' race schedule was beginning to contract.
The "postponement" of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix is proof that the economic crisis has impacted the IndyCar Series. But thanks to the momentum of the open-wheel merger, the poor economic climate only seems to be slowing IndyCar's growth -- as opposed to NASCAR, where the conditions appear to have accelerated the decline of a series whose popularity may have already peaked.
All told, IndyCar racing is ending 2008 in a stronger position than it started. Here are some key events that led to that positive trend:
Feb. 22: The Indy Racing League and the Champ Car World Series jointly announced an agreement had been reached that would allow American open-wheel racing to move forward into the future under the IndyCar banner.
Feb. 27: Flanked by two-dozen hopeful drivers, IRL founder Tony George and Champ Car co-principal Kevin Kalkhoven posed for photos and talked about the merger/unification/takeover at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Feb. 28: Champ Car's other co-principal, Gerald Forsythe, announced his team would not participate in the unified series.
March 5: Champ Car filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Indianapolis.
March 18: The so-called transition teams -- the Champ Car teams that joined the IndyCar Series -- get their first test day with the IndyCar Dallara-Honda package. There is a mad scramble for engines and spare parts.
March 29: At Homestead, Scott Dixon gave a taste of what was to come by dominating the season opener.
April 6: Graham Rahal, who missed the opener when his car couldn't be rebuilt in time after a crash in testing, drove a heady and mature race in changing conditions to win the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on his IndyCar debut. The 19-year old son of three-time Indy car champion Bobby Rahal set a record as the youngest driver to win in the history of Indy-style racing.
April 19: On her 50th attempt, Danica Patrick wins an IndyCar race -- the rain-delayed Japan Indy 300 at Twin Ring Motegi.
April 20: Champ Car stages the Long Beach Grand Prix as its grand finale, ending the sweet-sounding 2.65-liter turbo era.
May 10: Paul Newman makes his final appearance at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, symbolic of the positive spirit open-wheel racing enjoyed this year with the 12-year split finally over.
May 25: Dixon put the exclamation point on a dominant month by handily winning the Indianapolis 500.
May 26: At the 500 Victory Celebration, Dixon and Target/Ganassi Racing banked a check for nearly $3 million -- by far the largest prize in the long history of the Indy 500.
June 1: Ryan Briscoe drove a brilliant race to win for Team Penske at the Milwaukee Mile. The confidence-building achievement spurred the Australian on to an excellent second half of the season.
June 7: Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti crashed while disputing second place in the closing laps at Texas Motor Speedway. Dixon won again.
July 6: Dixon proved he was fallible and made a most surprising error; his spin while running behind the pace car took out leader Briscoe, which opened the door for Hunter-Reay to score a popular victory for Rahal Letterman Racing.
July 12: The final IndyCar race at Nashville Superspeedway was ended early by rain -- once again with Dixon in front.
July 18: The much-anticipated catfight between Patrick and Duno finally happens. Milka blocked Danica on the track during practice, Danica went to Milka's pit to complain. For the rest, see YouTube.
July 24: Champ Car's most popular star, Paul Tracy, makes his first and only IndyCar Series appearance of the season. A superb fourth-place finish for Vision/Walker Racing reminded everyone what they were missing.
July 26: Tensions within Andretti Green Racing finally boiled over when Patrick and Marco Andretti hindered Tony Kanaan's path to the front. Marco finally bumped Danica -- who said she could not hear radio calls from the team -- off the track. A public shouting match ensued.
Aug. 8: AGR announced a five-year contract extension for Kanaan.
Aug. 9: A sensational finish at Kentucky, as Castroneves ran out of fuel on the last lap and was passed by Dixon at the line.
Aug. 31: Castroneves brought the term "chop block" to IndyCar racing. But ref Brian Barnhart saw the unsportsmanlike move and ordered HCN to let Justin Wilson past and on to victory in the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix.
Sept. 2: Dario Franchitti, the 2007 IRL and Indy 500 champion, announced he will return to IndyCar in 2009 with Ganassi Racing. That set in motion a domino effect that saw Dan Wheldon move to Panther Racing and Vitor Meira to Foyt Racing.
Sept. 7: Another sensational Castroneves/Dixon finish, this one at Chicagoland Speedway in favor of the Brazilian. But Dixon was the overall winner, edging Castroneves for the series championship.
Oct. 3: A sobbing and shackled Castroneves was led into U.S. District Court in Miami to answer an indictment charging him with tax evasion and fraud. One day later, Castroneves co-drove a Team Penske Porsche prototype to a class win in the ALMS Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta.
Oct. 26: IndyCars race for what likely turns out to be the final time at the classic Surfers Paradise, Australia, street course. The IndyCar Series failed to reach agreement with Gold Coast organizers for a new date.
Dec. 18: Roger Penske, promoter of the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix, announced the event will not take place in 2009.
John Oreovicz covers open-wheel racing for National Speed Sport News and ESPN.com.
