From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
2003 Infiniti Pro Series
The 2003 IRL Infiniti Pro Series was the second season of the series under the Indy Racing League ownership, and the 18th in Indy NXT combined history, as officially recognized by IndyCar. All teams used Dallara IL-02 chassis and Infiniti engines.
British rookie Mark Taylor won the series with a total of 7 wins in 12 races, driving for a newly formed program by IndyCar team Panther Racing, who then signed him to drive for the team's main programme in 2004. Taylor's last win at Fontana crowned him as the champion with one race to spare over Indy Lights returnee Jeff Simmons, who won two races at Gateway and Kentucky for another new team, Keith Duesenberg Racing.
The season was notable for the first running of the Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, this being the first time that a support race was included in the Indianapolis 500 program. Ed Carpenter, driving for reining champions A. J. Foyt Enterprises, won the race over Cory Witherill from pole position, his lone win of the year in route to a 3rd place finish in the standings. Thiago Medeiros won the final race at Texas and finished a mere six points behind Carpenter.
Aaron Fike was also a winner at Pikes Peak, but he missed the Phoenix race early in the season for a DUI offence and didn't score another podium during the year, losing fifth place in the points to Witherill. Fike still finished ahead of 2002 runner-up Arie Luyendyk Jr., who missed out again on race wins with a best finish of third, and would not win a race in the series until 2008. Among former IndyCar competitors Witherill and Brandon Erwin competed full-time in the series, while Billy Roe, Scott Harrington and Ronnie Johncox also took part in the Freedom 100, and Dave Steele in the Nashville race.
As well as Panther and Duesenberg, Kenn Hardley Racing also joined the field. Luyendyk Racing left the series after the 2002 season, while Roquin Motorsports and Bowes Seal Fast Racing only contested a handful of races and REV1 Racing withdrew after the Freedom 100. The series had at least 13 drivers at each round, with 19 competitors at the Freedom 100 and 17 at the season finale in Texas. However, only seven drivers competed in every race, with three more contesting all but one race.
Team and driver chart
| Team | No. | Drivers | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Stewart Racing | 3 | CAN Marty Roth | 1–2, 10–12 |
| CAN Jonathan Urlin | 3–7 | ||
| 33 | 1–2 | ||
| USA Craig Dollansky | 3 | ||
| USA Dave Steele | 6 | ||
| CAN Marty Roth | 7 | ||
| USA Paul Dana | 8–11 | ||
| USA Tony Turco | 12 | ||
| Panther Racing | 4 | GBR Mark Taylor | All |
| 41 | USA Dane Carter | 12 | |
| Sinden Racing Service | 5 | NED Arie Luyendyk Jr. | All |
| Sam Schmidt Motorsports | 6 | USA Lloyd Mack | 1 |
| ITA Marco Cioci | 3 | ||
| USA Ross Fonferko | 6–7 | ||
| 9 | CAN Tom Wood | 1–9 | |
| USA Taylor Fletcher | 10–12 | ||
| 99 | USA Brandon Erwin | 1–9 | |
| ITA Marco Cioci | 10 | ||
| USA Brad Pollard | 11–12 | ||
| REV 1 Racing | 8 | USA Ronnie Johncox | 1–3 |
| Roquin Motorsports | 11 | MEX Rolando Quintanilla | 12 |
| Bowes Seal Fast Racing | 3 | ||
| 37 | USA Billy Roe | 3 | |
| Beardsley Motorsports | 12 | USA Matt Beardsley | 1–7, 11–12 |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | 14 | USA Ed Carpenter | All |
| Keith Duesenberg Racing | 20 | USA Jeff Simmons | All |
| Kenn Hardley Racing | 24 | USA Paul Dana | 1–7 |
| USA Moses Smith | 8 | ||
| USA Billy Roe | 9–12 | ||
| AFS Racing | 25 | USA Scott Harrington | 3 |
| USA G. J. Mennen | 5, 7–12 | ||
| 27 | USA Gary Peterson | 1–5, 7–12 | |
| Genoa Racing | 36 | BRA Thiago Medeiros | All |
| Hemelgarn 91/Johnson Motorsports | 91 | USA Aaron Fike | 1, 3–12 |
| USA Tony Ave | 2 | ||
| 92 | USA Cory Witherill | All |
Schedule
All seven rounds contested in the 2002 season were retained in the schedule, which now supported the IRL IndyCar Series from the beginning of the season and was expanded to 12 races, all held on ovals. For the first time, a racing series would hold a race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a support event for the Indianapolis 500 with the first running of the Freedom 100, followed by the series' first visit to Pikes Peak. New rounds were also added at former Indy Lights venues like Homestead (last featured in 1999), Phoenix (absent since 1995) and Fontana, which hosted the last race of the original Indy Lights series in 2001.
| Rd. | Date | Race name | Track | Location | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 2 | Western Union 100 | Homestead–Miami Speedway | Homestead, Florida | |||||||||||||
| March 22 | Phoenix 100 | Phoenix International Raceway | Avondale, Arizona | |||||||||||||
| May 18 | Freedom 100 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | |||||||||||||
| June 14 | Pikes Peak 100 | Pikes Peak International Raceway | Fountain, Colorado | |||||||||||||
| July 6 | Aventis Racing for Kids 100 | Kansas Speedway | Kansas City, Kansas | |||||||||||||
| July 18 | Cleanevent 100 | Nashville Superspeedway | Lebanon, Tennessee | |||||||||||||
| July 27 | Michigan 100 | Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan | |||||||||||||
| August 9 | St. Louis 100 | Gateway International Raceway | Madison, Illinois | |||||||||||||
| August 16 | Kentucky 100 | Kentucky Speedway | Sparta, Kentucky | |||||||||||||
| September 6 | Chicago 100 | Chicagoland Speedway | Joliet, Illinois | |||||||||||||
| September 20 | California 100 | California Speedway | Fontana, California | |||||||||||||
| October 11 | dreamerscandles.com 100 | Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, Texas |
Race results
| Round | Race | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Race Winner | Driver | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homestead–Miami Speedway | BRA Thiago Medeiros | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | Panther Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Phoenix International Raceway | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | Panther Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Indianapolis Motor Speedway | USA Ed Carpenter | USA Ed Carpenter | USA Ed Carpenter | USA Ed Carpenter | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | ||||||||||||||
| Pikes Peak International Raceway | USA Jeff Simmons | USA Cory Witherill | USA Aaron Fike | USA Aaron Fike | Hemelgarn 91/Johnson Motorsports | ||||||||||||||
| Kansas Speedway | USA Ed Carpenter | USA Aaron Fike | USA Ed Carpenter | GBR Mark Taylor | Panther Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Nashville Superspeedway | GBR Mark Taylor | USA Brandon Erwin | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | Panther Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Michigan International Speedway | NED Arie Luyendyk Jr. | USA Matt Beardsley | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | Panther Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Gateway International Raceway | USA Brandon Erwin | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | USA Jeff Simmons | Keith Duesenberg Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Kentucky Speedway | USA Jeff Simmons | USA Ed Carpenter | USA Jeff Simmons | USA Jeff Simmons | Keith Duesenberg Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Chicagoland Speedway | USA Ed Carpenter | USA G. J. Mennen | USA Ed Carpenter | GBR Mark Taylor | Panther Racing | ||||||||||||||
| California Speedway | GBR Mark Taylor | USA Ed Carpenter | GBR Mark Taylor | GBR Mark Taylor | Panther Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Texas Motor Speedway | NED Arie Luyendyk Jr. | CAN Marty Roth | NED Arie Luyendyk Jr. | BRA Thiago Medeiros | Genoa Racing |
Championship standings
Drivers' Championship
; Scoring system
| Position | Points |
|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd |
| 50 | 40 |
- The driver who leads the most laps in a race is awarded two additional points.
| Pos | Driver | HOM | PHX | INDY | PIK | KAN | NSH | MIS | GAT | KEN | CHI | FON | TXS | Points | 1 | 482 | 2 | 407 | 3 | 377 | 4 | 371 | 5 | 336 | 6 | 328 | 7 | 299 | 8 | 235 | 9 | 234 | 10 | 217 | 11 | 213 | 12 | 184 | 13 | 175 | 14 | 166 | 15 | 124 | 16 | 107 | 17 | 62 | 18 | 52 | 19 | 48 | 20 | 47 | 21 | 40 | 22 | 35 | 23 | 34 | 24 | 22 | 25 | 19 | 26 | 19 | 27 | 18 | 28 | 17 | 29 | 14 | 30 | 13 | Pos | Driver | HOM | PHX | INDY | PIK | KAN | NSH | MIS | GAT | KEN | CHI | FON | TXS | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GBR Mark Taylor | *1** | *1** | 3 | 5 | 1 | 1* | 1* | *9** | 13 | 1 | 1* | 14 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Jeff Simmons | 14 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 14 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1* | 3 | 8 | 2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Ed Carpenter | 15 | 13 | *1** | 4 | 2* | 13 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 2* | 2 | 4 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | 2 | 19 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 11 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Cory Witherill | 12 | 9 | 2 | 12 | 5 | 6 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Aaron Fike | 8 | 6 | 1* | 4 | 14 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NED Arie Luyendyk Jr. | 4 | 10 | 15 | 3 | 12 | 9 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 13* | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Tom Wood | 6 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Paul Dana | 13 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 8 | 13 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Gary Peterson | 11 | 14 | 16 | 8 | 11 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Brandon Erwin | 3 | 4 | 11 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Matt Beardsley | 7 | 8 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 16 | 7 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA G. J. Mennen | 8 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Jonathan Urlin | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 12 | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CAN Marty Roth | 9 | 11 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Billy Roe | 14 | 12 | 11 | 5 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Ronnie Johncox | 10 | 12 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Ross Fonferko | 3 | 13 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MEX Rolando Quintanilla | 10 | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Taylor Fletcher | 14 | 12 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ITA Marco Cioci | 9 | 12 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Tony Ave | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Brad Pollard | 11 | 15 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Dane Carter | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Dave Steele | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Tony Turco | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Scott Harrington | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Moses Smith | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Lloyd Mack | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USA Craig Dollansky | 17 |
|
| Color | Result |
|---|---|
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | 4th & 5th place |
| Light Blue | 6th–10th place |
| Dark Blue | Finished |
| Purple | Did not finish |
| Red | Did not qualify |
| Brown | Withdrawn |
| Black | Disqualified |
| White | Did not start |
| Blank | Did not |
| Not competing |
| 1 | Qualifying cancelled |
|---|
- Ties in points broken by number of wins, or best finishes. |} |}
References
References
- [http://www.champcarstats.com/ips/year/2003.htm 2003 IRL Infiniti Pro Series] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-12-13, ''Champ Car Stats'', Retrieved 2018-10-30)
- (January 17, 2003). "F2000 veteran Urlin to compete in IPS".
- (May 14, 2003). "WOO standout Dollansky to debut at Indy".
- (September 9, 2002). "Panther signs Brit Taylor for IPS".
- (September 7, 2003). "IRL Notebook".
- (January 2, 2003). "Luyendyk Jr. to drive for Sinden in Infiniti Pro Series".
- (February 24, 2003). "Mack completes Schmidt IPS lineup".
- (April 18, 2003). "Cioci to drive third Schmidt car in Freedom 100".
- (July 18, 2003). "Schmidt files third entry for Nashville IPS race".
- (February 24, 2003). "Mack completes Schmidt IPS lineup".
- (September 3, 2003). "Indy Racing League notebook 2003-09-03".
- (September 12, 2003). "Fletcher to complete Pro Series year with Schmidt".
- (February 25, 2003). "Erwin gets nod for Schmidt IPS team".
- (September 18, 2003). "IndyCar Series heads to California; Texas adds drivers for Heroes race".
- (May 16, 2003). "Former IRL drivers join Freedom 100 grid".
- (February 9, 2003). "Beardsley returning to IPS in 2003".
- (January 13, 2003). "Carpenter moving to Foyt team in 2003".
- (February 10, 2003). "Western Union, Duesenberg Brothers join IPS".
- (February 28, 2003). "Homestead: Erwin, Simmons to make debuts".
- (December 4, 2002). "Ex-IRL star plays role with new IPS team".
- (January 28, 2003). "Dana to drive in IRL Infiniti Pro Series".
- (August 6, 2003). "Moses Smith enters Gateway to IPS".
- (August 6, 2003). "IRL veteran Roe to complete Pro Series season".
- (July 2, 2003). "Kansas: Indy Racing League notebook".
- (February 4, 2003). "Thiago Medeiros joins Genoa Racing in Infiniti Pro Series".
- (December 31, 2002). "Witherill and Fike to stay put in 2003".
- (March 22, 2003). "Brack starts strong in bid to bounce back". The Indianapolis Star.
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about 2003 Infiniti Pro Series — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report