Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp. Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing League.

Scott Sharp
Sharp in May 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
NationalityUnited States American
Born (1968-02-14) February 14, 1968 (age 56)
Norwalk, Connecticut
WeatherTech SportsCar Championship career
Debut season2008
Current teamExtreme Speed Motorsports
Championship titles
2009
1996
1993
1991
1988
1987
1986
ALMS LMP1 Champion
Indy Racing League Co-Champion
SCCA Trans-Am
SCCA Trans-Am
SCCA GT-1
SCCA GT-1
SCCA GT-2
IndyCar Series career
147 races run over 13 years
Best finish1st (1996)
First race1996 Indy 200 (Orlando)
Last race2009 Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
First win1997 True Value 200 (Loudon)
Last win2005 AMBER Alert Portal Indy 300 (Kentucky)
Wins Podiums Poles
9 18 6
Champ Car career
18 races run over 3 years
Best finish21st (1994)
First race1993 Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey (Laguna Seca)
Last race1995 Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Cup Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish69th (1992)
First race1992 Budweiser at the Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Statistics current as of June 4, 2012.

Early career

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Born in Norwalk, Connecticut, Sharp starting racing karts when he was eight years old, winning 50 out of 75 races. Sharp came from a road-racing background, earning several championships including championships in the 1986 SCCA GT-2, 1987 and 1988 SCCA GT-1, and 1991 and 1993 SCCA Trans-Am classes. Sharp competed in one NASCAR Winston Cup Series event, coming in 1992 at Watkins Glen. In 1993, Sharp made his CART debut with Bettenhausen Motorsports and became a full-time competitor in the series in 1994 with PacWest Racing. His first Indianapolis 500 start also came in 1994. In 1996, Sharp was part of Doyle Racing’s 24 Hours of Daytona winning team.

Indy Racing League career

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Overview

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Sharp is one of only two drivers (the other being Buddy Lazier) to have driven in at least one race in each of the first 12 seasons of IndyCar competition (1996 to 2008). His impressive IRL career has resulted in numerous records for that time period including: most career IndyCar Series starts (147); most consecutive IndyCar Series race starts (138); most races running at finish (110) and previously held the records for most top-ten finishes (82) and most consecutive seasons with at least one race win (7) (since broken by Hélio Castroneves).

History

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Sharp was a competitor in the first IRL race in 1996, driving for A. J. Foyt Enterprises. He was the co-champion of the IRL's inaugural season in 1996 along with Buzz Calkins. In 1997 two crashes resulting in severe concussions sidelined Sharp until 1998 when he began working with the newly formed Kelley Racing team and sponsor Delphi. At Kelley, Sharp collected eight wins and four pole positions (one being at the 2001 Indianapolis 500). He was 3rd in the championship in 2001, but an influx of strong teams from CART meant that Kelley was not one of the strongest teams after that season. In 2004 he was down in 13th in the championship with a best finish of 8th — his first winless season since 1998, also ending a run of top 8 championship finishes dating back to 1998.

Kelley Racing folded following the conclusion of the 2004 season. In 2005, Sharp, along with Delphi, who had become his personal sponsor, moved to Fernández Racing. The switch brought about a small resurgence in Sharp's career and he was once again one of the top drivers in the IRL. 2005 saw him finish 5th in the championship, collecting a win at Kentucky Speedway along the way. However, Sharp struggled through the 2006 season as the team struggled to adapt to the Dallara chassis, and finished 11th in the points standings.

 
Sharp racing at Texas in 2007

For 2007, Sharp joined Rahal Letterman Racing, teaming with sophomore driver Jeff Simmons. Mid-season, Simmons was replaced with Ryan Hunter-Reay. Sharp brought with him a new primary sponsor, the Patrón Spirits Company, who began as an associate sponsor in 2006. His new association with Patrón ended nine seasons of backing from Delphi. His best finish of the season was 3rd, which he earned at the season opener at Iowa Speedway and at Michigan International Speedway. A highlight of the season was his surprise pole position at Texas Motor Speedway in June, his first pole since 2001. He was also able to capture a career-best 6th place in the Indianapolis 500. Sharp ended the season 8th in the championship.

Sharp returned to the series and competed in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 with Panther Racing. He qualified 20th and finished the race 14th on the lead lap.

American Le Mans Series career

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Sharp on track at the Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio in July 2008

Sharp was under contract with Rahal Letterman Racing for 2008, but the two entities parted ways after each filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the other.[1] Sharp and Patrón joined the American Le Mans Series with Highcroft Racing. He drove the #9 Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b with David Brabham during the 2008 season in the LMP2 class.

Sharp started seventh in his debut in the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and finished fourth in his class (fifth overall) with his teammates Brabham and Stefan Johansson. The team finished second at the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg, which was Highcroft’s best finish to date. Sharp earned his first ALMS win in the P2 class at the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach. The win was also the first for Highcroft Racing. Sharp earned his first overall win in the American Le Mans Series at the 2008 Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park after starting from the pole position. A third class victory followed at the Generac 500 at Road America. When leader Gil de Ferran ran out of fuel on the last lap in Mosport awarded the team a fourth victory and second consecutive win.

Arguably, Sharp’s breakout ALMS performance came at the Detroit Sportscar Challenge presented by Bosch. He led for most of his stint, giving up the lead only when blocked in heavy traffic. His stellar driving won him SPEEDtv.com’s ‘Drive of the Race,’ though the team had to settle for second place in the event.[2] Sharp and Brabham were joined by Dario Franchitti, one of Sharp’s former IndyCar competitors, for the 10-hour Petit Le Mans endurance race. Unfortunately, broken suspension took the car out of the race early on.

The combination of Sharp and Brabham proved formidable, yet bad luck kept Sharp and Brabham from winning the championship. The duo finished second in the P2 point standings, forty one points behind the Penske Racing duo of Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, after being as close as four points away with two rounds to go.

Extreme Speed Motorsports

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It was announced on the American Le Mans Series website that Sharp would race in the 2010 series under his own team called Extreme Speed Motorsports. He ran with two Ferrari F430's in the GT class and was sponsored by the Patrón Spirits Company. Sharp raced in 2010 alongside the first announced driver, Patrón CEO Ed Brown.[3]

In 2011, the team switched to Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 cars. The team made steady progress which culminated in a 3rd-place finish at the Laguna Seca race.

The team continued to run in the ALMS in 2013. The #02 car picked up another podium finish at the 2012 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach, and the #01 won the 2012 Grand Prix of Mosport, the first win for the team since its move to the GT class.

In 2016, Sharp won the Rolex 24 for the second time, this time with ESM.

Motorsports career results

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SCCA National Championship Runoffs

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Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status
1986 Road Atlanta Nissan 280Z Nissan GT2 1 4 Running
1986 Road Atlanta Nissan 300ZX Nissan GT1 1 2 Running
Nissan 280Z Nissan GT2 4 4 Running
1986 Road Atlanta Nissan 300ZX Nissan GT1 1 2 Running

American open-wheel

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

CART

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Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points Ref
1993 Bettenhausen Racing Penske PC22 Chevrolet 265C V8t SRF PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIS NHM ROA VAN MDO NZR LS
22
48th 0 [4]
1994 PacWest Racing Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8t SRF
11
PHX
9
LBH
28
INDY
16
MIL
12
DET
13
POR
18
CLE
24
TOR
16
MIS
12
MDO
11
NHM
24
VAN
12
ROA
10
NZR
15
LS
21
21st 14 [5]
1995 A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola T95/00 Ford XB V8t MIA SRF PHX LBH NZR INDY
26
MIL DET POR ROA TOR CLE MIS MDO NHM VAN LS 44th 0 [6]

IndyCar Series

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Year Team Chassis No. Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points Ref
1996 A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola T95/00 41 Ford XB V8t WDW
11
INDY
10
1st-Tie 246 [7]
Lola T94/00 11 PHX
2
1996-1997 Lola T95/00 1 Ford XB V8t NWH
1
LVS
16
22nd 119 [8]
Dallara IR7 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
4
PPIR
22
CLT NH2 LV2
G-Force GF01 PHX
16
INDY
Wth
TXS
1998 Kelley Racing Dallara IR8 8 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
6
PHX
1
INDY
16
TXS
5
NWH
3
DOV
1
CLT
18
PPIR
11
ATL
18
TX2
23
LVS
12
4th 272 [9]
1999 Dallara IR9 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
4
PHX
8
CLT
C
INDY
28
TXS
10
PPIR
8
ATL
1
DOV
22
PPI2
22
LVS
4
TX2
19
8th 220 [10]
2000 Dallara IR-00 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
15
PHX
5
LVS
27
INDY
10
TXS
1
PPIR
3
ATL
16
KTY
24
TX2
13
7th 196 [11]
2001 Dallara IR-01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 PHX
4
HMS
8
ATL
2
INDY
33
TXS
1
PPIR
8
RIR
5
KAN
17
NSH
5
KTY
2
STL
8
CHI
25
TX2
2
3rd 355 [12]
2002 Dallara IR-02 Chevrolet Indy V8 HMS
20
PHX
16
FON
8
NZR
1
INDY
27
TXS
14
PPIR
5
RIR
21
KAN
6
NSH
8
MIS
9
KTY
4
STL
18
CHI
7
TX2
4
6th 332 [13]
2003 Dallara IR-03 Toyota Indy V8 HMS
5
PHX
7
MOT
1
INDY
20
TXS
16
PPIR
11
RIR
17
KAN
16
NSH
13
MIS
4
STL
10
KTY
13
NZR
12
CHI
11
FON
8
TX2
6
8th 351 [14]
2004 Dallara IR-04 Toyota Indy V8 HMS
9
PHX
13
MOT
9
INDY
13
TXS
18
RIR
9
KAN
20
NSH
14
MIL
15
MIS
9
KTY
17
PPIR
15
NZR
19
CHI
9
FON
11
TX2
8
13th 282 [15]
2005 Delphi Fernández Racing Panoz GF09C Honda HI5R V8 HMS
13
PHX
5
STP
18
MOT
2
INDY
7
TXS
4
RIR
17
KAN
6
NSH
4
MIL
10
MIS
7
KTY
1
PPIR
9
SNM
12
CHI
8
WGL
9
FON
4
5th 444 [16]
2006 Dallara IR-05 Honda HI6R V8 HMS
7
MOT
16
INDY
9
TXS
5
RIR
5
KAN
18
NSH
17
MIL
12
MIS
6
KTY
16
CHI
9
12th 287 [17]
Panoz GF09C STP
10
WGL
9
SNM
14
2007 Rahal Letterman Racing Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 HMS
12
STP
11
MOT
6
KAN
13
INDY
6
MIL
6
TXS
7
IOW
3
RIR
8
WGL
14
NSH
7
MDO
11
MIS
3
KTY
6
SNM
14
DET
11
CHI
5
8th 412 [18]
2009 Panther Racing 16 Honda HI7R V8 STP LBH KAN INDY
14
MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL TOR EDM KTY MDO SNM CHI MOT HMS 34th 16 [19]
Years Teams Races Poles Wins Podiums
(Non-win)
Top 10s
(Non-podium)
Indianapolis 500
Wins
Championships
13 5 147 6 9 9 64 0 1 (1996)

Indy 500 results

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Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
1994 Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8t 17 16 PacWest Racing
1995 Lola T95/00 Ford XB V8t 30 26 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
1996 Lola T95/00 Ford XB V8t 21 10 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
1997 G-Force GF01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 Practice crash A. J. Foyt Enterprises
1998 Dallara IR8 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 7 16 Kelley Racing
1999 Dallara IR9 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 6 28 Kelley Racing
2000 Dallara IR-00 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 5 10 Kelley Racing
2001 Dallara IR-01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 1 33 Kelley Racing
2002 Dallara IR-02 Chevrolet Indy V8 8 27 Kelley Racing
2003 Dallara IR-03 Toyota Indy V8 9 20 Kelley Racing
2004 Dallara IR-04 Toyota Indy V8 20 13 Kelley Racing
2005 Panoz GF09C Honda HI6R V8 3 7 Fernández Racing
2006 Dallara IR-05 Honda HI6R V8 8 9 Fernández Racing
2007 Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 12 6 Rahal Letterman Racing
2009 Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 20 14 Panther Racing

Touring/sports car racing

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24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1996   Riley & Scott Cars Inc.   Wayne Taylor
  Jim Pace
Riley & Scott Mk III-Oldsmobile WSC 157 DNF DNF
2015   Extreme Speed Motorsports   Ryan Dalziel
  David Heinemeier Hansson
Ligier JS P2-Honda LMP2 329 28th 10th
2016   Extreme Speed Motorsports   Ed Brown
  Johannes van Overbeek
Ligier JS P2-Nissan LMP2 341 16th 10th
Sources:[20][21]

American Le Mans Series results

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(Races in bold indicate pole position)

Series Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final Pos. Points
ALMS P2 2008 Patrón
Highcroft
SEB
4
STP
2
LGB
1
MMP
9
LRP
1*
MDO
2
ROA
1
MOS
1
DET
2
ATL
Ret
LAG
9
3rd 162
ALMS P1 2009 Patrón
Highcroft
SEB
5
STP
1*
LGB
2
MMP
2
LRP
2
MDO
2
ROA
1*
MOS
1*
ATL
6
LAG
2
1st 179
ALMS GT2 2010 Extreme Speed Motorsports SEB
Ret
LGB
7
LAG
5
MMP
7
LRP
6
MDO
5
ROA
8
MOS
6
ATL
2
10th 70
ALMS GT 2011 Extreme Speed Motorsports SEB
16
LGB
11
LRP
4
MOS
9
MDO
5
ROA
8
BAL
9
LAG
3
ATL
6
7th 66
ALMS GT 2012 Extreme Speed Motorsports SEB
9
LGB
3
LAG
5
LRP
4
MOS
1
MDO
6
ROA
3
BAL
3
VIR
3
ATL
1
2nd 123
ALMS P2 2013 Extreme Speed Motorsports SEB
5
LGB
1
LAG
3
LRP
2
MOS
2
ROA
2
BAL
2
COTA
4
VIR
2
ATL
2
3rd 163

* Overall victory as well as class victory. Italics indicates season is currently running.

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

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(key)(Races in bold indicate pole position, Results are overall/class)

Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rank Points
2014 Extreme Speed Motorsports P HPD ARX-03b Honda HR28TT 2.8 L V6 Turbo DAY
15
SIR
2
LBH
6
LS
11
DET
5
S6H
10
MSP
8
IMS
5
ELK
3
COA
PET 9th 228
2015 Tequila Patrón ESM P HPD ARX-04b 1
HPD ARX-03b 2
Honda HR28TT 2.8 L V6 Turbo DAY
10
SIR
9
LBH LS DET S6H MSP ELK COA PET 21nd 45
2016 Tequila Patrón ESM P Ligier JS P2 Honda HR35TT 3.5 L V6 Turbo DAY
1
SIR
1
LBH LS DET S6H
9
MSP ELK
COA
PET
2
12th 128
2017 Tequila Patrón ESM P Nissan Onroak DPi Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Turbo V6 DAY
4
SIR
11
LBH
2
AUS
6
DET
8
S6H
7
MSP
3
ELK
3
LGA
6
PET
1
5th 273
2018 Tequila Patrón ESM P Nissan Onroak DPi Nissan VR38DETT 3.8 L Turbo V6 DAY
19
SEB
16
LBH
2
MDO
10
DET
4
WGL
16
MOS
ELK
9
LGA
11
PET
11
16th 186

NASCAR

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(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

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Notes

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References

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  1. ^ Jim Peltz (1 December 2007). "Rahal Letterman, Sharp go to Court". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  2. ^ "ALMS: Scott Sharp Wins SPEEDtv.com's 'Drive of the Race' for Detroit". SPEEDtv.com. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  3. ^ "Sharp Creates New GT2 Team For 2010". International Motor Sports Association. 10 October 2008. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  4. ^ "Scott Sharp – 1993 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  5. ^ "Scott Sharp – 1994 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  6. ^ "Scott Sharp – 1995 CART Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  7. ^ "Scott Sharp – 1996 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  8. ^ "Scott Sharp – 1997 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  9. ^ "Scott Sharp – 1998 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  10. ^ "Scott Sharp – 1999 Pep Boys Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  11. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2000 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  12. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2001 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  13. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2002 Indy Racing League Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  14. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2003 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  15. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2004 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  16. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2005 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  17. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2006 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  18. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2007 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  19. ^ "Scott Sharp – 2009 IndyCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  20. ^ "Scott Sharp". Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  21. ^ "Scott Sharp Results". Motorsport Stats. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  22. ^ "Scott Sharp – 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by Trans-Am Series champion
1991
Succeeded by
Preceded by Trans-Am Series champion
1993
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Inaugural
Indy Racing League Champion
1996 (with Buzz Calkins)
Succeeded by
Preceded by American Le Mans Series champion
2009
with David Brabham
Succeeded by