The Chevy 500 was an IndyCar Series race held at Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth, Texas. The race was held on a Sunday afternoon in September, from 1998 until 2004. When it debuted in 1998, it was the first IndyCar race to have two races in Texas since 1979.

Chevy 500
IndyCar Series
VenueTexas Motor Speedway
Corporate sponsorChevy
First race1998
Last race2004
Distance482 km (299.50 mi)
Laps200
Previous namesLone Star 500 (1998)
Mall.com 500 (1999)
Excite 500 (2000)
Chevy 500 (2001–2004)
Most wins (driver)Sam Hornish Jr. (2)
Most wins (team)Panther Racing (3)
Most wins (manufacturer)Chassis: Dallara (6)
Engine: Oldsmobile (4)

History

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The first Championship/Indy car races in the Dallas/Fort Worth area took place at Arlington Downs Raceway in nearby Arlington, Texas. AAA sanctioned five races from 1947–1950. USAC sanctioned ten Championship car events at Texas World Speedway in College Station, Texas. The race was discontinued when the track closed in 1981.

Following the success of their spring race in 1997, Indycar added a second 500 km IndyCar Series race was held at the track in the fall of 1998. Known commonly as "Texas 2," the race was always held during the day compared to the summer race which was held at night. It served as the IndyCar Series' season finale for each of its races held here. The fall race was discontinued after 2004 when the Ferko lawsuit forced NASCAR to eliminate the Grand Slam and give the Texas Motor Speedway a deserved second Nextel Cup race.

In 2003, Gil de Ferran was leading on lap 187 when Kenny Bräck crashed on the backstretch. The massive accident seriously injured Bräck, and he raced only limitedly afterwards. With the race winding down under caution, and with cleanup still ongoing, officials stopped the race after 195 laps when it was clear they would not have time to go back to green. de Ferran was declared the winner in what was his final race in IndyCar (he had announced his retirement during the season).

Race length

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When it was first used in 1998, the one-lap distance was measured as 1.5 miles (2.4 km). IndyCar Series races were originally 208 laps (312 mi/500 km) long. In 2001, timing and scoring officials revised the measurement as 1.455 miles (2.342 km), and the races were changed to an even 200 laps (291 mi/468.319 km).

Summer race

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Since 1997, IndyCar had a summer race. Unlike the fall race which was a day race, the race was held under the lights.

Champ Car race

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The CART Champ Car series scheduled a race at the track for April 29, 2001. Following practice and qualifying, however, the race was cancelled "due to irresolvable concerns over the physical demands placed on the drivers at race speeds."[1] All but four drivers reported they had experienced vertigo-like symptoms due to lateral g-forces from driving in excess of 230 mph (370 km/h) on the steep 24 degree banks.

The Dayton Indy Lights race was completed with two cautions.

Past winners

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USAC Championship car history (College Station)

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See Texas World Speedway

Season Date Race Name Driver Team Chassis Engine Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Laps Miles (km)
1973 October 6 Texas 200   Gary Bettenhausen Team Penske McLaren Offy 100 200 (321.868) 1:05:58 181.91
1974
-
1975
Not held
1976 October 31 Benihana World Series of Auto Racing   Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren McLaren Offenhauser 100 200 (321.868) 1:19:50 150.315
1977 July 31 American Parts 200   Johnny Rutherford Team McLaren McLaren Cosworth 100 200 (321.868) 1:13:05 164.191
1978 August 6 Texas Grand Prix   A. J. Foyt Gilmore Racing Coyote Foyt 100 200 (321.868) 1:15:27 159.06
1979 July 29 Lubrilon Grand Prix   A. J. Foyt Gilmore Racing Parnelli Cosworth 100 200 (321.868) 1:13:39 162.934
1980 Race cancelled

IndyCar Series history (Fort Worth)

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Season Date Driver Team Chassis Engine Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Report
Laps Miles (km)
1998 September 20   John Paul Jr. Byrd/Cunningham Racing G-Force Oldsmobile 208 312 (502.115) 2:21:53 131.931 Report
1999 October 17   Mark Dismore Kelley Racing Dallara Oldsmobile 208 312 (502.115) 2:14:16 135.246 Report
2000 October 15   Scott Goodyear Panther Racing Dallara Oldsmobile 208 312 (502.115) 1:43:36 175.276 Report
2001 October 6*   Sam Hornish Jr. Panther Racing Dallara Oldsmobile 200 300 (482.803) 1:43:36 168.523 Report
2002 September 15   Sam Hornish Jr. Panther Racing Dallara Chevrolet 200 300 (482.803) 1:46:29 163.981 Report
2003 October 13   Gil de Ferran Team Penske Dallara Toyota 195* 292.5 (470.733) 1:48:56 156.268 Report
2004 October 17   Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Dallara Toyota 200 300 (482.803) 1:49:32 159.397 Report

References

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  1. ^ "Motorsport.com: News channel". www.motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30.
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