Races 17 Drivers' champion Alex Zanardi Manufacturers' Cup Mercedes Start date 1997 Race 17 | End date September 28 Constructors' Cup Reynard Nations' Cup United States Rookie of the year Patrick Carpentier | |
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Similar 1998 CART season, 1996 PPG Indy Car World Ser, 2003 CART season, 1999 CART season, 2000 CART season | ||
The 1997 PPG CART World Series season, the nineteenth in the CART era of U.S. open-wheel racing, consisted of 17 races, beginning in Homestead, Florida on March 2 and concluding in Fontana, California on September 28. The PPG CART World Series Drivers' Champion was Alex Zanardi. Rookie of the Year was Patrick Carpentier. After a settlement with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, CART had relinquished its exclusive license of the "IndyCar" trademark, resulting in the renaming of the Series for the first time since 1980. This was also the last year of title sponsorship by PPG Industries, although the Driver's Championship continued to be known as the PPG Cup until 1999.
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Drivers and Constructors
The following teams and drivers competed in the 1997 CART World Series season.