Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

2016 IndyCar Series

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Races
  
16

End date
  
September 18

Manufacturers' Cup
  
Chevrolet

Start date
  
March 13

Drivers' champion
  
Simon Pagenaud

Rookie of the Year
  
Alexander Rossi

The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series is the 21st season of the IndyCar Series and the 105th season of American open wheel racing. It included the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Scott Dixon entered as the reigning Drivers' Champion, while Chevrolet entered the season as the reigning Manufacturer's Champion. Upon season's end, Simon Pagenaud was crowned Drivers' Champion, while Chevrolet retained the Manufacturer's Championship.

Contents

Notes

  • Bryan Clauson will run the Indianapolis 500 for the 3rd time for Jonathan Byrd's Racing. Clauson would attempt to race in more than 200 races in 2016 among IndyCar, sprint cars and midgets.
  • Ryan Hunter-Reay, Carlos Muñoz and Marco Andretti are signed with Andretti Autosport for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The team confirmed Townsend Bell for the Indianapolis 500.
  • Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing became Ed Carpenter Racing for the 2016 season. Both Josef Newgarden and Ed Carpenter will remain with the team, with only Newgarden running the full schedule. The team confirmed J. R. Hildebrand for the GP of Indy and the Indianapolis 500. ECR would add Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot to drive the No. 20 for the road/street courses beginning at Detroit.
  • Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing will only run one car full-time in 2016 with Graham Rahal and will also run Indy Lights champion Spencer Pigot in three races (St. Petersburg, GP of Indy, and Indianapolis 500).
  • Team Penske returns with the same four drivers.
  • Chip Ganassi Racing retains Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Charlie Kimball, but neither Sage Karam nor Sebastián Saavedra will return to the team. The team later confirmed former Manor Marussia driver Max Chilton, who drove a partial Indy Lights schedule in 2015, as their fourth driver.
  • Schmidt Peterson Motorsports confirmed the return of James Hinchcliffe to the team. Mikhail Aleshin returns to the team for the full season, replacing James Jakes. Oriol Servià will drive the team's third entry in the Indianapolis 500 with support from Marotti Racing.
  • PIRTEK Team Murray confirmed that the team will race the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500 with driver Matthew Brabham. The team will have support from KVSH Racing.
  • KVSH Racing confirmed the return of Sébastien Bourdais with the team. Stefano Coletti will not return for the team. Stefan Wilson will drive the No. 25 for the Indianapolis 500.
  • Dale Coyne Racing have confirmed that Conor Daly and Luca Filippi will run the full season. Pippa Mann will return to the team for the Indianapolis 500. The team confirmed Gabby Chaves for the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Indianapolis 500.
  • A. J. Foyt Enterprises confirmed the return of Takuma Sato and Jack Hawksworth to the team. The team confirmed Alex Tagliani for the Grand Prix of Indy and the Indianapolis 500.
  • Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will reunite with Sage Karam for the Indianapolis 500.
  • Lazier Partners Racing confirmed the return of Buddy Lazier to the Indianapolis 500.
  • On February 18, Bryan Herta Autosport confirmed their alliance with fellow Honda team Andretti Autosport. The team will be run out of Andretti's shop in Indianapolis. Separately, due to a sponsor default, the team will not retain 2014 Indy Lights Champion Gabby Chaves. The team would confirm former Caterham and Manor Racing driver Alexander Rossi to drive the No. 98 for the season.
  • IndyCar announced on February 24, 2016, they have hired three race stewards. They are former drivers Arie Luyendyk and Max Papis and longtime motorsports executive Dan Davis.
  • On May 15, 2016, information was revealed that Charlie Kimball would be using car number 42 instead of his usual 83 for the Indianapolis 500. This came as a promotion by Novo Nordisk and Chip Ganassi Racing that also involved Kyle Larson and Ganassi's NASCAR team. The official announcement came May 16, 2016
  • On June 12, 2016, Josef Newgarden suffered a fractured clavicle and wrist in an accident during the Firestone 600. Ed Carpenter Racing announced the following day that J. R. Hildebrand would fill in for Newgarden until he recovered from his injuries. However, Newgarden recovered enough from his injuries that he was able to compete in the following race at Road America.
  • On July 21, 2016, Dale Coyne Racing announced that R.C. Enerson would make his IndyCar debut driving for the team at Mid-Ohio. The team later signed Enerson to drive the final two races of the season.

    • Schedule

    The 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule was announced on October 27, 2015.

    Schedule changes and notes

  • The Grand Prix of Boston was announced in late May 2015. The race was scheduled to be run on Labor Day Weekend on September 4, 2016. The proposed street circuit was based in the Boston Seaport District. On April 29, 2016, Boston newspapers reported that the race had been canceled.
  • St. Petersburg will be run on March 11–13.
  • Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez was also rumored to start the 2016 season with a race in February, but will likely be delayed until the 2017 season.
  • IndyCar will not return to NOLA Motorsports Park and the Milwaukee Mile in 2016 following financial difficulties exposed shortly after the 2015 running of the former event. Auto Club Speedway at Fontana was also dropped for 2016, which means that the IndyCar Triple Crown will not be contested.
  • Toronto returns in 2016 to its original July date, and will remain as a single race weekend.
  • Road America's return to an open-wheel calendar was announced on August 8, 2015. The race will be run on June 26, 2016.
  • It was announced that Indycar will return to Phoenix International Raceway in 2016.
  • IndyCar officials are exploring the possibility of returning to Gateway Motorsports Park; the track will be used for team testing and aero kit testing.
  • Texas Motor Speedway confirmed that the Verizon IndyCar Series will run on June 11, 2016.
  • IndyCar is set to return to Pocono Raceway in 2016, the date is confirmed for August 21.
  • In an interview with Mark Miles, Iowa Speedway was said to be set for July 10.
  • In a November 2 press release, IndyCar announced a two-day promoter test at Phoenix International Raceway, scheduled for February 26–27, in preparation for the series’ return to the 1-mile oval. The Phoenix promoter test in February is the only one not in conjunction with a typical race weekend schedule. The other promoter test days are: March 11 at St. Petersburg, April 22 at Barber Motorsports Park, May 12 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, June 24 at Road America, July 29 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, and September 16 at Sonoma Raceway.
  • IndyCar CEO Mark Miles said in an interview that IndyCar was working on replacing the Boston race on Labor Day and specifically stated that Gateway Motorsports Park and Watkins Glen International are being considered as replacement venues. On May 13, 2016, IndyCar announced that Watkins Glen will replace Boston.
  • The Firestone 600, scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CDT on June 11, was postponed to the following afternoon due to persistent rain. It was further halted after 71 laps due to more rain and the rest of the race was postponed until August 27. The 248 lap resumed starting at lap 72.
  • ABC Supply 500 from Pocono Raceway was scheduled to start at 3:09 PM EST. Due to rain the race was postponed until Monday at 12:00 PM EST on NBCSN and the green flag will wave at 12:09 PM EST. It marked the first that Indycar Series ran a race on Monday since the 2011 Sao Paulo Indy 300 and the first time it started and completed on Monday since the 2010 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

    • Driver standings

  • One (1) championship point is awarded to each driver who leads at least one race lap. Two (2) additional championship points are awarded to the driver who leads most laps during a race.
  • At all races except the Indy 500, the number 1 qualifier earns one (1) point.
  • Entrant-initiated engine change-outs before the engines reach their required distance run will result in the loss of ten (-10) points.
  • Ties are broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.

    • Manufacturer standings

  • The top three finishing drivers from each manufacturer in each race/qualifying score championship points for their respective manufacturer, provided they were using one of their four allotted engines.
  • Two (2) additional points are awarded to the manufacturer if one of their entrants leads most laps of a race.
  • At all races except the Indy 500, the manufacturer who qualifies on pole earns one (1) point.
  • Manufacturers will earn ten (10) points for each engine reaching the 2500-mile change-out threshold. Manufacturers will lose twenty (-20) points for each engine failing to reach the change-out threshold, or for a non-minor repair requiring a component change.
  • Ties are broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.

    • References

    2016 IndyCar Series Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA