INDYCAR 2009 Race season
17 FULL RACES ON DVD
17 dvd boxset collection
The 2009 IndyCar Series was the 14th season of the IndyCar Series. The 17-race season began on April 5, and its premier event, the 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held May 24. All races were broadcast on ABC[1] or Versus in high-definition. It represented the 98th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing.
On July 30, 2008 the 2009 schedule for the IndyCar Series was officially released.[2] New to the schedule were Long Beach and Toronto, with Nashville having been removed to make way for the new events.
Dario Franchitti won his second IndyCar Series championship, putting a disappointing foray into NASCAR in 2008 behind him. Franchitti took his Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara-Honda to victory at Long Beach, Iowa Speedway, Toronto and Infineon Raceway in a season long battle with his Chip Ganassi teammate Scott Dixon and Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe. Dixon led the series heading into the final round, but Franchitti's win at the series finale at Homestead pushed the British driver eleven points clear at season's end.
Dixon, who took five wins, held second place by a solitary point over Briscoe. Briscoe, with three wins, had his best ever season leading Team Penske after Hélio Castroneves's abbreviated start to the season from his tax-evasion trial. The Brazilian recovered by winning his third Indianapolis 500 before taking a win a Texas Motor Speedway a month later.
The Ganassi and Penske teams dominated the season, only two race victories were taken by drivers other than the four regulars from these two teams, and one of them, at Edmonton, was claimed by part-time Penske driver Will Power. The only other winner was Justin Wilson, scoring Dale Coyne Racing's first victory at Watkins Glen.
The Andretti Green Racing team had their first ever season without a win. Drivers Danica Patrick, Tony Kanaan and Hideki Mutoh each scored podium finishes, and Patrick finished fifth in the season points, setting a new record for highest points finish by a female driver.
Brazilian racer Raphael Matos claimed rookie of the year honors for the Luczo-Dragon Racing team, finishing thirteenth in the season point score, 29 points clear of Robert Doornbos with a season best result of sixth at Milwaukee.
Originally Honda was supposed to end their IndyCar Series single engine supplier after 2009. But on September 23, 2009, it was confirmed that Honda renewed their single engine supplier until 2011 season.[3]
1 St. Petersburg Graham Rahal Justin Wilson Justin Wilson Ryan Briscoe Penske Racing
2 Long Beach Will Power Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing
3 Kansas Graham Rahal Ryan Briscoe Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing
4 Indianapolis Hélio Castroneves Dario Franchitti Scott Dixon Hélio Castroneves Penske Racing
5 Milwaukee Ryan Briscoe Scott Dixon Ryan Briscoe Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing
6 Texas Dario Franchitti Ryan Briscoe Ryan Briscoe Hélio Castroneves Penske Racing
7 Iowa Hélio Castroneves Hideki Mutoh Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing
8 Richmond Dario Franchitti Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing
9 Watkins Glen Ryan Briscoe Ryan Briscoe Justin Wilson Justin Wilson Dale Coyne Racing
10 Toronto Dario Franchitti Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing
11 Edmonton Will Power Mike Conway Will Power Will Power Penske Racing
12 Kentucky Scott Dixon Ed Carpenter Scott Dixon Ryan Briscoe Penske Racing
13 Mid-Ohio Ryan Briscoe Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing
14 Sonoma Dario Franchitti Hélio Castroneves Dario Franchitti Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing
15 Chicagoland Ryan Briscoe Tomas Scheckter Ryan Briscoe Ryan Briscoe Penske Racing
16 Motegi Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Target Chip Ganassi Racing Report 17 Homestead Dario Franchitti Scott Dixon Ryan Briscoe Dario Franchitti Target Chip Ganassi Racing