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THE ENTIRE 2011 IZOD INDYCAR SEASON ON DVD
17 FULL RACES/17 DVD SET
HIGH DEFINTION / WIDESCREEN
click here to buy now
 
THE ENTIRE 2011 IZOD INDYCAR SEASON ON DVD
| Rnd | Date | Race name | Track | Location |
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| 1 | March 27 |  Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida |
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| 2 | April 10 | Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union | Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, Alabama |
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| 3 | April 17 | Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach | Streets of Long Beach | Long Beach, California |
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| 4 | May 1
May 2 |  Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestlé | Streets of São Paulo | São Paulo, Brazil |
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| 5 | May 29 | 95th Indianapolis 500 | Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana |
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| 6 | June 11 | Firestone Twin 275s | Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, Texas |
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| 7 | June 19 | The Milwaukee 225 | Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin |
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| 8 | June 25 | Iowa Corn Indy 250 Presented by Pioneer | Iowa Speedway | Newton, Iowa |
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| July 10 |  Honda Indy Toronto | Exhibition Place | Toronto, Ontario |
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| 10 | July 24 | Edmonton Indy | Edmonton City Centre Airport | Edmonton, Alberta |
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| 11 | August 7 | Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio |
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| 12 | August 14 | MoveThatBlock.com Indy 225 | New Hampshire Motor Speedway | Loudon, New Hampshire |
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| 13 | August 28 | Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma | Infineon Raceway | Sonoma, California |
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| 14 | September 4 | Baltimore Grand Prix | Streets of Baltimore | Baltimore, Maryland |
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| 15 | September 18 |  Indy Japan 300 | Twin Ring Motegi (Road Course) | Motegi, Japan |
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| 16 | October 2 | Kentucky Indy 300 | Kentucky Speedway | Sparta, Kentucky |
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| 17 | October 16 | IZOD IndyCar World Championship | Las Vegas Motor Speedway | Las Vegas, Nevada |
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2011 IndyCar Series season
Dario Franchitti defended his series championship in 2011, clinching his fourth series title, and his third straight.
The 2011 Izod IndyCar Series season was the 100th season of American open wheel motor racing. The season consisted of seventeen events over the course of a seven-month season. Its premier event was the 95th Indianapolis 500, run on Sunday, May 29. It was the final season running the IR-05 Dallara spec cars, which has been the series' sole chassis supplier since 2007. The events took place in twelve states of the United States, as well as in Canada, Brazil, and Japan.
The schedule featured ten street or road course races, and eight on
oval tracks, including a return of the twin races format at Texas Motor Speedway.
Series champion Dario Franchitti claimed his fourth IndyCar title. Franchitti went into the final race of the season leading Will Power by 18 points. The race, and the season, was marred by a 15-car pile-up early in the race that claimed the life of two-time Indy 500 winner and 2005 champion Dan Wheldon. The race was canceled, and the final points total reverted back to the previous event, with Franchitti claiming the title.
Rookie of the Year honors went to Canadian James Hinchcliffe, who led American J. R. Hildebrand in the rookie standings by 6 points going into the final race. Hildebrand was also involved in the pile-up in the final race.
Series news
- The 95th Indianapolis 500 marked the third race of the three–year long Centennial era, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the 100th anniversary of the first Indianapolis 500-mile race.
- Sunoco would become the official fuel of the series starting in 2011 and running through 2014. Sunoco would work with APEX–Brasil and UNICA to provide ethanol for the series.
- On January 11, the series made several announcements with regards to the upcoming season:
- The name of the governing body, formerly "Indy Racing League," has been renamed IndyCar.
- The "restart zone" on ovals will be moved from turn 3 to just before the start/finish line.
- Restart procedures will mimic those of NASCAR,
including double-file restarts, separate pitting for lead lap and
non-lead lap cars, and the waving around of lapped cars that did not
pit. The "free pass" rule will not be implemented.
- Pit stall selection for each race will be determined by the
qualifying order of the previous round at the track of the same type
(e.g., road course or oval). Exceptions to this will be the season
opener at St. Petersburg, which will be set by final entrants' points
from 2010, and the Indy 500, which carries its own pit selection
process.
- On March 6, the series announced that the maximum field size for
every IndyCar event this season would be limited to 26 cars, except for
the Indianapolis 500 (which remains at the traditional 33) and the Las
Vegas finale (30 cars).
- Firestone has signed an extension to remain as the series' sole tire supplier through 2013.
2011 IndyCar series schedule
- The series schedule was announced on September 10, 2010, with the season finale and start times released on February 22.
Oval/Speedway
Road Course/Street Circuit
Schedule development
Existing contracts
- The São Paulo Indy 300 has a contract through 2019.
- The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will continue through 2013. City officials look to extend the contract through 2014.
- Iowa Speedway is finalizing a two–year extension through 2011.
- Infineon Raceway signed an extension through the 2011 season.
- An agreement has been signed with the city of Long Beach to extend the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to 2015 with an option through 2020.
- Barber Motorsports Park signed a three–year deal through 2012.
- Mid–Ohio has a contract through 2011.
- The Octane Racing Group, who promotes the Formula 1 Grand Prix of
Canada and the NASCAR Nationwide race at Circuit Gilles Villenueve, will
take over as promoters of the Honda Edmonton Indy, having agreed a
three-year extension. The race was announced as "cancelled" on November
3, 2010 due to an impasse in negotiations between the race promoters and
the city of Edmonton. However, negotiations to revive the race restarted the next week. On November 26, 2010, the Edmonton, Alberta city council voted to restore the Honda Edmonton Indy using extra funding from private sources and new parking revenue. INDYCAR officially announced the race's return to the schedule on January 11, 2011.
New or returning races
Discontinued races
Team and driver chart
- This chart reflects confirmed participants only. All drivers will compete in Honda-powered, Firestone-shod, Dallara chassis. (R) reflects an IZOD IndyCar Series rookie.
Team and driver movements
- Chip Ganassi Racing: Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon return to the team for 2011. Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball joined the group as part of a satellite team ran out of the raceshop of Don Prudhomme.
- Team Penske: Shell will join the team as an associate sponsor for all three cars in 2011, replacing Mobil 1 and will sponsor the #3 car. Hélio Castroneves is signed to a multi–year contract that covers the 2011 season, and Will Power re–signed with Team Penske in September 2010. Roger Penske confirmed on November 12 that Ryan Briscoe would also be returning to the team. was announced as being the primary sponsor on Ryan Briscoe's car and an associate sponsor on the other two cars.
- Andretti Autosport: Tony Kanaan was signed to a multi–year deal with Andretti Autosport before the 2009 season, and his contract was supposed to run through to 2012. On the October 3 it was confirmed that sponsor 7-Eleven would not return in 2011, rendering Kanaan a free agent. Marco Andretti will is in the second year of a four–year contract with the team in 2011 along with his sponsor Venom Energy. It was announced on October 29 that Ryan Hunter-Reay would return to Andretti Autosport through to the 2012 season. DHL has signed a multi-year deal to sponsor Hunter-Reay's #28 car. Mike Conway was announced on February 2 as the team's 4th full-season driver. The team has confirmed John Andretti in the #43 for the Indy 500.
- Sam Schmidt Motorsports: Driver Alex Tagliani is in the second year of a four–year contract with the team. The team will also run cars for Townsend Bell and Jay Howard at the Indy 500, and for Wade Cunningham in three events. The team is committed to running a second full–time car in 2011, according to manager Rob Edwards. On March 1, 2011, it was announced that Sam Schmidt Motorsports
had purchased the assets of FAZZT. Some FAZZT personnel would be
retained for the 2011 season and Alex Tagliani will continue to contest
all seventeen races.
- Bryan Herta Autosport: The team confirmed Dan Wheldon
for the Indy 500. Bryan Herta Autosport and Wheldon will carry out
testing of the 2012 Dallara chassis in August and September 2011.
- Dragon Racing: Tony Kanaan was announced as the new driver of the #2 car during a December 20 press conference in Brazil, however failure to secure sufficient sponsorship meant that Kanaan was unable to secure the drive. The team officially announced that they were shutting down on February 24, 2011; however following a restructuring, Jay Penske announced that Dragon Racing would continue with Paul Tracy for a limited schedule, as well as an Indy 500 entry. On May 3, 2011 the team confirmed Ho-Pin Tung will be the driver of the #8 Dragon-Schmidt Racing entry.
- SH Racing: On July 28, 2010, VPX Sports announced a partnership with newly–formed SH Racing, run by James Sullivan and T.J. Humphreys, for an entry into the 2011 Indianapolis 500 with the driver yet to be named. The team will be partnering with KV Racing Technology. On March 29. 2011 the team announced, South African veteran Tomas Scheckter will drive the #07 entry at the Indy 500.
- Panther Racing: 2010 team driver Dan Wheldon confirmed in a Kentucky post–race interview that his contract expires after the 2010 season and he is unlikely to return to the team in 2011. 2009 Indy Lights champion J. R. Hildebrand signed a multi-year deal to drive the #4 National Guard car for the team. The team will field former Indy 500 winner Buddy Rice in a second car at Indy.
- KV Racing Technology – Lotus: On September 28, 2010, it was announced that Lotus will provide sponsorship to two KV Racing Technology entries in 2011. On February 4, 2011, KV Racing confirmed that Takuma Sato and E. J. Viso would compete for the team for the 2011 IndyCar Series season. On March 21, 2011, it was reported that Tony Kanaan will join the team in a 3rd full-time entry.
- Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: On November 11, Justin Wilson announced he will continue racing with the team in 2011. On March 3, 2011, the team announced Ana Beatriz will be joining Wilson full–time as the pilot of the #24 entry. The team also confirmed Paul Tracy for the Indy 500, prior to his signing to drive part-time for Dragon Racing.
- Sarah Fisher Racing: SFR has signed Ed Carpenter for the 2011 season, who will compete in nine events. In addition, team owner Sarah Fisher has announced her retirement from driving to focus solely on team ownership.
- HVM Racing: Team owner Keith Wiggins has secured sponsorship to return with Simona de Silvestro for the 2011 season. The team announced a three–year deal with Entergy Nuclear to sponsor an entry.
- A. J. Foyt Enterprises: Driver Vitor Meira recently signed a two–year contract with the team through the 2012 season. The team will also field a car in the Indy 500 for Bruno Junqueira.
- Dale Coyne Racing: The team announced two new drivers for the season: rookie Englishman James Jakes, who will run the full season; and Sébastien Bourdais, who will run at all road and street courses only owing to his Le Mans Series commitments. The team will still be fielding a second car at Indianapolis. On May 5, 2011, it was confirmed that Alex Lloyd will compete on all the oval races, as Bourdais won't.
- Conquest Racing: On March 14, 2011, the team confirmed that Sebastián Saavedra will race for the team full–time during the 2011 season. On April 19, 2011, Conquest signed Indy Lights race-winner Pippa Mann to pilot the team's second car at Indianapolis.
- Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: Entrepreneur Mike Lanigan joined the ownership of the team on December 17, 2010, and the team was renamed Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The team will run the Indy 500 in 2011 with Bertrand Baguette.
- AFS Racing:
On January 13, 2011, AFS Racing announced that Neil Micklewright will
be joining the team as General Manager and Vice President of Operations.
On March 12, 2011, the team announced that they will run an entry at St. Petersburg, and on March 17, announced that series veteran Raphael Matos will drive.
- Newman/Haas Racing After the open test at Barber and months of speculation, Spaniard Oriol Servià revealed that he will race for the eight–time championship–winning team. Canadian James Hinchcliffe, runner–up in the 2010 Indy Lights championship standings to Jean–Karl Vernay was confirmed for the team's second car on April 5, 2011, for all remaining races.
Race results
Race summaries
- Sunday March 27, 2011 – 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Streets of St. Petersburg – St. Petersburg, Florida; Temporary street circuit, 1.800 miles (2.897 km)
- Distance: 100 laps / 180.000 miles (289.682 km)
- Race weather: 85 °F (29 °C), partly cloudy
- Television: ABC (Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Vince Welch, Jamie Little, Rick DeBruhl)
- Nielsen ratings: 1.2 rating, 1.840 million viewers (1.4 overnight)
- Attendance: TBA
- Pole position winner: #12 Will Power, 1:01.9625 sec, 104.579 mph (168.304 km/h)
- Most laps led: #10 Dario Franchitti, 94
- Summary: The first race featuring the new double–file
restarts takes a toll on the field as drivers adjust. On the first lap, a
big collision involving several cars saw Marco Andretti flip over in turn 1, a crash he blamed on Hélio Castroneves. Several other drivers experienced contact on restarts, thinning the field. Dario Franchitti stayed in front for most of the race and won the season opener. Simona de Silvestro garnered the most attention of the later stages of the race, as she hotly challenged Tony Kanaan. Kanaan, who had landed his ride with KV Racing just days earlier, held her off over the final few laps for a surprising third place finish.
- Race Report: 2011 Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
- Sunday April 10, 2011 – 2:45 p.m. CDT (3:45 p.m. EDT)
- Barber Motorsports Park – Birmingham, Alabama; Permanent road course, 2.300 miles (3.701 km)
- Distance: 90 laps / 207.000 miles (333.134 km)
- Race weather: 84 °F (29 °C), clear skies
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Jon Beekhuis, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Lindy Thackston, Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.3
- Attendance: 48,326 (race day), 79,811 (weekend)
- Pole position winner: #12 Will Power, 1:11.4546 sec, 115.878 mph (186.488 km/h)
- Most laps led: #12 Will Power, 90
- Summary: Will Power led wire–to–wire to take the victory. Twice Ryan Briscoe was involved in contact, first with Dario Franchitti, and later with Ryan Hunter–Reay. Following the race, second place finisher Scott Dixon complained about Power "crowding" him on the restarts, but no penalty was assessed.
- Race Report: 2011 Indy Grand Prix of Alabama
- Sunday April 17, 2011 – 1:30 p.m. PDT (4:30 p.m. EDT)
- Streets of Long Beach – Long Beach, California; Temporary street circuit, 1.968 miles (3.167 km)
- Distance: 85 laps / 167.280 miles (269.211 km)
- Race weather: 66 °F (19 °C), partly cloudy
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Jon Beekhuis, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Lindy Thackston, Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.28
- Attendance: 70,000 (estimated raceday), 175,000+ (estimated weekend)
- Pole position winner: #12 Will Power, 1:09.0649 sec, 102.582 mph (165.090 km/h)
- Most laps led: #6 Ryan Briscoe, 35
- Summary: With less than 20 laps to go, Mike Conway charged into third place on a restart. He quickly powered past Dario Franchitti and Will Power to take the lead. Conway pulled out to a six–second advantage, and led the final 14 laps en route to his first Indy car victory. For the second time this season, Hélio Castroneves was blamed for a collision, this time taking himself and teammate Will Power out of contention late in the race.
- Race Report: 2011 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach
- Sunday May 1, 2011 – 1:20 p.m. BRT (12:20 p.m. EDT) & Monday May 2, 2011 – 9:05 a.m. BRT (8:05 a.m. EDT)
- Streets of São Paulo – São Paulo, Brazil; Temporary street circuit, 2.536 miles (4.081 km)
- Distance: 75 laps / 190.200 miles (306.097 km); reduced to 55 laps /
139.480 miles (224.471 km) due to rain and two-hour time limit.
- Race weather: 93 °F (34 °C), scattered showers (Sunday); 79 °F (26 °C), scattered clouds (Monday)
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Jon Beekhuis, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings:
- Attendance: 41,000 (Sunday)
- Pole position winner: #12 Will Power, 1:21.8958 sec, 111.478 mph (179.406 km/h)
- Most laps led: #12 Will Power, 32
- Summary:
- Race Report: 2011 São Paulo Indy 300
- Summary: Rain forced a postponement of the race after 15 laps. On Monday morning, the race resumed. Leader Will Power pitted for fuel on lap 36, giving the lead to Takuma Sato.
With rain soaking the course, Sato's team hoped to stretch out their
fuel window in hopes of a caution, and the possibility of leading the
race when the time limit expired. Sato was forced to pit on lap 48, and
Power retook the lead. The race ended after 55 laps with Power the
victor.
- Sunday May 29, 2011 – 12:15 p.m. EDT
- Indianapolis Motor Speedway – Speedway, Indiana; Permanent racing facility, 2.500 miles (4.023 km)
- Distance: 200 laps / 500.000 miles (804.672 km)
- Race weather: 86 °F (30 °C), cloudy
- Television: ABC (Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever, Brent Musburger, Vince Welch, Jamie Little, Rick DeBruhl, Jerry Punch)
- Nielsen ratings: 4.0, 6.71 million viewers (4.3 overnight)
- Attendance: 300,000
- Pole position winner: #77 Alex Tagliani, 2:38.2613 sec, 227.790 mph (366.592 km/h) (4-lap)
- Most laps led: #9 Scott Dixon, 73
- Summary: Ganassi teammates Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti led 124 laps, but the race came down to the final few laps as several drivers pitted for fuel. Rookie J. R. Hildebrand
took the lead with three laps to go, and led at the white flag. Coming
out of the final turn on the final lap, Hildebrand hit the outside wall,
and Dan Wheldon drove by to take the victory, which would turn out to be his last.
- Race Report: 2011 Indianapolis 500
- Saturday June 11, 2011 – 7:45 p.m. CDT (8:45 p.m. EDT)
- Texas Motor Speedway – Fort Worth, Texas; Permanent racing facility, 1.455 miles (2.342 km)
- Distance: 2 races of 114 laps / 165.870 miles (266.942 km)
- Race weather: 91 °F (33 °C), clear skies (Race 1); 87 °F (31 °C), clear skies (Race 2)
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Jon Beekhuis, Dan Wheldon, Lindy Thackston, Robbie Floyd, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.55 rating, (0.38 overnight)
- Attendance: 73,000 (announced crowd)
- Pole position winner: #77 Alex Tagliani, 48.6834 sec, 215.186 mph (346.308 km/h) (Race 1, 2-lap qualifying); #82 Tony Kanaan (Race 2, draw)
- Most laps led: #10 Dario Franchitti, 110 (Race 1); #12 Will Power, 68 (Race 2)
- Race Report: 2011 Firestone Twin 275s
- Summary: The popular "twin race" format from the 1970s and early 1980s returned to Indy car racing at Texas. Dario Franchitti dominated the first race, which saw only one caution. Wade Cunningham and Charlie Kimball crashed on lap 92, with Cunningham crashing Dan Wheldon's
Indy 500 winning car from two weeks prior. At halftime, the drivers
chose their starting positions for race #2 by a blind draw on a stage on
the frontstretch. Tony Kanaan was the lucky driver who picked position number 1. Will Power
picked starting position #3, but the winner of the first race,
Franchitti, was mired back in 28th starting position. Controversy
followed the race, as many in the paddock believed the blind draw was an
unfair method to select the starting positions (many thought they
should have simply inverted the field). The second race went without a
caution, and Power went on to win. Franchitti was not a factor, but
charged all the way to 7th at the finish.
- Sunday June 19, 2011 – 3:00 p.m. CDT (4:00 p.m. EDT)
- Milwaukee Mile – West Allis, Wisconsin; Permanent racing facility, 1.015 miles (1.633 km)
- Distance: 225 laps / 228.375 miles (367.534 km)
- Race weather: 79 °F (26 °C), scattered clouds
- Television: ABC (Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Vince Welch, Jamie Little, Rick DeBruhl)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.8
- Attendance: 15,000
- Pole position winner: #10 Dario Franchitti, 42.7766 sec, 170.841 mph (274.942 km/h) (2-lap)
- Most laps led: #10 Dario Franchitti, 161
- Race Report: 2011 Milwaukee 225
- Summary: Tony Kanaan led 33 laps in the second half, but crashed into the turn 4 wall with only 30 laps to go. Leader Helio Castroneves was forced to the pits on lap 199 to change a flat tire, giving the lead, and the win, to Dario Franchitti.
- Saturday June 25, 2011 – 8:00 p.m. CDT (9:00 p.m. EDT)
- Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa; Permanent racing facility, 0.894 miles (1.439 km)
- Distance: 250 laps / 223.500 miles (359.688 km)
- Race weather: 64 °F (18 °C), overcast
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Jon Beekhuis, Dan Wheldon, Lindy Thackston, Robbie Floyd, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.35 (overnight)
- Attendance: 35,118
- Pole position winner: #5 Takuma Sato, 35.6857 sec, 180.375 mph (290.285 km/h) (2-lap)
- Most laps led: #10 Dario Franchitti, 172
- Race Report: 2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250
- Summary: Marco Andretti charged from 17th starting position to second by lap 152. Andretti passed Dario Franchitti to take the lead on lap 157. After a pit stop, Andretti dueled with Tony Kanaan for the lead over the final 50–60 laps, with Andretti taking the lead for good on lap 232.
- Sunday July 10, 2011 – 2:50 p.m. EDT
- Streets of Toronto – Toronto, Ontario; Temporary street circuit, 1.755 miles (2.824 km)
- Distance: 85 laps / 149.175 miles (240.074 km)
- Race weather: 75 °F (24 °C), overcast
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Jon Beekhuis, Dan Wheldon, Lindy Thackston, Robbie Floyd, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.50 rating, (0.41 overnight)
- Attendance: 20,000–25,000 (media estimated raceday)
- Pole position winner: #12 Will Power, 59.5771 sec, 106.047 mph (170.666 km/h)
- Most laps led: #12 Will Power, 32
- Race Report: 2011 Honda Indy Toronto
- Summary: At least 18 cars were involved in scuffles and contact throughout the race, with six dropping out. On lap 56, Dario Franchitti clipped wheels with leader Will Power in the hairpin, causing Power to spin out. Franchitti slipped by to take the lead, and held on to win.
- Sunday July 24, 2011 – 12:50 p.m. MDT (2:50 p.m. EDT)
- Edmonton City Centre Airport – Edmonton, Alberta; Temporary airport course, 2.224 miles (3.579 km)
- Distance: 80 laps / 177.920 miles (286.334 km)
- Race weather: 69 °F (21 °C), clear skies
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Jon Beekhuis, Robbie Floyd, Lindy Thackston, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.6
- Attendance:
- Pole position winner: #5 Takuma Sato, 1:18.5165 sec, 101.971 mph (164.106 km/h)
- Most laps led: #12 Will Power, 57
- Race Report: 2011 Edmonton Indy
- Summary: The race took place on a new layout for 2011. On the first lap, Alex Tagliani made contact with Graham Rahal as the field negotiated the tight turn 5, which took out four cars. Later in the race, Ryan Hunter-Reay tangled with polesitter Takuma Sato, also in turn 5. Will Power took the lead on lap 20, and Penske managed a 1–2 finish.
- Sunday August 7, 2011 – 2:50 p.m. EDT
- Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Lexington, Ohio; Permanent racing facility, 2.258 miles (3.634 km)
- Distance: 85 laps / 191.930 miles (308.881 km)
- Race weather: 87 °F (31 °C), partly cloudy
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Jon Beekhuis, Marty Snider, Lindy Thackston, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.2
- Attendance:
- Pole position winner: #9 Scott Dixon, 1:08.0776 sec, 119.405 mph (192.164 km/h)
- Most laps led: #9 Scott Dixon, 50
- Race Report: 2011 Honda Indy 200
- Summary: Scott Dixon edged teammate Dario Franchitti down the backstretch on a restart on lap 61, and held on to win at Mid-Ohio for the third time in five seasons. Will Power dropped to 14th after getting caught out under a full-course caution during a sequence of pit stops.
- Sunday August 14, 2011 – 3:30 p.m. EDT
- New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Loudon, New Hampshire; Permanent racing facility, 1.025 miles (1.650 km)
- Distance: 225 laps / 230.625 miles (371.155 km); reduced to 215 laps / 220.375 miles (354.659 km) due to rain
- Race weather: 73 °F (23 °C), cloudy
- Television: ABC (Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Gary Gerould, Jamie Little, Rick DeBruhl)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.9 (overnight)
- Attendance: 30,000
- Pole position winner: #10 Dario Franchitti, 43.1976 sec, 170.843 mph (274.945 km/h) (2-lap)
- Most laps led: #10 Dario Franchitti, 115
- Race Report: 2011 MoveThatBlock.com Indy 225
- Summary:
- Indy car racing returned to New Hampshire after a 13-year sabbatical. Dario Franchitti dominated the first half, but on a restart on lap 118, he touched wheels with Takuma Sato and crashed into the inside wall. On lap 206, the caution came out for rain, with Ryan Hunter-Reay
leading. Despite the drivers pleading to their crews that the track was
too wet to continue, officials decided to bring the green flag out with
7 laps to go. As the field accelerated, Danica Patrick
spun on the frontstretch due to the wet conditions, which led to a
controversial five-car pileup, involving championship contender Will Power among others. During the restart attempt, Oriol Servià
passed Hunter-Reay as the restart began but before the caution was
signaled, leading to controversy when the decision was made to abort the
restart, a move common in USAC
when a false start occurs, which typically means the cars return to
their starting order for another start attempt. Officials accepted blame
for the decision and red flagged the race. Scoring was reverted back to
the standings prior to the restart attempt.
- Within 30 minutes of the end of the race, Newman/Haas Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing
filed protests regarding the finish of the race because of Servià's
pass of Hunter-Reay on the aborted restart. The results of the race were
not made official, and as a result of the protest, the finish was under
review. Indy Racing League, LLC announced on August 16 that a hearing
was scheduled for the week of August 22 on both protests filed, and the
hearing would also include Andretti Autosport, as the results of the hearing may have resulted in the finishing order being changed. The hearing took place on August 23, with the finishing positions being upheld.
- Sunday August 28, 2011 – 1:50 p.m. PDT (4:50 p.m. EDT)
- Infineon Raceway – Sonoma, California; Permanent racing facility, 2.303 miles (3.706 km)
- Distance: 75 laps / 172.725 miles (277.974 km)
- Race weather: 75 °F (24 °C), clear skies
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Jon Beekhuis, Marty Snider, Lindy Thackston, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.3
- Attendance:
- Pole position winner: #12 Will Power, 1:18.6017 sec, 105.479 mph (169.752 km/h)
- Most laps led: #12 Will Power, 71
- Race Report: 2011 Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma
- Summary: Will Power led 71 of 75 laps, as Team Penske
swept 1st–2nd–3rd on the podium. It was the first 1–2–3 finish in an
Indycar race for Penske since Nazareth in 1994. Power closed to within
26 points of championship leader Dario Franchitti. Power also closed within 7 points of Franchitti for the Mario Andretti Road Course Trophy. Simon Pagenaud substituted for Simona de Silvestro after she had complications renewing her , and U.S. Customs would not allow her into the country.
- Sunday September 4, 2011 – 2:45 p.m. EDT
- Streets of Baltimore – Baltimore, Maryland; Temporary street circuit, 2.040 miles (3.283 km)
- Distance: 75 laps / 153.000 miles (246.230 km)
- Race weather: 85 °F (29 °C), scattered clouds
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Jon Beekhuis, Marty Snider, Lindy Thackston, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings: 0.6
- Attendance: 75,000 (estimated raceday), 150,000+ (estimated weekend)
- Pole position winner: #12 Will Power, 1:20.2447 sec, 91.520 mph (147.287 km/h)
- Most laps led: #12 Will Power, 70
- Race Report: 2011 Baltimore Grand Prix
- Summary: The inaugural IndyCar race in Baltimore saw a large
crowd, and a challenging course, with many deeming the race a popular
success. Will Power
led 70 of 75 laps en route to a dominating victory, closing the points
lead to only 5 points with three races remaining. During practice, Tony Kanaan lost his brakes, touched wheels with Hélio Castroneves'
car, and jumped over his car into the tire barrier. Kanaan was unhurt,
but was forced to start the race from the rear in a back-up car, which
he drove to a 3rd place finish. On lap 38, Ryan Briscoe clipped Ryan Hunter-Reay's car in the hairpin, creating a chain reaction pileup that involved or blocked as many as 18 cars.
- Sunday September 18, 2011 – 1:00 p.m. JST (12:00 a.m. EDT)
- Twin Ring Motegi – Motegi, Tochigi; Permanent racing facility, 2.983 miles (4.801 km)
- Distance: 63 laps / 187.929 miles (302.442 km)
- Race weather: 88 °F (31 °C), scattered clouds
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Jon Beekhuis, Kevin Lee, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings:
- Attendance:
- Pole position winner: #9 Scott Dixon, 1:38.3918 sec, 109.143 mph (175.649 km/h)
- Most laps led: #9 Scott Dixon, 62
- Race Report: 2011 Indy Japan: The Final
- Summary: Scott Dixon led 62 of 63 laps, dominating the final Indycar race at Twin Ring Motegi. Following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, the race was moved to the 2.98 mile road course due to damage to the oval. On lap 26, points leader Dario Franchitti tangled with Ryan Briscoe, causing a spin that also collected Graham Rahal. Franchitti was penalized for the move, and sent to the rear of the field. He worked his way back up to an 8th place finish. Will Power's second place finish allowed him to clinch the 2011 Mario Andretti Road Course Trophy, and took the lead (+5 points) in the overall points standing with two races left.
] Round 16: Kentucky Indy 300
- Sunday October 2, 2011 – 2:45 p.m. EDT
- Kentucky Speedway – Sparta, Kentucky; Permanent racing facility, 1.480 miles (2.382 km)
- Distance: 200 laps / 296.000 miles (476.366 km)
- Race weather: 62 °F (17 °C), partly cloudy
- Television: Versus (Bob Jenkins, Wally Dallenbach, Jr., Jon Beekhuis, Marty Snider, Kevin Lee, Lindy Thackston, Robin Miller)
- Nielsen ratings:
- Attendance:
- Pole position winner: #12 Will Power, 48.5948 sec, 219.283 mph (352.902 km/h) (2-lap)
- Most laps led: #10 Dario Franchitti, 143
- Race Report: 2011 Kentucky Indy 300
- Race Summary: Ed Carpenter battled Dario Franchitti side-by-side over the final 20 laps, and held off Franchitti to earn his first-career IndyCar Series victory. Polesitter Will Power
entered the race with the championship lead - 11 points over Franchitti
- and led the first 48 laps. However, during a pit stop on lap 49, Ana Beatriz
made contact with his car as she was exiting her pit stall, ripping a
gash in Power's sidepod. Power came home in 19th, and second place
Franchitti took over the points lead going into the final race of the
season.
Round 17: IZOD IndyCar World Championship
- Sunday October 16, 2011 – 12:45 p.m. PDT (3:45 p.m. EDT)
- Las Vegas Motor Speedway – North Las Vegas, Nevada; Permanent racing facility, 1.544 miles (2.485 km)
- Distance: 200 laps / 308.800 miles (496.965 km)
- Race weather: 87 °F (31 °C), partly cloudy
- Television: ABC (Marty Reid, Scott Goodyear, Eddie Cheever, Vince Welch, Jamie Little, Rick DeBruhl)
- Nielsen ratings:
- Attendance: 50,000 (Sunday), 75,000 (total; includes NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Saturday).
- Pole position winner: #82 Tony Kanaan, 50.0582 sec, 222.078 mph (357.400 km/h) (2-lap)
- Most laps led: Kanaan (race abandoned)
- Race Report: 2011 IZOD IndyCar World Championship
- Summary: The race was marred by a fifteen-car pile-up on the twelfth lap of the race and four drivers - Dan Wheldon, Will Power, JR Hildebrand and Pippa Mann
- were taken to hospital as the race was red-flagged. It was formally
abandoned two hours later with the announcement that Wheldon had died
from his injuries, and the remaining drivers completed a five-lap tour
of the circuit to honour Wheldon's memory. Power was later released from
hospital, whilst Mann and Hildebrand were kept under observation, but
were later released. Mann suffered a burn to her hand and Hildebrand
suffered a bruised sternum. IndyCar does not use the FIA Code on race
stoppages (which states a race is official once a race is on the fourth
lap) and uses the customary 50% plus one lap rule (101 laps in this
case), and the race was abandoned at that point. Only Friday points for
qualifying were awarded. Franchitti was declared champion.
Final driver standings
|
|
| Color | Result |
|---|
| Gold | Winner | | Silver | 2nd place | | Bronze | 3rd place | | Green | 4th & 5th place | | Light Blue | 6th–10th place | | Dark Blue | Finished
(Outside Top 10) | | Purple | Did not finish | | Red | Did not qualify
(DNQ) | | Brown | Withdrawn
(Wth) | | Black | Disqualified
(DSQ) | | White | Did Not Start
(DNS) | | White | Race abandoned
(C) | | Blank | Did not
participate |
|
| In-line notation | | Bold | Pole position
(1 point)
Exception: Indianapolis 500 | | Italics | Ran fastest race lap | | * | Led most race laps
(2 points) | | DNS | Any driver who qualifies
but does not start (DNS),
earns half the points
had they taken part. | | Rookie of the Year | | Rookie |
|
|
Points are awarded to drivers on the following basis:
| Position | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 |
|---|
| All races (except Texas) | 50 | 40 | 35 | 32 | 30 | 28 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
|---|
| Texas | 25 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
|---|
| Indy qualifying | 15 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
|---|
- Extra points awarded for qualifying at Indianapolis based on drivers performance.
- Texas is split into two races on the same day. Each one awards half points.
- Ties in points broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds,
3rds, etc., and then by number of pole positions, followed by number of
times qualified 2nd, etc.
- Note
1 After qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 had concluded, Bruno Junqueira was replaced by Ryan Hunter-Reay, who did not qualify for the 500. Junqueira received full qualifying points for a 19th place qualification.
2 At the Las Vegas Indy 300, Dan Wheldon
died from injuries sustained in a 15-car crash on lap 11. He was 33
years old. The Las Vegas race was abandoned, and only Kannan's point for
the pole position was awarded, as it was on Friday.
|
|
