indy racing league
The Indy Racing League (IRL) is an American-based open-wheel auto racing sanctioning body. [1]
Indy Racing League (IRL) is the governing body for the Indy class of racing cars, which are open-wheel and -cockpit single-seat speedsters. [2]
Fast fact: This is the first time in Indy Racing League history that qualifications have been held on the scheduled race day. [3]
The Indy car name derived as the result of the genre’s fundamental link to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race (often referred to as the “Indy 500″), the best-known and most-popular open-wheel auto race in North America. [2]
For 18 months, race car designer Ben Bowlby worked quietly on a project known as DeltaWing. [4]
The League sanctions two racing series, the premier IZOD IndyCar Series (abbreviated ICS; sometimes considered synonymous with the Indy Racing League), whose centerpiece is the Indianapolis 500, and Firestone Indy Lights, the official developmental series of the Indy Racing League. [...] The IRL began to draw teams from CART starting in 2000, contributing to the latter’s bankruptcy, re-branding as Champ Car in 2003, and ultimate demise and absorption by the IRL in 2008. [1]
IRL’s primary circuit tour, the IndyCar Series, features more than 25 drivers competing in almost 20 races across the US and another in Japan, including its premier event, the Indianapolis 500. [...] The league was formed in 1996 and is controlled by the Hulman-George family, which also owns Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation. [2]
The League’s winner’s circle is now dominated by a few wealthy teams’including those from the old CART series, such as Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske ‘a strong contingent of foreign-born drivers, and has a schedule which includes seven races that are not contested on ovals. [1]
In addition, the IRL has all its races broadcast on XM Satellite Radio, the exclusive satellite radio partner since 2005. [...] George blueprinted the IRL as a lower-cost open-wheel alternative to CART, which had become technology-driven and dominated by a few wealthy multi-car teams, much like Formula One. [2]
“Indy car” is sometimes used as a descriptive name for championship open-wheel auto racing in the United States. [...] In 1992, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway registered the IndyCar trademark with the United States Patent and Trademark Office and licensed it to CART, which renamed its championship the IndyCar World Series. [...] The IRL was founded in 1994 by Tony George and began racing in 1996. [1]
Sources:
[1] Indy Racing League - Wikipedia
[2] Indy Racing League: Information from Answers.com
[3] Indy Racing League
[4] IndyStar.com | Indy Racing League | The Indianapolis Star