Of the various types of automobile races, the closed-circuit, or speedway, course was developed largely in the United States. The Indianapolis 500—now the premier Indy car event—was first run in 1911. A low-slung, fenderless (open-wheel) car—called an Indy car—is essential for this race; its suspension (i.e., its ability to hold the track) is as important to a car’s performance as its tur-bocharged engine. Often the chassis manufacturer is different from the engine manufacturer, resulting in cars identified, for example, as a Brabham/Repco. In such cases the chassis maker is listed first, and the chassis maker receives any money or awards that the car may win.
Indy car racing began in 1909, when the American Automobile Association (AAA) began sponsoring a 24-race championship series, including three races at the newly opened Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). In 1956 the AAA gave up its involvement with auto racing, and the United States Auto Club (USAC) was organized as the sport’s governing body. In 1978 two race-car owners broke away from USAC to form a new organization, Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (CART), which sponsored its own series of races. In 1980 CART and USAC joined to form the Championship Racing League, which dissolved after five races. In 1994 the IMS announced a new Indy Racing League (IRL) to oversee the Indianapolis 500 beginning in 1996 and a new series of IRL races (leading to an annual drivers’ championship) separate from those sponsored by CART.
The standard cars used for Grand Prix road (i.e., closed-highway) racing are known as Formula One (or F-1) cars because they are built according to an evolving formula that was established after World War I by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). Like the Indy car, the Formula One racer is open-wheeled and low-slung, but the F-1 is slightly smaller and more maneuverable.
There are approximately 18 Grand Prix events held worldwide throughout the year. Drivers compete for the World Championship of Drivers (inaugurated in 1950), receiving a total number of points based on their placement in each of the official Grand Prix events.
Many Grand Prix drivers participate in various endurance races, the most famous of which is the Le Mans Grand Prix d’Endurance, held on the 13.4-km (8.3-mi)Sarthe circuit, Le Mans, France.
Another type of popular racing event is the rally, which was established in 1907. More than 35 such competitions, raced over a specified route on public roads, take place yearly throughout the world. The classic occasion for rally racing is the Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo, now started in various European cities with Monaco as its terminal point.
Stock-car racing, which began in the United States in the first half of the 20th century, involves the racing of commercial cars that have been altered to increase their speed and maneuverability. The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) was founded in 1947, and until 2004 it awarded the Winston Cup to the driver who had earned the greatest number of points in a series of official NASCAR Winston Cup events over the stock-car racing season. In 2004 the competition was renamed the Nextel Cup, and from 2008 it is known as the Sprint Cup. The Daytona 500 is the premiere stock-car event.
Formula One Grand Prix Race Results, 2007-08
The season for the Formula One Grand Prix circuit is March-October. If a race occurs twice in the year covered because of scheduling changes, only the most recent race result is given in the table below.
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WINNER’S TIME |
RACE |
DATE |
LOCALE |
DRIVER (COUNTRY) |
(HR:MIN:SEC) |
European Grand Prix |
22 Jul 2007 |
Nurburgring, Germany Fernando Alonso (ESP) |
2:06:26.358 |
|
Italian Grand Prix |
9 Sep 2007 |
Monza |
Fernando Alonso (ESP) |
1:18:37.806 |
Belgian Grand Prix |
16 Sep 2007 |
Spa-Francorchamps |
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) |
1:20:39.066 |
Japanese Grand Prix |
30 Sep 2007 |
Oyama |
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) |
2:00:34.579 |
Chinese Grand Prix |
7 Oct 2007 |
Shanghai |
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) |
1:37:58.395 |
Brazilian Grand Prix |
21 Oct 2007 |
Sao Paulo |
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) |
1:28:15.270 |
Australian Grand Prix |
16 Mar 2008 |
Melbourne |
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) |
1:34:50.616 |
Malaysian Grand Prix |
23 Mar 2008 |
Kuala Lumpur |
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) |
1:31:18.555 |
Bahrain Grand Prix |
6 Apr 2008 |
Bahrain |
Felipe Massa (BRA) |
1:31:06.970 |
Spanish Grand Prix |
27 Apr 2008 |
Catalonia |
Kimi Raikkonen (FIN) |
1:38:19.051 |
Turkish Grand Prix |
11 May 2008 |
Istanbul |
Felipe Massa (BRA) |
1:26:49.451 |
Monaco Grand Prix |
25 May 2008 |
Monte-Carlo |
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) |
2:00:42.742 |
Canadian Grand Prix |
8 Jun 2008 |
Montreal |
Robert Kubica (POL) |
1:36:24:447 |
French Grand Prix |
22 Jun 2008 |
Magny-Cours |
Felipe Massa (BRA) |
1:31:50.245 |
British Grand Prix |
6 Jul 2008 |
Silverstone |
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) |
1:39:09.440 |
German Grand Prix |
20 Jul 2008 |
Hockenheim |
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) |
1:31:20.874 |
Hungarian Grand Prix |
3 Aug 2008 |
Budapest |
Heikki Kovalainen (FIN) |
1:37:27.067 |
Indianapolis 500
There was no competition in 1917-18 and 1942-45. Won by an American racer except as indicated.
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AVG.SPEED |
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AVG. SPEED |
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AVG. SPEED |
|||||
YEAR |
WINNER |
(MPH) |
YEAR |
WINNER |
(MPH) |
YEAR |
WINNER |
(MPH) |
||
1911 |
Ray Harroun |
74.602 |
1929 |
Ray Keech |
97.585 |
195 03 Johnnie Parsons |
124.002 |
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1912 |
Joe Dawson |
78.719 |
1930 |
Billy Arnold |
100.448 |
1951 |
Lee Wallard |
126.244 |
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1913 |
Jules Goux (FRA) |
75.933 |
1931 |
Louis Schneider |
96.629 |
1952 |
Troy Ruttman |
128.922 |
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1914 |
Rene Thomas |
82.474 |
1932 |
Fred Frame |
104.144 |
1953 |
Bill Vukovich |
128.740 |
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(FRA) |
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1933 |
Louie Meyer |
104.162 |
1954 |
Bill Vukovich |
130.840 |
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1915 |
Ralph DePalma |
89.840 |
1934 |
Bill Cummings |
104.863 |
1955 |
Robert Sweikert |
128.209 |
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19161 |
Dario Resta (FRA) |
84.001 |
1935 |
Kelly Petillo |
106.240 |
1956 |
Pat Flaherty |
128.490 |
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1919 |
Howdy Wilcox |
88.050 |
1936 |
Louie Meyer |
109.069 |
1957 |
Sam Hanks |
135.601 |
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1920 |
Gaston Chevrolet |
88.618 |
1937 |
Wilbur Shaw |
113.580 |
1958 |
Jimmy Bryan |
133.791 |
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1921 |
Tommy Milton |
89.621 |
1938 |
Floyd Roberts |
117.200 |
1959 |
Rodger Ward |
135.857 |
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1922 |
Jimmy Murphy |
94.484 |
1939 |
Wilbur Shaw |
115.035 |
1960 |
Jim Rathmann |
138.767 |
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1923 |
Tommy Milton |
90.954 |
1940 |
Wilbur Shaw |
114.277 |
1961 |
A.J. Foyt, Jr. |
139.131 |
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19242 |
L.L. Corum, Joe |
98.234 |
19412 Floyd Davis, |
115.117 |
1962 |
Rodger Ward |
140.293 |
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Boyer |
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Mauri Rose |
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1963 |
Parnelli Jones |
143.137 |
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1925 |
Peter DePaolo |
101.127 |
1946 |
George Robson |
114.820 |
1964 |
A.J. Foyt, Jr. |
147.350 |
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19263 |
Frank Lockhart |
95.904 |
1947 |
Mauri Rose |
116.338 |
1965 |
Jim Clark (GBR) |
150.686 |
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1927 |
George Souders |
97.545 |
1948 |
Mauri Rose |
119.814 |
1966 |
Graham Hill |
144.317 |
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1928 |
Louie Meyer |
99.482 |
1949 |
Bill Holland |
121.327 |
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(GBR) |
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AVG.SPEED |
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AVG. SPEED |
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AVG.SPEED |
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YEAR |
WINNER |
(MPH) |
YEAR |
WINNER |
(MPH) |
YEAR |
WINNER |
(MPH) |
1967 |
A.J. Foyt, Jr. |
151.207 |
1982 |
Gordon |
162.029 |
1997 |
Arie Luyendyk |
145.827 |
1968 |
Bobby Unser |
152.882 |
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Johncock |
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(NED) |
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1969 |
Mario Andretti |
156.867 |
1983 |
Tom Sneva |
162.117 |
1998 |
Eddie Cheever, Jr. 145.155 |
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1970 |
Al Unser |
155.749 |
1984 |
Rick Mears |
163.612 |
1999 |
Kenny Brack |
153.176 |
1971 |
Al Unser |
157.735 |
1985 |
Danny Sullivan |
152.982 |
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(SWE) |
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1972 |
Mark |
162.962 |
1986 |
Bobby Rahal |
170.722 |
2000 |
Juan Montoya |
167.607 |
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Donohue |
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1987 |
Al Unser |
162.175 |
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(COL) |
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19733 |
Gordon |
159.036 |
1988 |
Rick Mears |
144.809 |
2001 |
Helio Castro- |
153.601 |
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Johncock |
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1989 |
Emerson Fitti- |
167.581 |
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neves (BRA) |
\ |
1974 |
Johnny |
158.589 |
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paldi (BRA) |
|
2002 |
Helio Castro- |
166.499 |
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Rutherford |
|
1990 |
Arie Luyendyk |
185.984 |
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neves (BRA) |
|
19753 |
Bobby Unser |
149.213 |
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(NED) |
|
2003 |
Gil de Ferran |
156.291 |
19763 |
Johnny |
148.725 |
1991 |
Rick Mears |
176.457 |
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(BRA) |
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Rutherford |
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1992 |
Al Unser, Jr. |
134.479 |
20043 |
Buddy Rice |
138.518 |
1977 |
A.J. Foyt, Jr. |
161.331 |
1993 |
Emerson Fitti- |
157.207 |
2005 |
Dan Wheldon |
157.603 |
1978 |
Al Unser |
161.363 |
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paldi (BRA) |
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(GBR) |
|
1979 |
Rick Mears |
158.899 |
1994 |
Al Unser, Jr. |
160.872 |
2006 |
Sam Hornish, Jr. |
157.085 |
1980 |
Johnny |
142.862 |
1995 |
Jacques Ville- |
153.616 |
2007 |
Dario Franchitti |
151.774 |
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Rutherford |
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neuve(CAN) |
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(GBR) |
|
1981 |
Bobby Unser |
139.084 |
1996 |
Buddy Lazier |
147.956 |
2008 |
Scott Dixon (NZL) 143.567 |
Scheduled 300-mile race. 2First driver started the race but was replaced during the race by the second driver named. 3Race stopped because of rain (in 1926 after 400 miles, in 1950 after 345 miles, in 1973 after 332.5 miles, in 1975 after 435 miles, in 1976 after 255 miles, and in 2004 after 450 miles).
NASCAR Nextel Cup Champions
YEAR |
WINNER |
YEAR |
WINNER |
1949 |
Red Byron |
1964 |
Richard Petty |
1950 |
Bill Rexford |
1965 |
Ned Jarrett |
1951 |
Herb Thomas |
1966 |
David Pearson |
1952 |
Tim Flock |
1967 |
Richard Petty |
1953 |
Herb Thomas |
1968 |
David Pearson |
1954 |
Lee Petty |
1969 |
David Pearson |
1955 |
Tim Flock |
1970 |
Bobby Isaac |
1956 |
Buck Baker |
1971 |
Richard Petty |
1957 |
Buck Baker |
1972 |
Richard Petty |
1958 |
Lee Petty |
1973 |
Benny Parsons |
1959 |
Lee Petty |
1974 |
Richard Petty |
1960 |
Rex White |
1975 |
Richard Petty |
1961 |
Ned Jarrett |
1976 |
Cale Yarborough |
1962 |
Joe Weatherly |
1977 |
Cale Yarborough |
1963 |
Joe Weatherly |
1978 |
Cale Yarborough |
YEAR |
WINNER |
YEAR |
WINNER |
1979 |
Richard Petty |
1994 |
Dale Earnhardt |
1980 |
Dale Earnhardt |
1995 |
Jeff Gordon |
1981 |
Darrell Waltrip |
1996 |
Terry Labonte |
1982 |
Darrell Waltrip |
1997 |
Jeff Gordon |
1983 |
Bobby Allison |
1998 |
Jeff Gordon |
1984 |
Terry Labonte |
1999 |
Dale Jarrett |
1985 |
Darrell Waltrip |
2000 |
Bobby Labonte |
1986 |
Dale Earnhardt |
2001 |
Jeff Gordon |
1987 |
Dale Earnhardt |
2002 |
Tony Stewart |
1988 |
Bill Elliott |
2003 |
Matt Kenseth |
1989 |
Rusty Wallace |
2004 |
Kurt Busch |
1990 |
Dale Earnhardt |
2005 |
Tony Stewart |
1991 |
Dale Earnhardt |
2006 |
Jimmie Johnson |
1992 |
Alan Kulwicki |
2007 |
Jimmie Johnson |
1993 |
Dale Earnhardt |
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