2000 Indy Racing League

2000 Indy Racing League season
Indy Racing Northern Light Series
Season
Races	10 9
Start date	January 29
End date	October 15
Awards
Drivers' champion	Buddy Lazier
Indianapolis 500 winner	Juan Pablo Montoya
Chronology
Previous season	Next season
1999	2001

The 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series was another season that saw a high level of parity, as only one driver, champion Buddy Lazier, won more than a single race. It also saw the beginning of the jump from CART as Al Unser Jr. moved to the series full-time and Chip Ganassi Racing came over to run the Indy 500, which it won with driver Juan Pablo Montoya. It was also the final season for the Riley & Scott chassis, which also saw its first series win in 2000.

A planned race at Cleveland was cancelled on September 9, 2000, and reverted to a CART event.

Team and Driver Chart

Team	Chassis	Engine	No.	Drivers	Rounds
A. J. Foyt Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	11	Eliseo Salazar	All
			14	Jeff Ward	All
			41	Billy Boat	4
Blueprint Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	27	Niclas Jönsson	1
				Jimmy Kite	2-9
Bradley Motorsports	Dallara	Oldsmobile	12	Buzz Calkins	All
Byrd-Cunningham Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	30	Jon Herb	1
				Ronnie Johncox	2-3
				J.J. Yeley	7-9
	Riley & Scott			Robby Unser	5-6
Cahill Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	98	Donnie Beechler	All
Dick Simon Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	7	Stéphan Grégoire	All
			90	Lyn St. James	4
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	23	Steve Knapp	4
			24	Robbie Buhl	All
Galles Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	3	Al Unser, Jr.	All
Hemelgarn Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	91	Buddy Lazier	All
			92	Stan Wattles	4
Hillenburg Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	48	Andy Hillenburg	4
Hubbard-Immke Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	20	Tyce Carlson	1-3, 5-9
Indy Regency Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	22	Johnny Unser	4
Kelley Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	8	Scott Sharp	All
			28	Mark Dismore	All
Logan Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	10	Stevie Reeves	7
			19	Billy Roe	5
				Stevie Reeves	8-9
Mid America Motorsports	Dallara	Oldsmobile	43	Doug Didero	1-3, 5-6
				Scott Harrington	7
				Jaques Lazier	8
				Davey Hamilton	9
Nienhouse Motorsports	G-Force	Oldsmobile	17	Niclas Jönsson	2
				Scott Harrington	3
Pagan Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	75	Richie Hearn	4
Panther Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	4	Scott Goodyear	All
PDM Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	18	Sam Hornish, Jr.	1-6, 8-9
Sinden Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	44	Davey Hamilton	1
Target Chip Ganassi Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	9	Juan Pablo Montoya	4
			10	Jimmy Vasser	4
Team Cheever	Dallara	Infiniti Indy	51	Eddie Cheever	All
Team Coulson Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	40	Roberto Guerrero	8
Team Menard	Dallara	Oldsmobile	1	Greg Ray	All
			32	Robby Gordon	4
Team Pelfrey	Dallara	Oldsmobile	81	Billy Boat	1-3, 5-9
Team Xtreme	G-Force	Oldsmobile	16	Davey Hamilton	2-8
				Jaques Lazier	9
			42	John Hollansworth, Jr.	1
			88	Airton Daré	All
Treadway Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	5	Robby McGehee	All
			50	Jason Leffler	4
			55	Jason Leffler	3
				Raul Boesel	4
				Shigeaki Hattori	5-9
Tri Star Motorsports	Dallara	Oldsmobile	6	Jeret Schroeder	All
			9	Robby Unser	1
			21	Dr. Jack Miller	3
				Zak Morioka	9
Truscelli Team Racing	G-Force	Oldsmobile	33	Jaques Lazier	1, 3-6
				Bobby Regester	2
Walker Racing	Dallara	Oldsmobile	15	Sarah Fisher	2-9

Race summaries

Delphi Indy 200

This race was held January 29 at Walt Disney World Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 24- Robbie Buhl
2. 91- Buddy Lazier
3. 51- Eddie Cheever
4. 4- Scott Goodyear
5. 11- Eliseo Salazar
6. 98- Donnie Beechler
7. 14- Jeff Ward
8. 12- Buzz Calkins
9. 81- Billy Boat
10. 55- Robby McGehee

MCI WorldCom Indy 200

This race was held March 19 at Phoenix International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 91- Buddy Lazier
2. 4- Scott Goodyear
3. 98- Donnie Beechler
4. 11- Eliseo Salazar
5. 8- Scott Sharp
6. 81- Billy Boat
7. 24- Robbie Buhl
8. 7- Stephan Gregoire
9. 3- Al Unser, Jr.
10. 51- Eddie Cheever

Vegas Indy 300

This race was held April 22 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mark Dismore won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 3- Al Unser, Jr.
2. 28- Mark Dismore
3. 18- Sam Hornish, Jr.
4. 6- Jeret Schroeder
5. 24- Robbie Buhl
6. 5- Robby McGehee
7. 81- Billy Boat
8. 20- Tyce Carlson
9. 1- Greg Ray
10. 33- Jaques Lazier

84th Indianapolis 500

The Indy 500 was held May 28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Greg Ray sat on pole.

Top ten results

1. 9- Juan Pablo Montoya
2. 91- Buddy Lazier
3. 11- Eliseo Salazar
4. 14- Jeff Ward
5. 51- Eddie Cheever
6. 32- Robby Gordon
7. 10- Jimmy Vasser
8. 7- Stephan Gregoire
9. 4- Scott Goodyear
10. 8- Scott Sharp

Casino Magic 500

This race was held June 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. Buddy Lazier won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 8- Scott Sharp
2. 5- Robby McGehee
3. 3- Al Unser, Jr.
4. 12- Buzz Calkins
5. 4- Scott Goodyear
6. 28- Mark Dismore
7. 91- Buddy Lazier
8. 55- Shigeaki Hattori
9. 51- Eddie Cheever
10. 88- Airton Daré

Radisson 200

This race was held June 18 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 51- Eddie Cheever
2. 88- Airton Daré
3. 8- Scott Sharp
4. 28- Mark Dismore
5. 98- Donnie Beechler
6. 11- Eliseo Salazar
7. 6- Jeret Schroeder
8. 7- Stephan Gregoire
9. 33- Jaques Lazier
10. 3- Al Unser, Jr.

Midas 500 Classic

This race was held July 15 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 1- Greg Ray
2. 91- Buddy Lazier
3. 3- Al Unser, Jr.
4. 5- Robby McGehee
5. 98- Donnie Beechler
6. 24- Robbie Buhl
7. 7- Stephan Gregoire
8. 81- Billy Boat
9. 55- Shigeaki Hattori
10. 11- Eliseo Salazar

Belterra Resort Indy 300

This race was held August 27 at Kentucky Speedway. Scott Goodyear won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 91- Buddy Lazier
2. 4- Scott Goodyear
3. 15- Sarah Fisher
4. 51- Eddie Cheever
5. 7- Stephan Gregoire
6. 14- Jeff Ward
7. 1- Greg Ray
8. 55- Shigeaki Hattori
9. 18- Sam Hornish, Jr.
10. 98- Donnie Beechler

Excite 500

This race was held October 15 at Texas Motor Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 4- Scott Goodyear
2. 51- Eddie Cheever
3. 81- Billy Boat
4. 91- Buddy Lazier
5. 11- Eliseo Salazar
6. 98- Donnie Beechler
7. 55- Shigeaki Hattori
8. 14- Jeff Ward
9. 12- Buzz Calkins
10. 16- Jaques Lazier

Season Summary

Race results

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Track	Location	Pole position	Fastest lap	Most Laps Led	Winner
1	January 29	Delphi Indy 200	Walt Disney World Speedway	Bay Lake, Florida	Greg Ray	Mark Dismore	Robbie Buhl	Robbie Buhl
2	March 19	MCI WorldCom Indy 200	Phoenix International Raceway	Phoenix, Arizona	Greg Ray	Tyce Carlson	Scott Sharp	Buddy Lazier
3	April 22	Vegas Indy 300	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	Las Vegas, Nevada	Mark Dismore	Mark Dismore	Mark Dismore	Al Unser, Jr.
4	May 28	84th Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Greg Ray	Buddy Lazier	Juan Pablo Montoya	Juan Pablo Montoya
5	June 11	Casino Magic 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, Texas	Buddy Lazier	Eddie Cheever	Al Unser, Jr.	Scott Sharp
6	June 18	Radisson 200	Pikes Peak International Raceway	Fountain, Colorado	Greg Ray	Buzz Calkins	Scott Sharp	Eddie Cheever
7	July 15	Midas 500 Classic	Atlanta Motor Speedway	Hampton, Georgia	Greg Ray	Donnie Beechler	Greg Ray	Greg Ray
8	August 27	Belterra Resort Indy 300	Kentucky Speedway	Sparta, Kentucky	Scott Goodyear	Buddy Lazier	Scott Goodyear	Buddy Lazier
9	October 15	Excite 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, Texas	Greg Ray	Jaques Lazier	Al Unser, Jr.	Scott Goodyear

Note: All races running on Oval/Speedway.

Final points standings

Pos Driver WDW PHX LSV INDY TXS PIK ATL KTY TXS Pts 1 Buddy Lazier 2 1 22 2 7 26 2 1 4 290 2 Scott Goodyear 4 2 12 9 5 16 11 2* 1 272 3 Eddie Cheever 3 10 11 5 9 1 21 4 2 257 4 Eliseo Salazar 5 4 18 3 17 6 10 25 5 210 5 Mark Dismore 16 16 2* 11 6 4 18 11 14 202 6 Donnie Beechler 6 3 26 12 22 5 5 10 6 202 7 Scott Sharp 15 5* 27 10 1 3* 16 24 24 196 8 Robbie Buhl 1* 7 5 26 18 23 6 13 18 190 9 Al Unser, Jr. 25 9 1 29 3* 10 3 27 17* 188 10 Billy Boat 9 6 7 15 23 18 8 18 3 181 11 Jeff Ward 7 11 21 4 19 15 19 6 8 176 12 Robby McGehee 10 24 6 21 2 13 4 14 24 174 13 Greg Ray 17 19 9 33 15 20 1* 7 26 172 14 Stéphane Grégoire 18 8 28 8 11 8 7 5 20 171 15 Buzz Calkins 8 23 25 18 4 12 23 12 9 145 16 Airton Daré 11 22 14 25 10 2 25 19 12 142 17 Jeret Schroeder 19 12 4 14 21 7 24 26 16 136 18 Sarah Fisher 13 17 31 12 25 14 3 11 124 19 Tyce Carlson 13 15 8 DNQ 13 11 13 22 23 124 20 Jaques Lazier 23 10 13 14 9 20 10 112 21 Sam Hornish, Jr. 20 17 3 24 20 19 9 27 110 22 Shigeaki Hattori DNP 8 17 9 8 7 109 23 Davey Hamilton 26 18 20 20 24 14 15 16 19 98 24 Jimmy Kite 26 16 30 16 24 12 17 21 79 25 Juan Pablo Montoya 1* 54 26 Doug Didero 14 25 19 DNQ 27 22 43 27 Ronnie Johncox 14 13 DNQ DNS 33 28 J. J. Yeley 17 15 25 33 29 Robby Gordon 6 28 30 Jason Leffler 15 17 28 31 Niclas Jönsson 12 21 27 32 Jimmy Vasser 7 26 33 Stevie Reeves 22 21 22 25 34 Robby Unser 24 DNQ 26 21 19 35 Scott Harrington 23 DNQ 20 17 36 Zak Morioka 15 15 37 Raul Boesel 16 14 38 Steve Knapp 19 11 39 Bobby Regester 20 10 40 John Hollansworth, Jr. 21 9 41 Jon Herb 22 8 42 Johnny Unser 22 8 43 Stan Wattles 23 DNP 7 44 Roberto Guerrero DNQ 23 7 45 Dr. Jack Miller 24 DNQ 6 46 Billy Roe 25 DNP 5 47 Richie Hearn 27 3 48 Andy Hillenburg 28 2 49 Lyn St. James 32 1 - Ross Cheever DNQ 0 - Dan Drinan DNQ 0 - Wim Eyckmans DNP 0 - Russ Gamester DNS 0 - Memo Gidley DNQ 0 - Davy Jones DNQ 0 - Hideshi Matsuda DNQ 0 - Casey Mears DNP 0 - Andy Michner Wth Wth 0 - David Pook DNP 0 - Guy Smith 0 - Tony Stewart DNP 0 Pos Driver WDW PHX LSV INDY TXS PIK ATL KTY TXS Pts

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 (Ret) Red Did not qualify (DNQ) Brown Withdrawn (Wth) Black Disqualified (DSQ) White Did not start (DNS) Blank Did not participate (DNP) Not competing In-line notation Bold Pole position (3 points) Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps (2 points) DNS Any driver who qualifies but does not start (DNS), earns all the points had they taken part. Rookie of the Year Rookie

• 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.

Additional points were awarded to the pole winner (3 points), the second best qualifier (2 points), the third best qualifier (1 point) and to the driver leading the most laps (2 point).

See also

• 2000 Indianapolis 500
• 2000 Indy Lights season
• 2000 CART season
• 2000 Toyota Atlantic Championship season
• http://www.champcarstats.com/year/2000i.htm
• http://media.indycar.com/pdf/2011/IICS_2011_Historical_Record_Book_INT6.pdf (p. 130-131)