What is IndyCar?
IndyCar is the top level of American open-wheel racing, best known for the Indianapolis 500 and its mix of oval, road, and street circuits.
IndyCar, formally the NTT IndyCar Series, is the premier open-wheel racing championship in the United States, featuring single-seat, open-cockpit cars racing on a mix of oval superspeedways, permanent road courses, and temporary street circuits within a single season. This mixed calendar sets IndyCar apart from series that race exclusively on one type of track.
The centerpiece of the IndyCar season is the Indianapolis 500, first run in 1911 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Held annually over Memorial Day weekend in most years, "the 500" is one of the most attended single-day sporting events in the world and is often grouped with the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Monaco Grand Prix as part of motorsport's unofficial "Triple Crown."
IndyCar's modern era traces back to a 2008 reunification of the rival Champ Car and Indy Racing League series, which had split American open-wheel racing for over a decade. Since reunification, the series has run a spec chassis formula with engines supplied by a small number of manufacturers, a structure intended to keep costs manageable while preserving close, competitive racing across its varied circuit types.
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