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American Indycar Series

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For the current professional series sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, see IndyCar Series.


American Indycar Series
SportAuto racing
JurisdictionUnited States United States
AbbreviationAIS
Founded1988
PresidentBill Tempero
Closure date2005

The American Indycar Series (AIS) was an American open wheel racing series founded in 1988 by racing driver, owner, and businessperson Bill Tempero. The series utilized year-old (and older) chassis and engines from the CART series and later the Indy Racing League. CART and IRL drivers including Buddy Lazier, Jaques Lazier, Robby Unser, and Johnny Unser found early career success in the AIS.

In the mid-1980s, the once-popular Can-Am series was withering, and most teams had already defected to CART or IMSA. The last holdouts formed "CAT" (Can-Am Teams) in 1986 to take over sanctioning of the series as part of the SCCA. Two plans emerged, one keeping the Formula 5000-based cars, and others, led by Bill Tempero who favored using old CART Indy car machines. During 1986 and 1987, the CAT races were run essentially as two-class races, with the familiar full-bodied Formula 5000 cars racing alongside ex-CART Indy cars.[1][2] CAT folded after the 1987 season.

Tempero then broke off and started his Indy car series in 1988. With an emphasis on cost savings, the cars would be powered by 5.9 L (360 in3) normally aspirated, stock block Chevrolet V-8 engines. Buddy Lazier was the first season champion. Tempero himself won one race that year, and placed third in the final season points standings.

As the series slowly began to gain competitors, the teams were allowed to run a choice of two powerplants. The aforementioned stock block Chevy, or the Buick V-6 in turbocharged or normally aspirated configuration. An equivalency formula was determined to provide for competitive balance among the different engine combinations. The chassis utilized were the March, Lola, Reynard, Eagle, and Penske from CART competition. In later years, G-Force and Dallara chassis from IRL competition saw use as well. Over the years, the AIS series had a predominantly western-based schedule, but did also have races in New York, the South, and Canada. AIS ran on mostly short ovals and road courses.

The series was reborn with new management in 2001–2002. A new management team formed the United States Speedway Series (USSS), while a new AIS under different management conducted races as well. The USSS ceased racing after 2005; the AIS shut down after 2002.

1988 AIS season

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The 1988 Valvoline-Machinists Union American Indycar Series[3] was the inaugural season of the American Indycar Series. After running mixed-class races with ex-Indy car chassis alongside the full-bodied Formula 5000-based machines in the Can-Am series in 1986–1987, this represented the first full season for Bill Tempero's Indy car series. The cars were powered by stock block Chevrolet engines, ranging from 275 to 400 cubic inch displacement.[3] The chassis were mostly used Marches and Lolas from CART competition in 1985–1986.

The season consisted of eight races beginning at Willow Springs in California. Three of the events were to be hosted as twin-race weekends, with the season finale consisting of twin races at Willow Springs. Three of the races were held on 1⁄2 mile ovals, and rest were held on road courses. Buddy Lazier won the first season championship, with six wins out of the eight contested races. Kevin Whitesides placed second in points, posting three runner-up finishes, and was declared the rookie of the year.

Rd. Date Type Track Location Winner Chassis Engine Tire Laps Miles Ref.
1 May 1  R  Willow Springs Rosamond, California Buddy Lazier March 85C Chevrolet H 40 101.6 [4]
2 June 19  R  Gateway International Raceway Madison, Illinois Buddy Lazier March 85C Chevrolet H 54 118.8 [5]
3 July 3  R  Mountain View Motorsports Park Mead, Colorado Robby Unser Lola Chevrolet H 100 100 [6]
4 July 23  O  Shangri-La Motor Speedway Owego, New York Buddy Lazier March 85C Chevrolet H 100 50 [7]
July 23 Cancelled due to rain 100 50
5 September 3  O  Race City Speedway Calgary, Alberta, Canada Buddy Lazier March 86C Chevrolet H 125 62.5 [8]
6 September 4  O  Bill Tempero Lola Chevrolet H 125 62.5 [9]
7 October 9  R  Willow Springs Rosamond, California Buddy Lazier March 85C Chevrolet H 24 60.96 [10]
8 October 9  R  Buddy Lazier March 85C Chevrolet H 24 60.96 [11]

Race summaries

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  • Round 1: The first race of the season was held at Willow Springs. Buddy Lazier started on the pole position after winning a 5-lap qualifying heat over Bob Schader.[12] Lazier won the 40-lap race in dominating fashion, finishing 29.16 seconds ahead of second place Kevin Whitesides. The race was run in two 20-lap heats, with a one-hour halfway intermission for teams to make adjustments to their cars.[13]
  • Round 2: The Illinois Grand Prix was held at the old road course at Gateway International Raceway.[3] Buddy Lazier won the pole position with a lap of 98.4 mph.[14] The race was run in two 27-lap legs, with a two-hour halfway break for teams to make adjustments to their machines. On a hot afternoon, a crowd of 6,000 were in attendance. Buddy Lazier led the most laps and won the race, despite experiencing bad tire wear over the final 15 laps. Bill Tempero, who battled with Lazier in the early going, finished second, 41.08 seconds behind. Kevin Whitesides blew an engine on Friday, then suffered a fire during the warmup lap, but he recovered to finish 4th.[15]
  • Round 3: The Grand Prix of Colorado was held at the Mountain View Motor Sports Park road course on July 4th weekend. Robby Unser won the pole position and led-wire to wire for his first victory in the series. Buddy Lazier finish second, 4.5 seconds behind.[16]
  • Round 4: The first oval event for the AIS was held at Shangri-La Speedway in New York. Twin 100-lap races were scheduled, but the second feature race was rained out. Only eight cars showed up, in front of a paltry crowd of roughly 2,500 spectators. Bill Tempero won the pole position, but elected to start the race at the back of the field. Buddy Lazier suffered an oil leak after practice in his March 86C, so the car was parked. His switched cars with his father and teammate Bob, who was driving an ex-Bobby Rahal March 85C. Lazier led all 100 laps en route to his third victory of the season. Only four cars were running at the finish.[17][18][19]
  • Round 5: The AIS held its first race outside of the United States, with twin 125-lap races at Race City in Calgary.[20] A pit stop demonstration was held Friday at Stephen Avenue mall to promote the event.[21] The first race was held Saturday night. During practice on Friday, Buddy Lazier suffered a shattered brake disc on his March 85C, so he one again switched cars with his father Bob and drove the team's 86C. At that point, Bob elected to retire from driving in AIS. Lazier beat Kevin Whitesides to the finish line by 0.3 seconds. Bill Tempero finished third.[8]
  • Rounds 7 and 8: The Bud Light 100 was the final event of the season. It was held as twin races at Willow Springs. Buddy Lazier won the pole position with a lap of 120.656 mph, and Robby Unser qualified second.[22] During the first race, Robby Unser grabbed the lead at the start, and led the first 11 laps. Buddy Lazier took the lead in turn one lap 12, and led to the checkered flag. Lazier beat Unser to the finish line by 3.04 seconds, and with the victory, mathematically clinched the 1988 AIS championship.[23] In the second race, Lazier started from the pole, and once again drove to victory, his sixth win of the season. Kevin Whitesides ran out of fuel during both races, but still scored enough points to place second in the final points standings.[24]

Final points standings (Top five)

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Pos Driver R1
United States 		R2
United States 		R3
United States 		R4
United States 		R5
Canada 		R6
Canada 		R7
United States 		R8
United States 		Pts
1 United States Buddy Lazier 1 1 2 1 1 4 1 1 152
2 United States Kevin Whitesides 2 4 3 2 2 3 6 4 112
3 United States Bill Tempero 9 2 5 3 3 1 3 3 110
4 United States Robby Unser DNS 10 1 4 5 2 2 2 97
5 United States John Eskuri 5 11 6 5 9 10 73

1989 AIS season

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The 1989 Machinists Union American Indycar Series was the second season of the AIS. The season consisted of eight doubleheader weekends, for a total of sixteen races. Robby Unser won 12 of the 16 races, and won the season championship. Buddy Lazier only ran a part-time schedule, splitting time with his CART commitments. Lazier won three races, and finished 7th in points. Richard Griffin won one race and was declared the rookie of the year.

The race meet at Shangri-La was originally scheduled for August 5, but was postponed to September due to rain.[25]

Rd. Date Type Track Location Winner Chassis Engine Tire Laps Miles Ref.
1 May 21  O  Hawkeye Downs Speedway Cedar Rapids, Iowa Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 100 50 [26][27]
2 May 21 Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 100 50 [28][27]
3 June 4  O  I-70 Speedway Odessa, Missouri Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 100 50 [29]
4 June 4 Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 64 32 [30]
5 June 10  R  Memphis Motorsports Park Millington, Tennessee Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 35 63 [31]
6 June 11 Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 35 63 [32]
7 July 4  O  Colorado National Speedway Dacono, Colorado Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 100 37.5 [33]
8 July 4 Buddy Lazier March Chevrolet H 100 37.5 [34]
9 August 20  O  Race City Speedway Calgary, Alberta, Canada Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 125 62.5 [35]
10 August 20 Buddy Lazier March 86C Chevrolet H 125 62.5 [36]
11 September 2  O  Colorado National Speedway Dacono, Colorado Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 125 46.9 [37]
12 September 3 Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 125 46.9 [38]
13 September 30  O  Shangri-La Motor Speedway Owego, New York Richard Griffin Lola Chevrolet H 100 50 [39]
14 September 30 Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 100 50 [40]
15 October 29  R  Willow Springs Rosamond, California Robby Unser Lola T900 Chevrolet H 25 62.5 [41]
16 October 29 Buddy Lazier March 85C Chevrolet H 25 62.5 [42]

1990-1995 AIS seasons

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1998 AIS season

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Date Track Location Winner Car
April 5 Hallett Motor Racing Circuit Hallett, Oklahoma Shayne Stephens Lola/Buick-Menard
June 13 Magic Valley Speedway Twin Falls, Idaho Mike Lee March/Chevrolet
July 28 Hawkeye Downs Speedway Cedar Rapids, Iowa Ken Petrie March/Chevrolet
September 20 Race City Speedway Calgary, Alberta, Canada Ken Petrie March/Chevrolet
September 20 Birmingham International Raceway Birmingham, Alabama Greg Gorden Lola/Buick-Menard

1999 AIS season

[edit]
Date Track Location Winner Car
May 23 La Crosse Fairgrounds Speedway West Salem, Wisconsin Ken Petrie March/Chevrolet
June 20 Mountain View Motorsports Park Mead, Colorado Bill Tempero Lola/Buick-Menard
July 10 Magic Valley Speedway Twin Falls, Idaho Jimmy Santos Lola/Chevrolet
September 5 Exposition Park street circuit Los Angeles Bill Tempero Lola/Menard

2000 AIS season

[edit]
Date Track Location Winner Car
May 19 Hallett Motor Racing Circuit Hallett, Oklahoma Greg Gorden Lola/Buick-Menard
July 3 St. Johns Airpark St. Johns, Arizona Jimmy Santos Reynard/Ilmor-Mercedes-Benz
August 14 Pueblo Motorsports Park Pueblo, Colorado Juan Carlos Carbonell Lola/Buick-Menard
October 16 Infineon Raceway Sonoma, California Juan Carlos Carbonell Lola/Buick-Menard
November 26 Phoenix Avondale, Arizona Mike Lee G Force/Aurora

2002 AIS Season

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  • April 20–21 Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Eddy Nahir)
  • May 18–19 Thunderhill Motorsport Park
  • June 21–23 California Speedway, two races, (Eddy Nahir, Eddy Nahir)
  • Oct. 5 - 6 Willow Springs International Raceway
  • Nov. 22 - 24 Phoenix International Raceway
  • Dec. 13 - 15 Aloha Grand Prix

USSS seasons

[edit]

2001 season

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Date Track Location Winner Car
April 8 Las Vegas Motor Speedway (road) Las Vegas, Nevada Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
May 13 Pikes Peak International Raceway Fountain, Colorado Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
June 16 Sandia Motor Speedway Albuquerque Mike Lee Hoffpauir Lola/Menard Buick
July 14 Dodge City Raceway Park Dodge City, Kansas Phil Erickson Fast Line Lola/Buick-Menard
August 25 Sandia Motorsports Park Albuquerque Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
September 30 Firebird International Raceway Chandler, Arizona Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
October 14 Pikes Peak International Raceway Fountain, Colorado Greg Gorden G-Force/Oldsmobile
November 25 Firebird International Raceway Chandler, Arizona Greg Gorden G-Force/Oldsmobile

2002 season

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Date Track Location Winner Car
April 20 San Antonio Speedway San Antonio Ken Petrie Fast Line Lola/Buick-Menard
May 5 Pikes Peak International Raceway Fountain, Colorado Greg Gorden G-Force/Oldsmobile
June 15 Dodge City Raceway Park Dodge City, Kansas Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
July 27 Magic Valley Speedway Twin Falls, Idaho Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
August 18 Pueblo Motorsports Park Pueblo, Colorado Mike Lee Hoffpauir Menard Lola
September 7 Sandia Motorsports Park Albuquerque Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
October 5 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nevada Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
December 1 Firebird International Raceway Chandler, Arizona

2003 season

[edit]
Date Track Location Winner Car
April 12 San Antonio Speedway San Antonio Eric Koselke March/Chevrolet
May 4 Pikes Peak International Raceway (road) Fountain, Colorado Greg Gorden G-Force/Oldsmobile
May 18 Pueblo Motorsports Park Pueblo, Colorado Ken Petrie March/Chevrolet
June 22 California Speedway (road) Fontana, California Mike Koss Lola/Menard-Buick
July 26 Magic Valley Speedway Twin Falls, Idaho Mike Koss Dallara/Oldsmobile
August 16 Sandia Motorsports Park Albuquerque Mike Lee Lola-Menard Buick
September 1 St. Johns Airport St. John's Arizona Ken Petrie Precision March/Chevrolet
September 14 Pikes Peak International Raceway (road) Fountain, Colorado Greg Gorden G-Force/Oldsmobile
October 4 Las Vegas Motor Speedway Las Vegas, Nevada Mike Lee Lola-Menard Buick


Champions

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American Indycar Series

[edit]
  • 1988 Buddy Lazier
  • 1989 Robby Unser
  • 1990 Bill Tempero
  • 1991 Bill Tempero
  • 1992 Rod Bennett
  • 1993 Rick Sutherland
  • 1994 Bill Tempero
  • 1995 Bill Tempero
  • 1996 Ken Petrie
  • 1997 Ken Petrie
  • 1998 Greg Gorden
  • 1999 Bill Tempero
  • 2000 Mike Lee
  • 2002 Eddie Nahir (ARS)

United States Speedway Series

[edit]
  • 2001 Ken Petrie
  • 2002 Ken Petrie
  • 2003 Mike Koss
  • 2004 Greg Gorden
  • 2005 Bailey Dotson

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Can-Am 1986". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  2. ^ "Can-Am Teams 'Thundercar' Championship 1987". Old Racing Cars. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Sonderegger, John (June 17, 1988). "Metro East Track Is Host For 1st Indy-Car Race Here". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 41. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  4. ^ "American IndyCar Series race, Willow Springs". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  5. ^ "American IndyCar Series race, St. Louis". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  6. ^ "American IndyCar Series race, Mountain View". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  7. ^ "American IndyCar Series race, Shangri-La". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Well, Jim (September 4, 1988). "Laziers making hay on Indy-car circuit". Calgary Herald. p. 54. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  9. ^ a b "Unser smashes the record". Calgary Herald. September 6, 1988. p. 12. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  10. ^ "American IndyCar Series race, Willow Springs". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  11. ^ "American IndyCar Series race, Willow Springs". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  12. ^ "Sports Scene". Camarillo Star. May 1, 1988. p. 27. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  13. ^ "Lazier drives to first American Indy Car Series win". Palladium-Item. May 2, 1988. p. 15. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  14. ^ "Coloradoan Wins Grand Prix Pole". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 19, 1988. p. 64. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  15. ^ Austin Jr., Earl (June 20, 1988). "Lazier Survives Heat, Drives To Victory". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 13. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  16. ^ "Weekend Winners". Indianapolis News. July 4, 1988. p. 19. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  17. ^ Henderson, Dave (July 24, 1988). "Lonely victory ride at Shangri-La (Part 1)". Press and Star-Bulletin. p. 41. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  18. ^ Henderson, Dave (July 24, 1988). "Lonely victory ride at Shangri-La (Part 2)". Press and Star-Bulletin. p. 49. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  19. ^ Levanduski, Ron (July 27, 1988). "Unser, Lazier emerge as weekend winners". Star-Gazette. p. 18. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  20. ^ Suderman, Art (September 2, 1988). "Checkered flags wave for Unser boys". Calgary Herald. p. 81. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  21. ^ "Pit-stop on the mall". Calgary Herald. September 3, 1988. p. 1. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  22. ^ "Lazier captures pole". The Bradenton Herald. October 9, 1988. p. 38. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  23. ^ "Lazier survives challenge from Unser". The Day. October 10, 1988. p. 22. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  24. ^ "Lazier holdsoff Unser". Great Falls Tribune. October 10, 1988. p. 12. Retrieved September 13, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  25. ^ "Rain halts Tier tracks' racing cards". Press and Sun-Bulletin. August 6, 1989. p. 41. Retrieved September 17, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  26. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 1, Hawkeye Downs Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "Sunday's Results - American Indycar Series". The Gazette. May 22, 1989. p. 24. Retrieved September 16, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  28. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 2, Hawkeye Downs Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  29. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 1, I-70 Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  30. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 2, I-70 Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  31. ^ "Mid South 200 Race 1 - Memphis Motorsports Park". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  32. ^ "Mid South 200 Race 2 - Memphis Motorsports Park". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  33. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 1, Colorado National Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  34. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 2, Colorado National Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  35. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 1, Race City Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  36. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 2, Race City Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  37. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 3, Colorado National Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  38. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 4, Colorado National Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  39. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 1, Shangri-La Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  40. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 2, Shangri-La Speedway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  41. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 1, Willow Springs International Raceway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  42. ^ "American IndyCar Series race 2, Willow Springs International Raceway". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
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