Speedway/motorsports

NASCAR rookie Michael McDowell owes Indy Racing League leaders—and especially Tony George—a measure of gratitude.

If not for research funded by the IRL and George, and led by the University of Nebraska, McDowell, 23,…

Today, the Indy Racing League officially announced its sponsorship agreement with DirecTV that was first reported on this site March 27. Sources familiar with the multi-year deal said it is worth $3 million…

Officials for locally based Just Marketing International today announced they finalized a deal this week to work with BMW North American motorsports. Financial terms of the deal were not released.

Central to the commitment…

The Indy Racing League today announced a multi-year agreement with Coca-Cola North America that will make Coca-Cola an official sponsor of the Indy Racing League through 2010.

Terms of the category exclusive deal were…

While Danica Patrick earned a sixth-place finish in the Indy Racing League season opener at Homestead-Miami Speedway, 2,740 miles away in Los Angeles she was the winner of another contest.

 The Andretti Green Racing…

The early returns are good for the Indy Racing League. Attendance and television ratings at Saturday’s season opener in Miami were up and local media and fans raved about the on-track racing.

Although the…

The Indy Racing League late yesterday finalized a deal worth $3 million annually over the next few years that will essentially make DirecTV the series’ presenting sponsor. The California-based satellite television service provider…

 The company that powered Tony Stewart to the 1997 Indy Racing League championship is coming back to open-wheel racing. John Menard confirmed that his Menards chain of hardware superstores will be sponsoring Tony…

Business is good for the Indy Racing Experience, which was founded in a Gasoline Alley shop in 1987. The company, which started allowing fans to ride around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in two-seat…

Champ Car Wednesday filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy, igniting what could potentially be a bidding war for its assets. The Indy Racing League last month agreed to acquire certain assets of Champ Car, but the bankruptcy court could open things up….

Negotiations are heating up between Formula One and Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials that could bring F1 racing back to Indianapolis in 2009. Speedway boss Tony George told an audience at yesterday’s IU Business…

Recently released data shows NASCAR’s Daytona 500 is still miles ahead of the Indianapolis 500 in terms of value the race delivers to sponsors. But, with the unification of the Indy Racing League…

Does Gov. Mitch Daniels’ anointing of auto racing industry veteran Rollie Helmling as the state’s motorsports development director–or the unification of the Indy Racing League and Champ Car–create more motorsports business opportunities here? While state officials say yes, others in…

There could be as many as four women drivers in this year’s Indy Racing League season. Danica Patrick and Sarah Fisher already have signed deals to race this year. Yesterday, Venezuelan Milka Duno…

UPDATE (Feb. 22): Owners of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League completed an agreement in principle today that will unify the sport for 2008, said a statement released at 4:40 p.m. by the Indy Racing League. Several Champ Car…

AirTran Airways, a sponsor of Danica Patrick’s, recently announced that passengers at LaGuardia Airport in New York will have the privilege of their own personal pit crew to get through check-in fast, thanks to a hustling team of Danica Patrick…

The Indy Racing League series will hold a press conference tomorrow to announce its unification with Champ Car, sources close to the series said. John Griffin, Indy Racing League vice president of public relations, said though the exact timing of…

With its season opener six weeks away, the Indy Racing League is getting some preseason exposure from an unlikely source. During the run-up to NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500, the spotlight shined on two IRL alums vying for the…

You can’t say Indy Racing League driver Danica Patrick doesn’t make a splash. Patrick can be found gracing the pages of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue, which hits…

While the lights for an Indy Racing League-Champ Car merger appear to be turning green, smoke is apparently pouring from Champ Car’s balance sheet. Two well placed sources confirmed Champ Car will likely file bankruptcy, possibly as early as today.

Champ…