2004 IndyCar Series season

2004 IndyCar season
Season
Races	16
Start date	February 29
End date	October 17
Awards
Drivers' champion	Tony Kanaan
Rookie of the Year	Kosuke Matsuura
Indianapolis 500 winner	Buddy Rice
Chronology
Previous season	Next season
2003	2005

The 2004 IRL IndyCar Series season was dominated by two teams, Andretti Green Racing and Rahal Letterman Racing. While there was great parity in 2003 between Honda and Toyota powered teams, in 2004 Honda began to outshine Toyota bringing their teams Penske Racing and Chip Ganassi Racing down with it, leaving Scott Dixon winless and in 10th place in his attempt to defend his 2003 championship.

Season champion Tony Kanaan set a record by completing all 3,305 possible laps, the first IndyCar driver in modern history to do so.

This season was the last to feature an all-oval tracks schedule, which was part of the concept that led to the creation of the Indy Racing League. By 2005, road and street courses started to appear in the schedule, and by 2015, there are more races run in road/street courses than in oval tracks.

2004 IndyCar Series schedule

All races running on Oval/Speedway.

Rnd	Date	Race Name	Track	Location	Pole position	Fastest lap	Most Laps Led	Winner
1	February 29	Toyota Indy 300	Homestead-Miami Speedway	Homestead, Florida	Buddy Rice	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Hélio Castroneves	Sam Hornish, Jr.
2	March 21	Copper World Indy 200	Phoenix International Raceway	Phoenix, Arizona	Dan Wheldon	Darren Manning	Tony Kanaan	Tony Kanaan
3	April 17	Indy Japan 300	Twin Ring Motegi	Motegi, Japan	Dan Wheldon	Dan Wheldon	Dan Wheldon	Dan Wheldon
4	May 30	88th Indianapolis 500	Indianapolis Motor Speedway	Speedway, Indiana	Buddy Rice	Vitor Meira	Buddy Rice	Buddy Rice
5	June 12	Bombardier 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, Texas	Dario Franchitti	Vitor Meira	Tony Kanaan	Tony Kanaan
6	June 28	SunTrust Indy Challenge	Richmond International Raceway	Richmond, Virginia	Hélio Castroneves	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Dario Franchitti	Dan Wheldon
7	July 4	Argent Mortgage 300	Kansas Speedway	Kansas City, Kansas	Buddy Rice	Tomas Scheckter	Buddy Rice	Buddy Rice
8	July 17	Firestone Indy 200	Nashville Superspeedway	Lebanon, Tennessee	Buddy Rice	Vitor Meira	Vitor Meira	Tony Kanaan
9	July 25	Menards A.J. Foyt 225	The Milwaukee Mile	West Allis, Wisconsin	Vitor Meira	Dario Franchitti	Dario Franchitti	Dario Franchitti
10	August 1	Michigan Indy 400	Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn, Michigan	Tony Kanaan	Darren Manning	Tony Kanaan	Buddy Rice
11	August 15	Belterra Casino Indy 300	Kentucky Speedway	Sparta, Kentucky	Buddy Rice	Vitor Meira	Tony Kanaan	Adrián Fernández
12	August 22	Honda Indy 225	Pikes Peak International Raceway	Fountain, Colorado	Tony Kanaan	Dan Wheldon	Dario Franchitti	Dario Franchitti
13	August 29	Firestone Indy 225	Nazareth Speedway	Nazareth, Pennsylvania	Hélio Castroneves	Sam Hornish, Jr.	Hélio Castroneves	Dan Wheldon
14	September 12	Delphi Indy 300	Chicagoland Speedway	Joliet, Illinois	Hélio Castroneves	Vitor Meira	Adrián Fernández	Adrián Fernández
15	October 3	Toyota Indy 400	California Speedway	Fontana, California	Hélio Castroneves	Vitor Meira	Hélio Castroneves	Adrián Fernández
16	October 17	Chevy 500	Texas Motor Speedway	Fort Worth, Texas	Hélio Castroneves	Bryan Herta	Hélio Castroneves	Hélio Castroneves

BOLD indicates a Superspeedways.

Team and driver chart

Team	Chassis	Engine	No	Drivers	Notes
Target Chip Ganassi Racing	G-Force	Toyota	1	Scott Dixon
			10	Darren Manning	Did not Start at California and missed Texas due to injury
Panther Racing	Dallara	Chevrolet	2	Mark Taylor
				Townsend Bell	Replaced Taylor from Kansas onwards
			4	Tomas Scheckter
Marlboro Team Penske	Dallara	Toyota	3	Helio Castroneves
			6	Sam Hornish, Jr.
Aguri-Fernández Racing	G-Force	Honda	5	Adrián Fernández	Missed opener at Homestead
			55	Kosuke Matsuura
Andretti Green Racing	Dallara	Honda	7	Bryan Herta
			11	Tony Kanaan
			26	Dan Wheldon
			27	Dario Franchitti
Kelley Racing	Dallara	Toyota	8	Scott Sharp
			39	Sarah Fisher	Indy 500 Only
Mo Nunn Racing	Dallara	Toyota	12	Toranosuke Takagi
			21	Jeff Simmons	Indy 500 Only
Access Motorsports	G-Force	Honda	13	Greg Ray
				Mark Taylor	Replaced Ray from Nashville onwards
A. J. Foyt Enterprises	Dallara	Toyota	14	A. J. Foyt IV
	G-Force		41	Larry Foyt	Indy 500 Only
Rahal Letterman Racing	G-Force	Honda	15	Buddy Rice
			16	Roger Yasukawa	Motegi & Indy 500 Only
			17	Vitor Meira	Missed first two rounds
PDM Racing	Dallara	Chevrolet	18	Robby McGehee	Indy 500 Only
Patrick Racing	Dallara	Chevrolet	20	Al Unser, Jr.	Indy 500, Texas & Richmond Only
				Jeff Simmons	Kansas Only
				Jaques Lazier	Raced from Nashville to Chicagoland
				Tomáš Enge	California & Texas2 Only
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing	Dallara	Chevrolet	24	Robby Buhl
				Felipe Giaffone	Replaced Buhl from Indy 500 onwards
Roth Racing	Dallara	Toyota	25	Marty Roth	Indy 500 Only
Sam Schmidt Motorsports	G-Force	Toyota	33	Richie Hearn	Indy 500 Only
Newman/Haas Racing	G-Force	Honda	26	Bruno Junqueira	Indy 500 Only
Cheever Racing	Dallara	Chevrolet	51	Alex Barron
			52	Ed Carpenter
Robby Gordon Motorsports	Dallara	Chevrolet	70	Robby Gordon	Indy 500 Only; Lazier replaced Gordon after the Rain Delay
				Jaques Lazier
Hemelgarn Racing	Dallara	Chevrolet	91	Buddy Lazier	Indy 500 Only
CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports	Dallara	Chevrolet	98	P. J. Jones	Indy 500 Only

Race Summaries

Toyota Indy 300

This race was held and Homestead-Miami Speedway on February 29. Buddy Rice won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 6- Sam Hornish, Jr.
2. 3- Hélio Castroneves
3. 26- Dan Wheldon
4. 12- Toranosuke Takagi
5. 4- Tomas Scheckter
6. 10- Darren Manning
7. 15- Buddy Rice
8. 11- Tony Kanaan
9. 8- Scott Sharp
10. 24- Robbie Buhl

Copper World Indy 200

This race was held and Phoenix International Raceway on March 21. Dan Wheldon won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 11- Tony Kanaan
2. 1- Scott Dixon
3. 26- Dan Wheldon
4. 51- Alex Barron
5. 10- Darren Manning
6. 3- Hélio Castroneves
7. 7- Bryan Herta
8. 12- Toranosuke Takagi
9. 15- Buddy Rice
10. 13- Greg Ray

Indy Japan 300

This race was held and Twin Ring Motegi on April 17. This was Honda's first win in the annual oval race held at their own track. Dan Wheldon won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 26- Dan Wheldon
2. 11- Tony Kanaan
3. 3- Hélio Castroneves
4. 10- Darren Manning
5. 1- Scott Dixon
6. 15- Buddy Rice
7. 27- Dario Franchitti
8. 55- Kosuke Matsuura
9. 8- Scott Sharp
10. 12- Toranosuke Takagi

88th Indianapolis 500

The 88th Indianapolis 500-mile (800 km) race was held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 30. Buddy Rice sat on pole. The race was shortened to 180 laps (450 miles) due to rain.

Top ten results

1. 15- Buddy Rice
2. 11- Tony Kanaan
3. 26- Dan Wheldon
4. 7- Bryan Herta
5. 36- Bruno Junqueira
6. 17- Vitor Meira
7. 5- Adrián Fernández
8. 1- Scott Dixon
9. 3- Hélio Castroneves
10. 16- Roger Yasukawa

Bombardier 500

This race was held and Texas Motor Speedway on June 12. Dario Franchitti won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 11- Tony Kanaan
2. 27- Dario Franchitti
3. 51- Alex Barron
4. 6- Sam Hornish, Jr.
5. 5- Adrián Fernández
6. 17- Vitor Meira
7. 13- Greg Ray
8. 10- Darren Manning
9. 24- Felipe Giaffone
10. 12- Toranosuke Takagi

SunTrust Indy Challenge

This race was held and Richmond International Raceway on June 26. Hélio Castroneves won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 26- Dan Wheldon
2. 17- Vitor Meira
3. 3- Hélio Castroneves
4. 7- Bryan Herta
5. 11- Tony Kanaan
6. 15- Buddy Rice
7. 5- Adrián Fernández
8. 1- Scott Dixon
9. 8- Scott Sharp
10. 24- Felipe Giaffone

Argent Mortgage 300

This race was held and Kansas Speedway on July 4. Buddy Rice won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 15- Buddy Rice
2. 17- Vitor Meira
3. 11- Tony Kanaan
4. 27- Dario Franchitti
5. 7- Bryan Herta
6. 5- Adrián Fernández
7. 3- Hélio Castroneves
8. 6- Sam Hornish, Jr.
9. 26- Dan Wheldon
10. 51- Alex Barron

Firestone Indy 200

This race was held and Nashville Superspeedway on July 17. Buddy Rice won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 11- Tony Kanaan
2. 6- Sam Hornish, Jr.
3. 3- Hélio Castroneves
4. 10- Darren Manning
5. 2- Townsend Bell
6. 15- Buddy Rice
7. 13- Mark Taylor
8. 1- Scott Dixon
9. 55- Kosuke Matsuura
10. 5- Adrián Fernández

Menards A.J. Foyt 225

This race was held and the Milwaukee Mile on July 25. Vitor Meira won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 27- Dario Franchitti
2. 15- Buddy Rice
3. 6- Sam Hornish, Jr.
4. 11- Tony Kanaan
5. 17- Vitor Meira
6. 2- Townsend Bell
7. 51- Alex Barron
8. 5- Adrián Fernández
9. 7- Bryan Herta
10. 55- Kosuke Matsuura

Michigan Indy 400

This race was held and Michigan International Speedway on August 1. Tony Kanaan won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 15- Buddy Rice
2. 11- Tony Kanaan
3. 26- Dan Wheldon
4. 6- Sam Hornish, Jr.
5. 17- Vitor Meira
6. 7- Bryan Herta
7. 1- Scott Dixon
8. 2- Townsend Bell
9. 8- Scott Sharp
10. 3- Hélio Castroneves

Belterra Casino Indy 300

This race was held and Kentucky Speedway on August 15. Buddy Rice won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 5- Adrián Fernández
2. 15- Buddy Rice
3. 26- Dan Wheldon
4. 55- Kosuke Matsuura
5. 11- Tony Kanaan
6. 27- Dario Franchitti
7. 17- Vitor Meira
8. 52- Ed Carpenter
9. 7- Bryan Herta
10. 10- Darren Manning

Honda Indy 225

This race was held and Pikes Peak International Raceway on August 22. Tony Kanaan won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 27- Dario Franchitti
2. 5- Adrián Fernández
3. 6- Dan Wheldon
4. 10- Darren Manning
5. 11- Tony Kanaan
6. 3- Hélio Castroneves
7. 17- Vitor Meira
8. 20- Jaques Lazier
9. 7- Bryan Herta
10. 51- Alex Barron

Firestone Indy 225

This race was held and Nazareth Speedway on August 29. Hélio Castroneves won the pole. The race was heralded as the series' 100th event.

Top ten results

1. 26- Dan Wheldon
2. 11- Tony Kanaan
3. 27- Dario Franchitti
4. 15- Buddy Rice
5. 3- Hélio Castroneves
6. 10- Darren Manning
7. 5- Adrián Fernández
8. 7- Bryan Herta
9. 1- Scott Dixon
10. 17- Vitor Meira

Delphi Indy 300

This race was held and Chicagoland Speedway on September 12. Hélio Castroneves won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 5- Adrián Fernández 200 laps in 2:09:31.3301
2. 7- Bryan Herta +0.0716
3. 11- Tony Kanaan +0.1239
4. 26- Dan Wheldon +0.2464
5. 17- Vitor Meira +0.4873
6. 6- Sam Hornish, Jr. +0.5402
7. 1- Scott Dixon +0.6109
8. 24- Felipe Giaffone +1.1137
9. 8- Scott Sharp +1.1878
10. 3- Hélio Castroneves +1.2595

Toyota Indy 400

This race was held and California Speedway on October 3. Hélio Castroneves won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 5- Adrián Fernández
2. 11- Tony Kanaan
3. 26- Dan Wheldon
4. 6- Sam Hornish, Jr.
5. 15- Buddy Rice
6. 27- Dario Franchitti
7. 3- Hélio Castroneves
8. 1- Scott Dixon
9. 2- Townsend Bell
10. 13- Mark Taylor

Chevy 500

This race was held and Texas Motor Speedway on October 17. Hélio Castroneves won the pole.

Top ten results

1. 3- Hélio Castroneves
2. 11- Tony Kanaan
3. 26- Dan Wheldon
4. 17- Vitor Meira
5. 5- Adrián Fernández
6. 1- Scott Dixon
7. 13- Mark Taylor
8. 8- Scott Sharp
9. 2- Townsend Bell
10. 14- A. J. Foyt IV

Final driver standings

Pos Driver HMS PHX MOT INDY TXS RIR KAN NSH MIL MIS KTY PIK NAZ CHI FON TXS Pts 1 Tony Kanaan 8 1* 2 2 1* 5 3 1 4 2* 5* 5 2 3 2 2 618 2 Dan Wheldon 3 3 1* 3 13 1 9 13 18 3 3 3 1 4 3 3 533 3 Buddy Rice 7 9 6 1* 15 6 1* 6 2 1 2 22 4 14 5 20 485 4 Hélio Castroneves 2* 6 3 9 12 3 7 3 12 10 12 6 5* 10 7* 1*1 446 5 Adrián Fernández 20 18 7 5 7 6 10 8 12 1 2 7 1* 1 5 445 6 Dario Franchitti 17 17 7 14 2 12* 4 20 1* 22 6 1* 3 20 6 15 409 7 Sam Hornish, Jr. 1 15 19 26 4 11 8 2 3 4 14 18 11 6 4 17 387 8 Vitor Meira 17 6 6 2 2 12* 5 5 7 7 10 5 21 4 376 9 Bryan Herta 13 7 14 4 19 4 5 18 9 6 9 9 8 2 17 16 362 10 Scott Dixon 18 2 5 8 14 8 12 8 DNS 7 13 20 9 7 8 6 355 11 Darren Manning 6 5 4 25 8 20 11 4 19 13 10 4 6 15 DNS 323 12 Alex Barron 16 4 12 12 3 22 10 17 7 11 11 10 12 12 18 14 310 13 Scott Sharp 9 13 9 13 18 9 20 14 15 9 17 15 19 9 11 8 282 14 Kosuke Matsuura 11 11 8 11 16 14 18 9 10 17 4 13 21 21 13 19 280 15 Toranosuke Takagi 4 8 10 19 10 19 21 11 20 20 20 19 17 13 14 12 263 16 Ed Carpenter 12 19 22 31 21 16 14 22 11 14 8 11 20 11 12 21 245 17 Mark Taylor 19 12 16 30 17 18 7 14 21 19 14 22 17 10 7 232 18 A. J. Foyt IV 15 14 15 33 22 11 13 16 16 15 18 21 15 16 19 10 232 19 Tomas Scheckter 5 16 13 18 20 17 15 19 21 19 22 17 13 19 15 18 230 20 Felipe Giaffone 15 9 10 16 15 13 16 16 16 16 8 20 11 214 21 Townsend Bell 17 5 6 8 21 12 18 22 9 9 193 22 Jaques Lazier DNQ 21 17 18 15 8 14 18 104 23 Greg Ray 14 10 20 27 7 15 Wth 99 24 Robby Buhl 10 18 21 44 25 Al Unser, Jr. 17 11 21 44 26 Roger Yasukawa 11 10 39 27 Tomáš Enge 16 13 31 28 Bruno Junqueira 5 30 29 Jeff Simmons 16 19 26 30 Richie Hearn 20 12 31 Sarah Fisher 21 12 32 Robby McGehee 22 12 33 Buddy Lazier 23 12 34 Marty Roth 24 12 35 P. J. Jones 28 10 36 Robby Gordon 292 10 37 Larry Foyt 32 10 Pos Driver HMS PHX MOT INDY TXS RIR KAN NSH MIL MIS KTY PIK NAZ CHI FON 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 Italics Ran fastest race lap * Led most race laps (3 points) DNS Any driver who qualifies but does not start (DNS), earns all the points had they taken part. Rookie of the Year Rookie

In every race, points are awarded to drivers on the following basis:

• 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.

Notes

¹ Hélio Castroneves had 15 points deduction at Texas Motor Speedway due to a premature start after the final caution.
² After a red flag for rain at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Jaques Lazier replaced Robby Gordon, but all points were awarded to Robby Gordon.

External links

• IndyCar.com - official site
• Indianapolis 500 - official site

See also

• 2004 Indianapolis 500
• 2004 Infiniti Pro Series season
• 2004 Champ Car season
• 2004 Toyota Atlantic Championship season