The 2005 Indy Racing League IndyCar Series season began on Sunday, March 6 and ended on Sunday, October 16. The season, which consisted of 17 races, was the 10th season of the IRL since it split from CART in 1995.
Dan Wheldon was the dominant driver in the series in 2005, winning six races, including the 89th running of the Indianapolis 500, setting the record for most victories in an IRL season. However, the big story of the season was that of Rahal Letterman Racing's Danica Patrick, the fourth woman to compete in the Indy 500 and the first to lead a lap. She would eventually wind up in fourth. Danica's presence was a boost to the IRL's television ratings. The Indy 500's ratings were up 40% from the year before and subsequent races also saw a boost in ratings.
The season was also the last for Chevrolet in the series, who confirmed in August that they would not return to the IRL. At the start of the season, only Panther Racing's Tomas Scheckter and Tomáš Enge raced Chevrolet powered cars (although A.J. Foyt IV also started racing for Chevy beginning with the AMBER Alert Portal Indy 300 at Kentucky). The manufacturer situation within the IRL was the hot issue during the second half of the season and continued into the off-season. Toyota announced that they would leave the series shortly after the 2005 season ended, leaving Honda as the only remaining manufacturer in the IRL. Honda extended their engine supply contract through 2009 despite expressly saying that they did not wish to be the IRL's only supplier. The IRL announced that they extended their chassis supply contract with Panoz and Dallara through 2006.
[edit] 2005 IndyCar Series schedule
[edit] Team and Driver Chart
On March 6, at Homestead-Miami Speedway, Dan Wheldon led 158 of 200 laps to get the victory. Tomas Scheckter sat on the pole.
Top Ten Results
- Dan Wheldon
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Tony Kanaan
- Vitor Meira
- Hélio Castroneves
- Darren Manning
- Patrick Carpentier
- Alex Barron
- A.J. Foyt IV
- Paul Dana
On March 19, at Phoenix International Raceway, Sam Hornish Jr. won his first race of the season. Bryan Herta sat on the pole.
Top Ten Results
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Hélio Castroneves
- Tony Kanaan
- Dario Franchitti
- Scott Sharp
- Dan Wheldon
- Bryan Herta
- Darren Manning
- Patrick Carpentier
- Kosuke Matsuura
On April 3 on the Streets of St. Petersburg (Florida), Dan Wheldon won his second race of the year. Bryan Herta sat on the pole.
Top Ten Results
- Dan Wheldon
- Tony Kanaan
- Dario Franchitti
- Bryan Herta
- Vitor Meira
- Scott Dixon
- Buddy Rice
- Patrick Carpentier
- Darren Manning
- Alex Barron
On April 30, at Twin Ring Motegi in Motegi, Tochigi, Japan, Dan Wheldon won his third race of the season. Sam Hornish Jr. sat on the pole.
Top Ten Results
- Dan Wheldon
- Scott Sharp
- Buddy Rice
- Danica Patrick
- Bryan Herta
- Tony Kanaan
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Darren Manning
- Kosuke Matsuura
- Tomas Scheckter
On May 29, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dan Wheldon won his first Indy 500 and his fourth race of the season. However, the focus of the race was on Danica Patrick who led 19 laps, the first time a woman has ever led a lap at Indy. Tony Kanaan sat on the pole.
Top Ten Results
- Dan Wheldon
- Vitor Meira
- Bryan Herta
- Danica Patrick
- Buddy Lazier
- Dario Franchitti
- Scott Sharp
- Tony Kanaan
- Hélio Castroneves
- Ryan Briscoe
On June 11, at Texas Motor Speedway, Tomas Scheckter won his first race of the season, sitting on the pole and leading for 119 of 200 laps.
Top Ten Results
- Tomas Scheckter
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Tony Kanaan
- Scott Sharp
- Hélio Castroneves
- Dan Wheldon
- Kosuke Matsuura
- Dario Franchitti
- Vitor Meira
- Bryan Herta
On June 25, at Richmond International Raceway, Hélio Castroneves won his first race of the season. Sam Hornish Jr. sat on the pole.
Top Ten Results
- Hélio Castroneves
- Dario Franchitti
- Patrick Carpentier
- Tomas Scheckter
- Dan Wheldon
- Alex Barron
- Tomáš Enge
- Bryan Herta
- Kosuke Matsuura
- Danica Patrick
On July 3, at Kansas Speedway, Tony Kanaan won by a fraction of a second over Dan Wheldon and Vitor Meira. Danica Patrick won her first pole.
Top Ten Results
- Tony Kanaan
- Dan Wheldon
- Vitor Meira
- Dario Franchitti
- Tomas Scheckter
- Scott Sharp
- Darren Manning
- Hélio Castroneves
- Danica Patrick
- Buddy Rice
On July 16 at Nashville Speedway, Dario Franchitti won, leading 74 of 200 laps. Tomas Scheckter sat on the pole.
Top Ten Results
- Dario Franchitti
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Patrick Carpentier
- Scott Sharp
- Hélio Castroneves
- Scott Dixon
- Danica Patrick
- Ryan Briscoe
- Buddy Lazier
- Ed Carpenter
On July 24 at The Milwaukee Mile, Sam Hornish Jr. won from the pole, leading 123 of 225 laps.
Top Ten Results
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Dario Franchitti
- Tomas Scheckter
- Tony Kanaan
- Dan Wheldon
- Bryan Herta
- Patrick Carpentier
- Alex Barron
- Vitor Meira
- Scott Sharp
On July 31 at Michigan International Speedway, Bryan Herta won from the pole, leading 159 of 200 laps.
Top Ten Results
- Bryan Herta
- Dan Wheldon
- Tomas Scheckter
- Tony Kanaan
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Buddy Lazier
- Scott Sharp
- Dario Franchitti
- Patrick Carpentier
- Ryan Briscoe
On August 14 at Kentucky Speedway, Scott Sharp won for the first time since 2003 at Twin Ring Motegi, holding off Vitor Meira for the last laps to win. Danica Patrick sat on the pole for the second time in the season after rain washed out qualifying and the starting grid was determined by the fastest times in practice.
Top Ten Results
- Scott Sharp
- Vitor Meira
- Dan Wheldon
- Alex Barron
- Hélio Castroneves
- Buddy Lazier
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Kosuke Matsuura
- A.J. Foyt IV
- Jimmy Kite
On August 21 at Pikes Peak International Raceway, Penske Racing teammates Hélio Castroneves and Sam Hornish Jr. started 1-2. Dan Wheldon won his fifth race of the season, tying Sam Hornish Jr.'s record for most victories in a season. This was the final IRL race at PPIR as the track was sold for redevelopment at the end of the 2005 season.
Top Ten Results
- Dan Wheldon
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Tony Kanaan
- Hélio Castroneves
- Vitor Meira
- Tomáš Enge
- Dario Franchitti
- Danica Patrick
- Scott Sharp
- Patrick Carpentier
On August 28 at the circuit's inaugural race at Infineon Raceway, Tony Kanaan won the race, taking the lead on lap 52 from points leader Dan Wheldon, who was hampered by fuel problems all day and finished out of the race in 18th. Ryan Briscoe sat on the pole, but caused a three-car accident on lap 18 that also eliminated Hélio Castroneves and Danica Patrick from the race.
Top Ten Results
- Tony Kanaan
- Buddy Rice
- Alex Barron
- Patrick Carpentier
- Tomáš Enge
- Kosuke Matsuura
- Scott Dixon
- Dario Franchitti
- Vitor Meira
- Jeff Bucknum
On September 11 at Chicagoland Speedway, Dan Wheldon won his sixth race, breaking the all-time record for most wins in an IRL season. Ryan Briscoe was involved in a fiery crash with Alex Barron on lap 20. Briscoe was taken by helicopter to a Chicago-area hospital with head and back pain, but was alert. He suffered a concussion, two broken collarbones, a bruised lung and contusions to his arms and legs. The accident resulted in a 16-minute red flag.
Top Ten Results
- Dan Wheldon
- Hélio Castroneves
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Tomas Scheckter
- Tony Kanaan
- Danica Patrick
- Vitor Meira
- Scott Sharp
- Patrick Carpentier
- Buddy Lazier
On September 25 at Watkins Glen International, Scott Dixon won his first race since his 2003 IndyCar Series Championship season. Hélio Castroneves sat on the pole. This was the first major open-wheeled race at Watkins Glen since 1981.
Top Ten Results
- Scott Dixon
- Tony Kanaan
- Dario Franchitti
- Giorgio Pantano
- Dan Wheldon
- Kosuke Matsuura
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Bryan Herta
- Scott Sharp
- Patrick Carpentier
On October 16 at California Speedway, Dario Franchitti won his second race of the year over Tony Kanaan by 0.111 s. Chevrolet powered cars finished 7th and 8th in their final IRL race while Toyota powered cars had a best finish of 5th in theirs.
Top Ten Results
- Dario Franchitti
- Tony Kanaan
- Vitor Meira
- Scott Sharp
- Sam Hornish Jr.
- Dan Wheldon
- Tomas Scheckter
- Tomáš Enge
- Hélio Castroneves
- Scott Dixon
[edit] Final 2005 point standings
[edit] Drivers
| Pos | No. | Name | Team | Starts | Points | Gap | Earnings |
| 1 | 26 |  Dan Wheldon | Andretti-Green | 17 | 628 | Champion | $2,711,005 |
| 2 | 11 |  Tony Kanaan | Andretti-Green | 17 | 548 | -80 | $1,554,105 |
| 3 | 6 |  Sam Hornish, Jr. | Team Penske | 17 | 512 | -116 | $1,424,505 |
| 4 | 27 |  Dario Franchitti | Andretti-Green | 17 | 498 | -130 | $1,299,555 |
| 5 | 8 | Scott Sharp | Aguri-Fernandez | 17 | 444 | -184 | $1,160,055 |
| 6 | 3 | Helio Castroneves | Team Penske | 17 | 440 | -188 | $1,150,805 |
| 7 | 17 | Vitor Meira | Rahal Letterman | 17 | 422 | -206 | $1,453,454 |
| 8 | 7 | Bryan Herta | Andretti-Green | 17 | 397 | -231 | $1,251,805 |
| 9 | 4 |  Tomas Scheckter | Panther | 17 | 390 | -238 | $1,082,805 |
| 10 | 83 |  Patrick Carpentier | Cheever | 17 | 376 | -252 | $987,755 |
| 11 | 51 | Alex Barron | Cheever | 17 | 329 | -299 | $933,055 |
| 12 | 16 | Danica Patrick | Rahal Letterman | 17 | 325 | -303 | $1,037,655 |
| 13 | 9 |  Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi | 17 | 321 | -307 | $919,805 |
| 14 | 55 |  Kosuke Matsuura | Aguri-Fernandez | 17 | 320 | -308 | $893,105 |
| 15 | 15 | Buddy Rice | Rahal Letterman | 16 | 295 | -333 | $699,100 |
| 16 | 2 |  Tomáš Enge | Panther | 15 | 261 | -367 | $778,255 |
| 17 | 24 | Roger Yasukawa | Dreyer & Reinbold | 17 | 246 | -382 | $821,805 |
| 18 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | Vision Racing | 17 | 244 | -384 | $830,505 |
| 19 | 33 |  Ryan Briscoe | Chip Ganassi | 15 | 232 | -396 | $793,055 |
| 20 | 14 | A. J. Foyt IV | Foyt Enterprises | 15 | 231 | -397 | $744,605 |
| 21 | - | Darren Manning | Chip Ganassi | 10 | 186 | -442 | $586,405 |
| 22 | 91 | Jimmy Kite | Hemelgarn | 11 | 163 | -465 | $570,405 |
| 23 | 95 | Buddy Lazier | Panther | 6 | 140 | -488 | $492,405 |
| 24 | 10 | Jaques Lazier | Chip Ganassi | 6 | 81 | -547 | $386,305 |
| 25 | 44 | Jeff Bucknum | Dreyer & Reinbold | 4 | 63 | -565 | $325,555 |
| 26 | - |  Giorgio Pantano | Chip Ganassi | 2 | 48 | -580 | $98,800 |
| 27 | - | Paul Dana | Hemelgarn | 3 | 44 | -584 | $119,800 |
| 28 | 37 |  Sébastien Bourdais | Newman-Haas Racing | 1 | 18 | -610 | $234,555 |
| 29 | 5 |  Adrian Fernandez | Aguri-Fernandez | 1 | 16 | -612 | $226,305 |
| 30 | 48 | Felipe Giaffone | Foyt Enterprises | 1 | 15 | -613 | $247,305 |
| 31 | - | Townsend Bell | Panther | 1 | 15 | -613 | $35,100 |
| 32 | - | Thiago Medeiros | Dreyer & Reinbold | 1 | 12 | -616 | $31,300 |
| 33 | 70 | Richie Hearn | Sam Schmidt | 1 | 10 | -618 | $202,305 |
| 34 | - |  Kenny Bräck | Rahal Letterman | 1 | 10 | -618 | $275,805 |
| 35 | 22 | Jeff Ward | Vision Racing | 1 | 10 | -618 | $194,805 |
| 36 | 36 | Bruno Junqueira | Newman-Haas Racing | 1 | 10 | -618 | $192,205 |
| 37 | 25 | Marty Roth | Roth Racing | 1 | 10 | -618 | $195,305 |
| 38 | 41 | Larry Foyt | Foyt Enterprises | 1 | 10 | -618 | $189,305 |
No points (did not start/did not qualify):
[edit] Engine manufacturers
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points | Gap |
| 1 | Honda | 153 | Leader |
| 2 | Toyota | 125 | -28 |
| 3 | Chevrolet | 96 | -57 |
[edit] Chassis manufacturers
| Pos. | Manufacturer | Points | Gap |
| 1 | Dallara | 164 | Leader |
| 2 | Panoz | 125 | -39 |
