In auto racing, the term IndyCar can mean:
- In American Championship Car Racing, "Indy Car" is a descriptive name for a type of open wheel car that has participated in the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race. Originally, the machines were generally referred to as "Championship Cars," or the more ambiguous term of "Big Cars." Both terms were used to differentiate the machines from lower-level, similar-looking open-wheeled cars of the time such as sprints and midgets. However, as the result of the genre's fundamental link to the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, many people started to use the Indy Car name in order to differentiate the Indianapolis-style open-wheel cars from other open-wheel cars, such as Formula One cars.
- The IndyCar Series is an open wheel racing series sanctioned by the Indy Racing League (IRL), and since 2003 has been the principal context in which the trademark IndyCar has been used. Brickyard Trademarks, Inc., a subsidiary of Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation, is the current owner of the IndyCar trademark and licenses that mark to the Indy Racing League for use in connection with the IndyCar Series.
- The Indy Car World Series was the name adopted by governing body Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) from 1980-1997 for the premiere open wheel series in the United States. The mark Indy Car was first registered by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1992. As a result, the Indy Car trademark was licensed to CART from 1992-1997. After a legal battle with Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner and IRL founder Tony George, the series became known as the CART Championship Series, and later as the Champ Car World Series, before merging with the IRL IndyCar Series in 2008.
