Greg Ray's three wins decided the 1999 Indy Racing League

Greg Ray won three races and the 1999 Indy Racing League championship for Team Menard in a season defined by parity. The calendar had 11 races, and one of them, the VisionAire 500K at Charlotte, was stopped after 79 laps when three spectators were killed. The season came just before CART teams began to break ranks and join the IRL.

Who won the 1999 Indy Racing League title?

Greg Ray won the championship for Team Menard with three race wins, at Pikes Peak in June, Dover Downs in August and Colorado in late August. Scott Goodyear, Sam Schmidt, Mark Dismore, Eddie Cheever, Scott Sharp and Kenny Brack all won at least one race that year, but none came close to Ray's consistency.

Ray's title was built on finishes rather than a single dominant run. He was only the championship contender to finish in the top five and top ten of the final race at Texas, where he finished third, and he had led the points before that day.

Greg Ray won three races and the title in a year of parity, one that ended in tragedy at Charlotte.

How did the season open?

The first event was the TransWorld Diversified Services Indy 200 at Walt Disney World Speedway on January 24. Scott Sharp qualified on pole, but Eddie Cheever won, with Goodyear second and Jeff Ward third. Eliseo Salazar failed to qualify, and the race was broadcast on ABC.

The Walt Disney World top ten was Cheever, Goodyear, Ward, Sharp, Raul Boesel, Mark Dismore, Steve Knapp, Davey Hamilton, Billy Boat and Buddy Lazier. Sharp had been on pole but finished fourth.

The second race was the MCI WorldCom 200 at Phoenix International Raceway on March 28, where Greg Ray took pole. Goodyear won it, his first IndyCar win since the 1994 Marlboro 500 at Michigan and his first in IRL competition. Jeff Ward had left ISM Racing for Pagan Racing shortly before the event.

The Phoenix top ten was Goodyear, Ward, Robbie Buhl, Boat, Scott Harrington, Roberto Moreno, Mark Dismore, Sharp, Sam Schmidt and Stephan Gregoire.

What happened at Charlotte?

The VisionAire 500K at Lowe's Motor Speedway was held on May 1, with Ray on pole and the race shown on Speedvision. On lap 62 Stan Wattles crashed after a suspension failure, and John Paul Jr. made contact, sending Wattles' right rear wheel and tyre assembly into the grandstand. Harrington spun as well.

The field kept racing under the caution, and Buddy Lazier led until a puncture forced a pit stop and handed the lead to Ray. On lap 79 the race was stopped so medical helicopters could land. Track general manager Humpy Wheeler then ended it permanently when it was confirmed that three spectators had died.

Fans and participants were offered refunds. The race was scratched from the record books because it did not reach the official distance of 105 laps, and it was the last IndyCar race ever held at the Charlotte track. Wheel tethers were added to open-wheel cars after this race and a similar fatal incident at the CART 1998 U.S. 500 at Michigan International Speedway.

Why did Kenny Brack's Indianapolis win stand out?

The Indianapolis 500 was held on May 30, with Arie Luyendyk on pole. Kenny Brack drove the number 14 car to victory. Brack's win came after Robby Gordon made a late pit stop on lap 199, which handed Brack the lead in turn four, the latest pass for the lead in the race's history until 2006.

Luyendyk and Ray led 95 laps between them before Luyendyk crashed on lap 118 while trying to lap Tyce Carlson. During the caution that followed, Mark Dismore hit Ray as he left his pit stall. Robby Gordon had raced in the Motorola 300 in CART the day before, finishing 27th after a crash, while Roberto Moreno finished fourth in that same race.

Sixteen drivers failed to qualify for the Indianapolis 500, among them Stephan Gregoire, John Paul Jr., Scott Harrington, Lyn St. James, Jim Guthrie and Mike Groff. The top ten was Brack, Ward, Boat, Robby Gordon, Robby McGehee, Buhl, Lazier, Robby Unser, Stewart and Hideshi Matsuda, and four of those ten were drivers named Robby or Robbie.

Tony Stewart ran a double programme that weekend. He finished ninth at Indianapolis, four laps down, and fourth at Charlotte, where he started at the back after missing the drivers meeting but still finished on the lead lap.

How did Ray build his lead?

The Longhorn 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on June 12 went to Goodyear, with Ray second and Sam Schmidt third. Mark Dismore had taken pole. Ray had entered that race twentieth in the points and left eighth, which showed how far a steady driver could climb in one afternoon.

The Longhorn 500 top ten was Goodyear, Ray, Schmidt, Stephan Gregoire, Eliseo Salazar, Robby Unser, Davey Hamilton, Mark Dismore, Buzz Calkins and Sharp.

On June 27 Ray won the Radisson 200 at Pikes Peak International Raceway for his first IndyCar win. He led 109 of the 200 laps, while Schmidt led the other 91. Ray then won the MBNA Mid-Atlantic 200 at Dover Downs on August 1 and the Colorado Indy 200 on August 29.

The Radisson 200 finished Ray, Schmidt, Hamilton, Cheever, Buddy Lazier, Robby Unser, Kenny Brack, Sharp, Ward and Jaques Lazier, and at Colorado the top ten ran Ray, Hamilton, Dismore, Buddy Lazier, Schmidt, Harrington, McGehee, Jimmy Kite, Robby Unser and Brack.

The Colorado race was the last to be aired on Fox. After it, ESPN and ABC bought the rights for the remaining two races.

How did the title race finish?

At the Kobalt Mechanics Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 17, Scott Sharp won from Robby Unser, whose second place was his best IndyCar finish. Billy Boat had taken pole.

The Atlanta top ten was Sharp, Unser, Brack, Eliseo Salazar, Buzz Calkins, Cheever, Hamilton, Donnie Beechler, Jimmy Kite and Boat. At Dover the order was Ray, Buddy Lazier, Brack, Boat, Schmidt, Harrington, Jaques Lazier, Calkins, McGehee and Beechler, with Mark Dismore on pole.

The season finale was the Vegas.com 500 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on September 26. Sam Schmidt took pole and won, his only IndyCar victory. Entering the race, Ray led Brack by 15 points, Schmidt by 30, Sharp by 46 and Scott Goodyear by 48.

The Las Vegas top ten was Schmidt, Brack, Robbie Buhl, Sharp, Calkins, McGehee, Jaques Lazier, Stephan Gregoire, Tyce Carlson and Jeff Ward.

The final race of the year was the Mall.com 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on October 17, and it was won by Mark Dismore, his only IndyCar win. Ray finished third and was the only championship contender in the top five and top ten. Sarah Fisher made her IndyCar debut that day and finished 25th after a broken timing chain. It was also Schmidt's last IndyCar race, as a testing crash at Walt Disney World Speedway in January 2000 left him paralysed.

The Texas top ten was Dismore, Hamilton, Ray, Cheever, John Hollansworth Jr., Harrington, Jaques Lazier, Calkins, Boat and Buddy Lazier. Ray, the points leader, finished third, and the standings moved sharply afterwards. Dismore rose from eleventh to third and Hamilton from seventh to fourth, while Ward fell from seventh to eleventh, Sharp from fourth to eighth and Goodyear from fifth to ninth.

Points were awarded for each race on a sliding scale: 3 for the pole winner, 2 for the second-best qualifier, 1 for the third-best and 2 for leading the most laps. Ties were broken first by wins, then by second and third places. Most people regarded the Charlotte race as the best of the season, although it was the one that was stopped.

Season results