The 2001 Indy Racing Northern Light Series saw the addition of five races and loss of one to bring the total to 13. Chip Ganassi Racing returned to the Indy 500 with four cars and were joined on the grid by Penske Racing and Team Kool Green. Sam Hornish Jr. won 3 races on his way to the championship while the less consistent Buddy Lazier won four races on his way to second place in his title defense.
Teams and drivers All drivers and teams used Firestone Tires. TeamChassisEngineDriversRound(s) Team MenardDallaraOldsmobile 2 Greg Ray 1–10 Jaques Lazier 11–13 Galles RacingG-ForceOldsmobile 3 Al Unser Jr. All 31 Casey Mears 1–4 32 Didier André All Panther RacingDallaraOldsmobile 4 Sam Hornish Jr. All Treadway-Hubbard RacingG-ForceOldsmobile 5 Arie Luyendyk 4 Rick Treadway 10, 12–13Oldsmobile 21 Felipe Giaffone All Tri-Star MotorsportsDallaraOldsmobile 6 Tyce Carlson 1 Jon Herb 2–4, 8 Jeret Schroeder5, 7 60 Richie Hearn 4 Dick Simon RacingDallaraOldsmobile 7 Stéphan Grégoire 1–3 17 Roberto Guerrero 4 Kelley RacingDallaraOldsmobile 8 Scott Sharp All 28 Mark Dismore All PDM RacingG-ForceOldsmobile 9 Jeret Schroeder1–4, 8 18 Jon Herb 12–13 Cahill RacingDallaraOldsmobile 10 Robby McGehee 1–5, 8–13 11 Dr. Jack Miller 3 A. J. Foyt EnterprisesDallaraOldsmobile Donnie Beechler 4–12 Greg Ray 13 14 Eliseo Salazar All 41 Robby Gordon 4 Bradley MotorsportsDallaraOldsmobile 12 Buzz Calkins All Walker RacingDallaraOldsmobile 15 Sarah Fisher All Indy Regency RacingG-ForceOldsmobile 16 Cory Witherill 3–4 Dreyer & Reinbold RacingG-ForceInfiniti 24 Robbie Buhl All Blueprint RacingG-ForceOldsmobile 27 John Hollansworth Jr. 2 Jim Guthrie 4 McCormack MotorsportsG-ForceOldsmobile 30 Brandon Erwin 1–3, 5 Jimmy Kite 4 Chip Ganassi RacingG-ForceOldsmobile 33 Tony Stewart 4 44 Jimmy Vasser 4 49 Nicolas Minassian 4 50 Bruno Junqueira 4 Conquest RacingDallaraInfiniti 34 Laurent Redon 12–13 Heritage MotorsportsG-ForceOldsmobile 35 Jeff Ward 1–7, 9–13 36 Stéphan Grégoire 4 Brayton RacingDallaraOldsmobile 37 Steve Knapp 4 61 Memo Gidley 4 Team GreenDallaraOldsmobile 39 Michael Andretti 4 Sam Schmidt MotorsportsDallaraOldsmobile 44 Anthony Lazzaro 11, 13 99 Davey Hamilton 1–5 Richie Hearn 6, 12 Jaques Lazier 7–10 Alex Barron 11 Team CheeverDallaraInfiniti 51 Eddie Cheever All 52 Scott Goodyear 4 Vertex-Cunningham RacingDallaraOldsmobile 55 Shigeaki Hattori All Team PenskeDallaraOldsmobile 66 Gil de Ferran 1, 4 68 Hélio Castroneves 1, 4 Team XtremeG-ForceOldsmobile 77 Jaques Lazier 4–6 88 Airton Daré All Zali RacingG-ForceOldsmobile 81 John Paul Jr. 4 Billy Roe 5–13 Hemelgarn RacingDallaraOldsmobile 91 Buddy Lazier All 92 Stan Wattles 1–3 Chris Menninga 11–13 93 Steve Knapp 4 Curb-Agajanian-Beck MotorsportsDallaraOldsmobile 98 Billy Boat All
Schedule Rnd Date Race Name Track Location 1 March 18 Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 Phoenix International Raceway Phoenix, Arizona 2 April 8 Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami Homestead-Miami Speedway Homestead, Florida 3 April 28 zMax 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway Hampton, Georgia 4 May 27 85th Indianapolis 500 Indianapolis Motor Speedway Speedway, Indiana 5 June 9 Casino Magic 500 Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, Texas 6 June 17 Radisson Indy 200 Pikes Peak International Raceway Fountain, Colorado 7 June 30 SunTrust Indy Challenge Richmond International Raceway Richmond, Virginia 8 July 8 Ameristar Casino Indy 200 Kansas Speedway Kansas City, Kansas 9 July 21 Harrah's 200 Nashville Superspeedway Lebanon, Tennessee 10 August 12 Belterra Resort Indy 300 Kentucky Speedway Sparta, Kentucky 11 August 26 Gateway Indy 250 Gateway International Raceway Madison, Illinois 12 September 2 Delphi Indy 300 Chicagoland Speedway Joliet, Illinois 13 October 6* Chevy 500 Texas Motor Speedway Fort Worth, TexasSources: This race was originally scheduled for September 16 but was postponed in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks.
Results Rd.RacePole positionFastest lapMost laps ledRace winner WinnerTeamChassisEngine 1 Phoenix Greg Ray Billy Boat Sam Hornish Jr. Sam Hornish Jr.Panther RacingDallaraOldsmobile 2 Homestead Jeff Ward Sam Hornish Jr. Sam Hornish Jr. Sam Hornish Jr.Panther RacingDallaraOldsmobile 3 Atlanta Greg Ray Greg Ray Greg Ray Greg RayTeam MenardDallaraOldsmobile 4 Indianapolis Scott Sharp Sam Hornish Jr. Hélio Castroneves Hélio CastronevesTeam PenskeDallaraOldsmobile 5 Texas 1 Mark Dismore Eddie Cheever Greg Ray Scott SharpKelley RacingDallaraOldsmobile 6 Pikes Peak Greg Ray Billy Boat Sam Hornish Jr. Buddy LazierHemelgarn RacingDallaraOldsmobile 7 Richmond Jaques Lazier Buddy Lazier Buddy Lazier Buddy LazierHemelgarn RacingDallaraOldsmobile 8 Kansas Scott Sharp Mark Dismore Eddie Cheever Eddie CheeverTeam CheeverDallaraInfiniti 9 Nashville Greg Ray Buddy Lazier Sam Hornish Jr. Buddy LazierHemelgarn RacingDallaraOldsmobile 10 Kentucky Scott Sharp Mark Dismore Scott Sharp Buddy LazierHemelgarn RacingDallaraOldsmobile 11 Gateway Sam Hornish Jr. Robbie Buhl Sam Hornish Jr. Al Unser Jr.Galles RacingG-ForceOldsmobile 12 Chicagoland Jaques Lazier Robbie Buhl Jaques Lazier Jaques LazierTeam MenardDallaraOldsmobile 13 Texas 2 Sam Hornish Jr. Felipe Giaffone Sam Hornish Jr. Sam Hornish Jr.Panther RacingDallaraOldsmobile
Note: All races running on Oval/Speedway.
Race summaries
Pennzoil Copper World Indy 200 This race was held March 18 at Phoenix International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 14- Eliseo Salazar 91- Buddy Lazier 8- Scott Sharp 98- Billy Boat 21- Felipe Giaffone 35- Jeff Ward 10- Robby McGehee 12- Buzz Calkins 88- Airton Daré
Inaugural Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami This race was held April 8 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Jeff Ward won the pole.
Top ten results 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 15- Sarah Fisher 14- Eliseo Salazar 21- Felipe Giaffone 35- Jeff Ward 3- Al Unser Jr. 28- Mark Dismore 8- Scott Sharp 51- Eddie Cheever 32- Didier André
Sarah Fisher's second place was the highest finish in an Indy car race by a female driver at the time.
zMax 500 This race was held April 28 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results 2- Greg Ray 8- Scott Sharp 12- Buzz Calkins 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 14- Eliseo Salazar 91- Buddy Lazier 35- Jeff Ward 55- Shigeaki Hattori 88- Airton Daré 21- Felipe Giaffone
A huge 11-car pileup occurred on lap 54, sending Dr. Jack Miller to the hospital with a concussion. It would be Miller's final race. This was the final Indy car race held at Atlanta to-date. Fifth and final career win for Greg Ray.
85th Indianapolis 500 The 85th running of the Indianapolis 500 was held May 27 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Scott Sharp sat on pole.
Top ten results 68- Hélio Castroneves 66- Gil de Ferran 39- Michael Andretti 44- Jimmy Vasser 50- Bruno Junqueira 33- Tony Stewart 14- Eliseo Salazar 88- Airton Daré 98- Billy Boat 21- Felipe Giaffone
Polesitter Sharp crashed on the opening lap, and finished last. Team Penske returned to Indy after failing to qualify in 1995 and boycotting the race due to the IRL/CART "split" from 1996 to 2000. Penske finished 1st–2nd with Hélio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran, Roger Penske's first-ever 1–2 at Indy as an owner. Second straight 500 victory for a race rookie.
Casino Magic 500 This race was held June 9 at Texas Motor Speedway. Mark Dismore won the pole.
Top ten results 8- Scott Sharp 21- Felipe Giaffone 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 91- Buddy Lazier 98- Billy Boat 11- Donnie Beechler 14- Eliseo Salazar 3- Al Unser Jr. 77- Jaques Lazier 55- Shigeaki Hattori
A serious crash on lap 72 involved Davey Hamilton, who lost control after Jeret Schroeder blew an engine, and Hamilton drove in the oil. Hamilton then crashed hard into the turn 2 wall, causing serious injuries to both legs and feet. The crash effectively ended Hamilton's full-time racing career. Scott Sharp stole the win after Eddie Cheever and Greg Ray crashed hard on the backstretch while battling for the victory in the final laps. Robby McGehee, who was running many laps down, was also caught up in the mishap; McGehee suffered leg and head injuries and missed several races.
Radisson Indy 200 This race was held June 17 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results 91- Buddy Lazier 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 24- Robbie Buhl 98- Billy Boat 88- Airton Daré 51- Eddie Cheever 21- Felipe Giaffone 8- Scott Sharp 99- Richie Hearn 15- Sarah Fisher
Inaugural SunTrust Indy Challenge This race was held June 30 at Richmond International Raceway. Jaques Lazier won the pole.
Top ten results 91- Buddy Lazier 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 3- Al Unser Jr. 32- Didier André 8- Scott Sharp 28- Mark Dismore 11- Donnie Beechler 35- Jeff Ward 24- Robbie Buhl 12- Buzz Calkins
Ameristar Casino Indy 200 This race was held July 8 at Kansas Speedway. Scott Sharp won the pole.
Top ten results 51- Eddie Cheever* 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 11- Donnie Beechler 21- Felipe Giaffone 91- Buddy Lazier 88- Airton Daré 14- Eliseo Salazar 55- Shigeaki Hattori 98- Billy Boat 10- Robby McGehee
Final career win for Eddie Cheever.
Inaugural Harrah's 200 This race was held July 21 at Nashville Superspeedway. Greg Ray won the pole.
Top ten results 91- Buddy Lazier 98- Billy Boat 99- Jaques Lazier 10- Robby McGehee 8- Scott Sharp 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 55- Shigeaki Hattori 21- Felipe Giaffone 12- Buzz Calkins 11- Donnie Beechler*
On lap 103 of the race, Cheever was attempting to lap the slower car of Greg Ray, when the two made contact in turn 2. The resulting accident also caught up Unser Jr., Beechler, and Dismore, who was struck from behind by a charging Airton Dare. No one was injured in the crash. This was the first caution of the race and lasted 18 laps, with Buddy Lazier in the lead as racing resumed. He would go on to win. Second and final career top ten finish for Donnie Beechler.
Belterra Resort Indy 300 This race was held August 12 at Kentucky Speedway. Scott Sharp won the pole.
Top ten results 91- Buddy Lazier 8- Scott Sharp 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 3- Al Unser Jr. 11- Donnie Beechler 98- Billy Boat 55- Shigeaki Hattori 21- Felipe Giaffone 24- Robbie Buhl 35- Jeff Ward
Final career win for Buddy Lazier. This race was Greg Rays last for Team Menard. He would part ways with the team after finishing 3 laps down to the winner in 13th.
Inaugural Gateway Indy 250 This race was held August 26 at Gateway International Raceway. Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole.
Top ten results 3- Al Unser Jr. 28- Mark Dismore 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 51- Eddie Cheever 24- Robbie Buhl 98- Billy Boat 35- Jeff Ward 8- Scott Sharp 88- Airton Daré 10- Robby McGehee
Penultimate career win for Al Unser Jr.
Inaugural Delphi Indy 300 This race was held September 2 at Chicagoland Speedway. Jaques Lazier won the pole.
Top ten results 2- Jaques Lazier 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 51- Eddie Cheever 35- Jeff Ward 11- Donnie Beechler 99- Richie Hearn 34- Laurent Redon 3- Al Unser Jr. 12- Buzz Calkins 21- Felipe Giaffone
This was Jaques Laziers only IndyCar win. It was his second start for the Menard team after taking over the car previously driven by Greg Ray.
Chevy 500 This race was originally scheduled for September 16 at Texas Motor Speedway but was postponed in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks. The race was eventually held October 6. Sam Hornish Jr. won the pole.
Top ten results 4- Sam Hornish Jr. 8- Scott Sharp 24- Robbie Buhl 14- Eliseo Salazar 5- Rick Treadway 3- Al Unser Jr. 88- Airton Daré 11- Greg Ray 18- Jon Herb 12- Buzz Calkins
Only career top five finish for Rick Treadway. Also his best finish ever. Greg Rays first race back after losing his Team Menard ride. He drove for A.J. Foyts team in this race. Final career start for Buzz Calkins. Also his final top ten finish. Only career top ten finish for Jon Herb. Also his best ever finish.
Points standings