GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300

Indycar race infobox
Name=GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300
Track_

Venue=Homestead-Miami Speedway
Sponsor=GAINSCO Auto Insurance
First race=1985
First IRL race=2001
Distance=300 miles
Laps=200
Previous names=CART Champ Car race
Beatrice Indy Challenge (1985)

Miami Indy Challenge (1986)

Nissan Indy Challenge (1987-1988)

Marlboro Grand Prix of Miami Presented by Toyota (1995-2000)

Grand Prix Americas (2002)

Grand Prix Americas presented by sportsbook.com (2003)

IRL race
Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami presented by 123.com Americatel (2001)

20th Anniversary Miami Grand Prix (2002)

Toyota Indy 300 (2003-2005)

Toyota Indy 300 Presented by XM Satellite Radio (2006)

XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 (2007)|

The GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300 is an Indy Racing League Series race held at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida.

The first championship car race that took place in the Miami area was on February 22, 1926 at the Fulford-Miami Speedway in nearby Fulford. A 300-mile race sanctioned by AAA took place only once at the 1.25-mile wooden board track. Peter DePaolo was the winner.

Modern American open wheel racing in the Miami-area dates back to 1985. In that year, the CART series began racing on a temporary street circuit in Tamiami Park, a small outdoor sports facility in the nearby suburb of Tamiami. The event lasted through 1988, and twice included the CART Marlboro Challenge all star race.

In 1995, race promoter Ralph Sanchez brought open wheel racing back to Miami. In the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, Sanchez began redeveloping a devestated area of Homestead, Florida into the Homestead Motorsports Complex. For 1995 only, while the track was still under construction, Sanchez held a CART race on the Bicentennial Park street circuit, on Biscayne Bay. The course was formerly used by IMSA from 1983-1993.

In 1996, after construction was complete, CART debuted at the Homestead oval with a 200-mile CART Champ Car event. In 1997, the race was lengthened to 225 miles. In 2001, the event switched to an Indycar Series event and was again lengthened, to 300 miles.

For each of its years through 2000, the race served as the CART series season opener. CART also used the facility as their venue for "spring training" (offseason testing). From 2002-2008, the race served as the IndyCar Series season opener. In 2007-2008, the race was held under the lights. After a schedule reorganization, the race was moved to become the season ending race for 2009.

Since 2007, the event has been part of the Speed Jam, a twin race combo weekend with the Rolex Sports Car Series along with concert festivities. The event proved to be successful in the predominantly Latino city of Miami & Homestead.

Past winners

Atlantics/Indy Lights winners

Rolex Sports Car history (Homestead)

*2007 flagicon|USA Bill Auberlen/flagicon|USA Matthew Alhadeff
*2008 flagicon|USA Scott Pruett/flagicon|MEX Memo Rojas

References

* [http://www.indycar.com http://www.indycar.com]
* [http://www.champcarstats.com http://www.champcarstats.com]

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&sll=42.682899,-84.518862&sspn=0.007161,0.020084&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=17&ll=25.784957,-80.186956&spn=0.004386,0.013561&t=k&om=1 Google Maps satellite image of former Bicentennial Park race course]
* [http://www.etracksonline.co.uk/NAmerica/USA/FL/tamiamipark.html eTracks map of Tamiami Park circuit]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Tamiami,+FL&sll=42.682899,-84.518862&sspn=0.007603,0.020084&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=25.75,-80.376534&spn=0.009316,0.027122&t=k&om=1 Google Maps satellite image of former Tamiami Park race course]

Indycar next race
Previous_race = Peak Antifreeze Indy 300
(Previous season)
Next_race = Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg