Indy Lights Series

The Indy Lights Series is a speed racing championship held in North America since 1986. It is a rival category of the Formula Atlantic in the formation of drivers of single-seaters.

Current series (2002–present)
Originally called the American Racing Series, the competition was organized by the CART to promote young drivers. The chassis were provided by March Engineering until 1992, and Lola Racing Cars since then. In turn, the engines were V6 of origin Buick. As a consequence of CART's financial problems, the category was dissolved after the 2001 season ended.

The centerpiece of the Indy Lights schedule is the Freedom 100, contested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the Friday prior to the Indianapolis 500. The series also held a support race for the U.S. Grand Prix, the Liberty Challenge, from 2005 to 2007. It was the series' only event that was not a support race to an IndyCar event.

The following year, the Indy Racing League created a very similar category to train drivers to later join the IndyCar Series. Dallara supplies the chassis, Firestone the tires and Infiniti the engines, in this case 3.5-liter V8. With the sponsorship of the latter company, this category was called the Infiniti Pro Series in its first four years, then Indy Pro Series, and finally the better known name Indy Lights since the 2008 season.

The series was called the Menards Infiniti Pro Series (MIPS) until 2006 when both Menards and Nissan dropped their sponsorship of the series. It was then known as the Indy Pro Series. On March 26, 2008, the series announced a changing of names, when the historical records and proprietary information of Champ Car were acquired by the IRL. The series then became known as Firestone Indy Lights.

On September 9, 2007, during the Chicagoland 100, Logan Gomez beat Alex Lloyd by 0.0005 seconds (approximately 1.65 in at 188 mph) which reflects the closest recognized finish in the over century-long history of organized automobile racing throughout the world. In 2008, the margin was established by the Guinness Book of World Records as the closest finish ever in a car race.

The centerpiece of the Indy Lights schedule is the Freedom 100, contested at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the Friday prior to the Indianapolis 500. The series also held a support race for the U.S. Grand Prix, the Liberty Challenge, from 2005 to 2007. It was the series' only event that was not a support race to an IndyCar event.

On May 24, 2013, Peter Dempsey captured his first Indy Lights win in the Freedom 100 in the closest finish in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history (0.0026 secs) in a four-wide finish.

For 2014, the series will be promoted by Andersen Promotions, and Cooper Tire will replace Firestone as tire supplier, for 2015 the dallara IL-15 chassis will be used.

Specifications (2002–2014)

 * Engine displacement: Nissan/Infiniti built by Speedway Motors 3.5 L DOHC V8
 * Gearbox: 6-speed sequential manual transmission
 * Weight: 1490 lb on ovals; 1520 lb on road/street courses
 * Power output: 420 hp
 * Fuel: Sunoco 100 RON unleaded
 * Fuel capacity: 25 usgal
 * Fuel delivery: Fuel injection
 * Aspiration: Naturally aspirated
 * Length: 191.5 in
 * Width: 75 in
 * Wheelbase: 117 in
 * Steering: Manual, rack and pinion