2004 Champ Car season
| 2004 Champ Car season | |
|---|---|
| Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford | |
 |
|
| Season | |
| Races | 14 |
| Start date | April 18 |
| End date | November 7 |
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion |
 Sébastien Bourdais
|
| Constructors' Cup |
 Lola
|
| Nations' Cup |
 Canada
|
| Rookie of the Year |
 A. J. Allmendinger
|
The 2004 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season was the inaugural season for the Champ Car World Series and the 26th overall season in the CART/Champ Car Genology. It began on April 18, 2004 and ended on November 7 after 14 races. The Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford Drivers' Champion was Sébastien Bourdais. The Rookie of the Year was A. J. Allmendinger.
The open-wheel racing organization CART, Inc. had operated until 2003. After that year's season, the series declared bankruptcy and was liquidated in an Indianapolis courtroom in January 2004. Three team owners who had participated in the CART series, Gerald Forsythe, Kevin Kalkhoven, and Paul Gentilozzi, purchased the series' liquidated assets and resurrected it as the Champ Car World Series for the 2004 season.
Champ Car races were broadcast on Spike TV. Also, high-definition live broadcasts were on HDNet.
The Ford-Cosworth XFE, a 2.65 liter turbo V8 engine remained the exclusive power plant for the reorganized Champ Car series. Bridgestone remained the exclusive tire supplier as well. They also continued the marketing agreement that branded the series Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The following teams and drivers competed in the 2004 Champ Car season.
The assets of the bankrupt Championship Auto Racing Teams, Inc. (CART) organization were awarded to Open Wheel Racing Series, LLC in the Indianapolis courtroom of Judge Frank Otte on January 28, 2004. A bid from Indy Racing League owner Tony George was rejected, thus ensuring the split in American Open Wheel racing would continue. Despite this victory the OWRS partners, CART team owners Kevin Kalkhoven, Gerald Forsythe, and Paul Gentilozzi, would still have to work hard to get the 18 racecars they promised would be on track for the scheduled Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18. Two CART teams founded in 2003, American Spirit Team Johansson and Fittipaldi-Dingman Racing, would not race in 2004, while U. E. "Pat" Patrick, one of the original founders of CART, sold off his CART team assets before starting a short-lived IRL effort.
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