Champ Car
 |
|
| Category | Single seaters |
|---|---|
| Country | International |
| Inaugural season | 1979 (as CART) 2004 (as Champ Car) |
| Folded | 2008 |
| Engine suppliers | Cosworth |
| Last Drivers' champion |
 Sébastien Bourdais (2007)
|
| Last Constructors' champion |
 Panoz (2007)
|
Champ Car was the general name for a class and specification of American professional top-level open wheel cars used in American Championship car racing for many decades, associated primarily with the Indianapolis 500. Such racing had been sanctioned by the AAA, USAC, SCCA, the CRL, CART, and IndyCar.
In its most popular and recent contemporary usage, "Champ Car" was the name given to a governing body formerly known as Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART). The CART series was founded in 1979 by team owners who disagreed with the direction and leadership of USAC. At the height of the popularity of the series in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was known as the CART/PPG Indy Car World Series. The term "Champ Car" temporarily disappeared from use, with the more marketable term "Indy Car" being utilized.
In 1996, the open wheel "split" saw the CART series take a different direction from the newly created Indy Racing League IRL and the Indy 500. Thereafter, it re-branded itself as CART again, and re-booted the term "Champ Car" as the moniker for the machines used. The series was advertised as CART FedEx Championship Series from 1997 to 2002.
CART went bankrupt at the end of the 2003 season. A trio of CART team owners acquired the assets of the sanctioning body and renamed it as the Champ Car World Series (CCWS), again highlighting the historic 'Champ Car' term. Continuing financial difficulties caused CCWS to file for bankruptcy before its planned 2008 season; its assets were merged into the IRL's IndyCar Series, uniting both series of American championship open-wheel racing.
In 1905 the AAA established the national driving championship and became the first sanctioning body for auto racing in the United States. The AAA ceased sanctioning auto racing in the general outrage over motor racing safety that followed the 1955 Le Mans disaster. In response, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Tony Hulman formed USAC to take over the sanctioning of what was called "championship" auto racing. USAC sanctioned the championship exclusively until 1978, when a split between USAC and some of the car owners prompted the formation of the rival CART series.
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