Mario Domínguez | |
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Mario Domínguez at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008
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Nationality | Mexican |
Born |
Mexico City |
December 1, 1975
IRL IndyCar Series career | |
Debut season | 2008 |
Current team | Pacific Coast Motorsports |
Car no. | 96 |
Starts | 125 |
Wins | 4 |
Poles | 5 |
Mario Domínguez | |
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CART/CCWS Championship Car | |
Years active | 1996-2007, 2013- |
Teams |
Herdez Competition Minardi Team USA Pacific Coast Motorsports |
Starts | 294 |
Wins | 22 |
Poles | 18 |
Best finish | 1st in 2003 |
Previous series | |
1999-2001 1993, 1998 1996-1997 1994-1995 1992 |
Indy Lights Mexican Formula Three Championship Mexican Formula 3000 Championship Mexican Formula Three Nissan Championship U.S. Formula Russell Mazda Championship |
Championship titles | |
1998 1992 |
Mexican Formula Three Championship U.S. Formula Russell Mazda Championship |
Awards | |
1998 | CART Champ Car Rookie of the Year |
Mario Domínguez (born December 1, 1975, in Mexico City) is a Mexican racing driver. He has competed in the CART and CCWS Champ Car series and later the IndyCar Series.
Domínguez first began racing in 1987 driving go-karts. He won three go-karting championships and represented Mexico in the World Karting Championships on three different occasions in Spain (1989), Italy (1990) and France (1991). He then raced in numerous developmental series in Mexico, eventually winning the Mexican Formula Three Championship in 1998 and moving to the American Indy Lights series full-time in 1999, finishing 8th in the championship in 2000 and 4th in the series' final year, 2001. He was slated to make his Champ Car debut in the first race of the 2001 season in his home county's race in Monterrey for the new Millennium Motorsports team, but the car never appeared.
Domínguez made his Champ Car debut the following year in 2002 and became Rookie of the Year, with his first Champ Car victory in 2002 at the Honda Indy 300, although this was in a rain-shortened race largely dictated by the safety car. He was more competitive in 2003, winning the Grand Prix Americas in Miami. In 2004 Domínguez had his best season to date by finishing 5th in the final standings. This success with Herdez Competition allowed him to sign with the Forsythe team for 2005. However, Domínguez saw limited success at Forsythe. After the first four races of the 2006 season where he crashed into his teammate Paul Tracy on the first lap twice, Domínguez and Forsythe parted ways. Before the next Champ Car race in Portland, Domínguez signed on to Dale Coyne Racing to drive the Sonny's BBQ Ford Lola-Cosworth. For the final 3 races of the season, Domínguez secured sponsorship from Mexican state-owned petroleum company Pemex to race for the slightly more competitive Rocketsports team. Along with Champ Car racing, Mario tested a Jordan Grand Prix Formula One racing car at the Silverstone circuit in Northamptonshire, England, in 2005.