2021 INDY LIGHTS PRESENTED BY COOPER TIRES

 [Visit RoadToIndy.Info for a full overview of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires.]

The third and final step on the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires debuted as Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires in 2014. Sanctioned by INDYCAR, the series is operated by Andersen Promotions, which oversees all three levels of the ladder system including the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship and the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.

The Road to Indy is the only driver development program in the world to feature a champion’s scholarship at every level to advance to the next step on the ladder system.

Following a year's hiatus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Indy Lights will return in 2021 with more awards on offer for its competitors including an increased scholarship package valued at $1,289,425 million for entry into at least three NTT INDYCAR SERIES events for 2022 including the Indianapolis 500, and the addition of an Indy car test at the conclusion of the season for each of the top-three finishers in the championship.

In total, over $3,138,500 in prize money and awards will be on offer across the three Road to Indy series in 2021.

Indy Lights has become the backbone of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with 23 of the 33 starters in the 2020 Indianapolis 500 as graduates, including eight Indy Lights champions. In total, 23 graduates from series that comprise the Road to Indy were on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES grids in 2020. The success of Indy Lights as a springboard to INDYCAR has never been more apparent.

Since the formation of the Road to Indy in 2010, 37 Indy Lights drivers have made career starts in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. And since the inception of Indy Lights, this number totals 143.

All but three of the 33 champions in the series history have moved up to the top step.

The highly acclaimed series was revitalized with a state-of-the-art chassis in 2015, which will remain in competition to at least 2024. Sharing similarities to an Indy car, the Dallara IL-15 provides the appropriate training for drivers to make the step up - a six-speed, paddle-shift transmission, a 50HP "push-to-pass" feature, "drive-by-wire" throttle control and advanced engine management electronics.

The Dallara IL-15 is a collaboration between Dallara’s Italian headquarters in Varano Melegari (Parma) and Dallara LLC in Speedway, Ind. It is powered by an Advanced Engine Research (AER) 2.0-liter I-4 turbocharged engine which produces 450 horsepower and is capable of running an entire season without a rebuild. The powerplant operated flawlessly again in 2019 ensuring the best engine on offer for this level of racing

The marriage of the AER powerplant to the Cooper tire-shod Dallara IL-15 has produced incredible competition with a strong parity across the board that showcases racecraft.

The 2019 season saw a thrilling battle between Andretti Autosport's Oliver Askew and Juncos Racing's Rinus VeeKay with Askew claiming the title and the scholarship to advance to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES in 2020. 

HISTORY

Indy Lights has produced some of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES’ biggest names during its 33-year history. Its 100+ graduates include Scott Dixon, James Hinchcliffe, Tony Kanaan and Josef Newgarden to name a few. More recently, several Indy Lights champions and front-runners have gone on to pursue their dream of racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and the famed Indianapolis 500. Among them are 2019 champion Oliver Askew and vice champion Rinus VeeKay, 2018 champion Patricio O'Ward and vice champion Colton Herta, 2014/2015 vice champion Jack Harvey, Felix Rosenqvist, who contested a partial season in 2016, and Dalton Kellett, who made eight starts this season.

SCHEDULE

The Indy Lights schedule is boosted by an expanded calendar of 10 events and 20 races with one event yet to be announced. For the first time since 2012, the series will return to The Raceway at Belle Isle Park in Detroit, Mich., for a double-header round, and will cap off the year with a West Coast swing at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Ore., and the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, Calif., the following weekend.

The series’ annual Spring Training will take place on February 24 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway road course in Homestead, Fla. Pre-event test days will take place at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 13, Road America on June 18, the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on June 30, World Wide Technology Raceway on August 19 and at Portland International Raceway on September 9.

SERIES PARTNERS

Cooper Tires, Advanced Engine Research (AER), AiM Sports, Allied Building Products, AMR INDYCAR Safety Team, Bell Helmets, Braille Battery, Carl Haas Auto, Cosworth, Dallara, Dynamic Suspensions, Hi-Tide Boat Lifts, Holmatro, INDYCAR Ministry, Kids On Track, Life Racing, Lucas Oil School of Racing, PFC Brakes, RACER, Racer Ink, Racing Communications, Rotiform, Sabelt, Safety-Kleen, SimMetric Driver Performance Labs, SST Technology, Tilton, Toyota Gazoo Racing New Zealand, VP Racing Fuels.

COVERAGE | TELEVISION, RADIO, LIVE STREAMING

Indy Lights will return to NBC Sports Gold with all races airing live and on demand in the U.S. Internationally, all practice, qualifying and race events will be live streamed on the Road to Indy TV App and at RoadToIndy.TV and indylights.com, as well as dedicated broadcast channels on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Xbox One. Additional coverage of all on-track sessions can also be found on the Pennzoil INDYCAR Radio Network.

In 2016, the Road to Indy became the first American racing series with a dedicated broadcast channel on demand and also the first open-wheel series to have an official App on Xbox One. The Road to Indy TV App launched in 2015 and is available as free downloads at the App Store (iPhones) and Google Play (Android) for mobile phones and tablets.

CARS

State-of-the-art, single-seat, open-wheel, Indy car-style chassis manufactured by Dallara Automobili, complete with paddle shifters, push-to-pass and safety components meeting or exceeding FIA specifications with INDYCAR standards (headrests, seats, secondary pedal bulkhead, zylon panels).

ENGINES

Advanced Engine Research (AER) 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4 powerplant producing 450 HP with 50 HP push-to-pass for high speed overtaking and capable of running an entire season without a rebuild.

TIRES

Cooper Tires

POINT SYSTEM

Per race, for both driver and team championships. One bonus point is awarded for pole position and most laps led. Single car teams will be awarded three bonus points in the team championship to help with the equality to multiple car teams. Only the two best results will count in the team championship for teams fielding more than two entries.

ROAD/STREET COURSE EVENTS

CURRENT TRACK RECORDS

*Two-lap qualifying run

MILESTONES

INDY LIGHTS CHAMPIONS

KEY

ARS - American Racing Series
CART - Championship Auto Racing Teams
INDYCAR - INDYCAR