2020 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. In 2020, the Indy Lights champion will be awarded a scholarship valued at $1 million toward the NTT INDYCAR SERIES with a minimum of three races including the Indianapolis 500.

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 nine Indy Lights champions. In total, 26 Road to Indy graduates were on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES grids in 2019. 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, 36 Indy Lights drivers have made career starts in the NTT IndyCar Series. And since the inception of Indy Lights, this number totals 140.

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 until at least 2022. 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.  

No fewer than seven drivers claimed race wins, and the crown jewel in the series – the Freedom 100 Presented by Cooper Tires – produced another edge-of-your-seat finish in front of packed Carb Day crowd with the margin of victory only 0.0067 of a second between first and second place – the fourth closest in Indianapolis Motor Speedway history.

In the season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 2011 Indy Lights champion Josef Newgarden claimed his second NTT IndyCar Series champion’s title. Road to Indy alumni continue to display the skills and speed nurtured in the Road to Indy ladder system and provide further proof that the program is working, and is the only real choice for serious career-minded drivers.

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 2018 champion Patricio O'Ward, 2018 vice champion Colton Herta, 2017 champion Kyle Kaiser, 2016 champion Ed Jones, 2015 champion Spencer Pigot, 2014 champion Gabby Chaves as well as recent graduates Jack Harvey, Matheus Leist, Felix Rosenqvist and Zach Veach.

SCHEDULE

Indy Lights will be featured on nine weekends alongside NTT INDYCAR SERIES headline events, marking a total of 18 races comprised of five road course, two street circuit and two oval events highlighted by the crown jewel in the schedule - the Freedom 100 Presented by Cooper Tires on Carb Day for the 104th Running of the Indianapolis 500.

* Single Race Events

+ Tripleheader Rounds

Open tests are scheduled at Homestead-Miami Speedway on March 9 (road course), the Indianapolis Motor Speedway – May 7 road course and May 18 oval – the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on August 12 and World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway on August 20.

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

Road to Indy TV, the broadcast production arm of the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, will return for Season 7 in 2020 with an expanded programming platform to provide increased coverage for race fans, competitors and series partners. [Full details here.]

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. In 2020, all shows will now be available on demand as well as live on Apple TV, Amazon Fire and Roku. The shows will also be live streamed on the free Road to Indy TV App (which launched in 2015), on RoadToIndy.TV and its social media platforms and on the respective series websites – indylights.com, indypro2000.com and usf2000.com – and social media outlets.

Road to Indy TV will now be producing full live race shows with over three hours of streaming content daily on race weekends which includes a dedicated pre-race show, and race and post-race coverage of each series highlighted by special segments Paddock Pass, RTI Insider and The False Grid. [Note: Indy Lights races will not be live streamed in the United States due to live coverage by NBC Sports Gold noted below.]

The social media component of the video content plan will include regular one-minute features with individual Indy Lights, Indy Pro 2000 and USF2000 race weekend highlights as well as Beyond the Grid, Road to Indy 101, Tech Talk, Story of the Moment and Weekend Recap segments. Fuller two to five-minute edited segments will be produced the week following a race event and will include Beyond the Grid, Road to Indy 101, Tech Talk, Story of the Moment and Race Recap.

All creative content will be supported by social media marketing, providing better brand recognition among a wider audience and more exposure for series competitors.

TELEVISION

In the U.S., all races will air live and on demand on NBC Sports Gold with practice and qualifying coverage carried via live streaming by Road to Indy TV. Indy Lights races will also air live on MAVTV Canada. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, all Indy Lights races will be live streamed globally.

RADIO

Additional coverage can also be found on the Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network, which airs live on network affiliates, Sirius 216, XM 209, indycar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR Mobile App powered by NTT Data.

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

PRIZE MONEY AND AWARDS

The Indy Lights champion is awarded a scholarship towards a minimum of three races in the NTT IndyCar Series including the Indianapolis 500. In 2020, scholarships and awards valued at over $2.7 million are on offer in the Road to Indy Presented by Cooper Tires, encompassing both race and year-end awards.

CURRENT TRACK RECORDS

*Two-lap qualifying run

MILESTONES

INDY LIGHTS CHAMPIONS

KEY

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