2008 Champ Car season - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2008 Champ Car season was to have been the 30th season of the series. It was scheduled to begin on April 20, 2008 and end on November 9. The season, with the sole exception of the Long Beach Grand Prix

2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach

The 2008 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach was the third round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season, for teams who competed in the Champ Car World Series in 2007. This was because the 2008 Indy Japan 300 occurred on the same weekend and there was no way of changing dates to avoid the clash. It was held...

(won by Will Power

Will Power

William Steven Power is an Australian motorsport driver, who currently competes in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske.-Australian Racing:...

), was canceled February 21, 2008 because of the buyout of Champ Car

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

by the rival Indy Racing League. However, the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton and the Gold Coast Indy 300 were retained and transferred to the Indy Car Series schedule.

Grands Prix (prior to unification announcement)

Rnd	Race Name	Circuit	City/Location	TV	Date
1	Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach	Streets of Long Beach Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...	Long Beach, California Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...	ESPN2 ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...	April 20
2	Grand Prix of Houston Grand Prix of Houston The Grand Prix of Houston was an annual auto race on the Champ Car World Series circuit. It was held in a street circuit located in downtown Houston, Texas, United States of America for four years, then returned for two years on a course laid out in the parking lot of the Reliant Park Complex...	JAGFlo Speedway at Reliant Park Reliant Park Reliant Park is a complex in Houston, Texas, USA, named after the energy company Reliant Energy. It is located on Kirby Drive at the 610 Loop...	Houston, Texas Houston, Texas Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...	ESPN2 ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...	April 27
3	Champ Car Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca	Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca is a paved road racing track used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, originally constructed in 1957 near both Salinas and Monterey, California, USA....	Monterey, California Monterey, California The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...	ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....	May 18
4	Champ Car Grand Prix of Belgium at Circuit Zolder	Circuit Zolder	Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder is a municipality located in the Belgian province of province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769... , Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...	ABC ESPN on ABC ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...	June 1
5	Champ Car Grand Prix of Spain at Circuito Permanente de Jerez	Circuito de Jerez	Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia... , Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...	ABC ESPN on ABC ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...	June 8
6	Champ Car Grand Prix of Cleveland Grand Prix of Cleveland The Grand Prix of Cleveland was an open wheel automobile racing event in the Champ Car World Series, held annually at Burke Lakefront Airport in Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America. The 2006 race, held on June 25, marked the 25th anniversary of the event...	Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport is a public airport situated on the shore of Lake Erie, in the northeast part of downtown Cleveland, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It classified as a general aviation airport and is an FAA designated reliever to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport ,...	Cleveland, Ohio	ABC ESPN on ABC ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...	June 22
7	Champ Car Mont-Tremblant Mont-Tremblant Champ Car Grand Prix The Mont-Tremblant Champ Car Grand Prix was an auto race in the Champ Car World Series. It was held atCircuit Mont-Tremblant, in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Canada....	Circuit Mont-Tremblant	Mont-Tremblant, Quebec	ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....	June 29
8	Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto Honda Indy Toronto The Honda Indy Toronto is an annual IndyCar Series race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was a Champ Car World Series race held annually from 1986 to 2007...	Exhibition Place Exhibition Place Exhibition Place is a mixed-use district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, by the shoreline of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The 197–acre area includes expo, trade, and banquet centres, theatre and music buildings, monuments, parkland, sports facilities, and a number of civic, provincial,...	Toronto, Ontario Toronto Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...	ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....	July 6
9	Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton	Edmonton City Centre Airport Edmonton City Centre (Blatchford Field) Airport Edmonton City Centre Airport, , is located within the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is bordered by Yellowhead Trail to the north, Kingsway to the south, 121 Street to the west, and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology to the east. It encompasses approximately of land just north...	Edmonton, Alberta Edmonton Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...	ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....	July 20
10	Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland Grand Prix of Portland The Grand Prix of Portland was a Champ Car World Series race held at Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The race has not been highly considered as an addition to the Indy Car Series, but is a likely candidate should the league desire a Pacific Northwest venue.For nearly its entire...	Portland International Raceway Portland International Raceway Portland International Raceway is located in Portland, Oregon, USA's, Delta Park complex on the former site of Vanport, just south of the Columbia River. It is west of a light rail station and less than a mile west of Interstate 5....	Portland, Oregon Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...	ESPN2 ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...	July 27
11	Road America Grand Prix Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America The Champ Car Grand Prix of Road America was an open wheel car race held on the Road America circuit in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. It was a round of the Champ Car World Series for most of Champ Car's existence, the first race being held in 1982...	Road America Road America Road America is a road course located near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin on Wisconsin Highway 67. It has hosted races since the 1950s and currently hosts races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series , American Le Mans , SCCA Speed World Challenge Series, ASRA, and AMA Superbike series.- Current track and...	Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin Elkhart Lake is a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, located within the northwestern part of the county within the Town of Rhine. The population was 1,021 at the 2000 census. It is included in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin Metropolitan Statistical Area...	ABC ESPN on ABC ESPN on ABC is the brand used for sports programming on the ABC television network. Officially the broadcast network retains its own sports division; however, for all practical purposes, ABC's sports division has been merged with ESPN, a sports cable network majority-owned by ABC's parent, The...	August 10
12	Champ Car Grand Prix of Holland at TT Circuit Assen	TT Circuit Assen TT Circuit Assen The TT Circuit Assen is a motorsport race track built in 1955 and located in Assen, Netherlands. Host of the Dutch TT race, it is considered "The Cathedral" of motorcycling by the fans...	Assen Assen Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809. Assen's main claim to fame is the TT Circuit Assen the motorcycle racing circuit, where on the last Saturday in June the Dutch TT is run... , Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...	ESPN2 ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...	September 14
13	Gold Coast Indy 300	Surfers Paradise Street Circuit Surfers Paradise Street Circuit The Surfers Paradise Street Circuit is a temporary street circuit at Surfers Paradise, in south east Queensland, Australia. The challenging track has several fast sections and four chicanes. It is the third of three motor racing circuits that have existed in the Surfers Paradise area, after the...	Surfers Paradise Surfers Paradise, Queensland Surfers Paradise is a suburb on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia. At the 2006 Census, Surfers Paradise had a population of 18,501.... , Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...	ESPN2 ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...	October 26
14	Gran Premio Tecate Presentado por Banamex Gran Premio de México The Gran Premio Tecate was a round of the Champ Car World Series held on the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez circuit in Mexico City, Mexico. It was first held in 1980, and in its first two years of competition was the penultimate round of the championship. After its re-inception in 2002, it was the...	Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a race track in Mexico City, Mexico, named for the famous racing drivers Ricardo and Pedro Rodríguez. The circuit got its name shortly after it opened when Ricardo Rodríguez died in practice for the non-Championship 1962 Mexican Grand Prix...	Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... , Mexico Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...	ESPN2 ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...	November 9

Team and Driver Lineup (prior to unification announcement)

The following teams and drivers were expected to compete for the 2008 Champ Car

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

season. All teams would have used a Cosworth

Cosworth

Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries...

2.65-litre turbocharged

Turbocharger

A turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...

V8 engine

A V8 engine is a V engine with eight cylinders mounted on the crankcase in two banks of four cylinders, in most cases set at a right angle to each other but sometimes at a narrower angle, with all eight pistons driving a common crankshaft....

, a Panoz

Panoz

Panoz Auto Development is an American manufacturer of high-performance automobiles founded in 1989 by Dan Panoz, son of pharmaceutical and motorsport mogul Don Panoz. The company is located in Braselton, GA. Panoz products have included the Panoz Roadster and AIV Roadster, and the Panoz Esperante...

DP01

Panoz DP01

The Panoz DP01 is an open-wheel car that was produced by Élan Motorsport Technologies near Road Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was developed for use in the 2007 Champ Car World Series season, replacing the aging de facto-spec Lola chassis. The DP01 was introduced to the world at the 2006 Grand...

chassis, and Bridgestone

Bridgestone

The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....

tires.

Team	No #	Driver(s)	Sponsor(s)	Test Drivers
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing	1	Justin Wilson	McDonald's McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...	N/A
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing	2	Graham Rahal Graham Rahal Graham Rahal is an American race car driver. He currently participates in the IZOD IndyCar Series. He is the son of 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal.-Early racing:...	McDonald's McDonald's McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...	N/A
Forsythe/Pettit Racing	3	Paul Tracy Paul Tracy Paul Tracy is a professional automobile racer who has competed in CART, the ChampCar World Series and the IndyCar Series...	INDECK	N/A
Forsythe/Pettit Racing	7	Franck Montagny Franck Montagny Franck Montagny is a French motor racing driver. He briefly raced for the Super Aguri Formula One team in 2006.-Early career:...	INDECK	N/A
Minardi Team USA	4	E. J. Viso E. J. Viso Ernesto José Viso Lossada is a Venezuelan race car driver. He is commonly referred to as Ernesto Viso or, since his move to American racing, E. J. Viso....	PDVSA	N/A
Minardi Team USA	14	Robert Doornbos Robert Doornbos Robert Michael Doornbos is a Dutch racing driver. He has been test and third driver for the Jordan and Red Bull Racing Formula One teams, as well as driving for Minardi and Red Bull Racing in 2005 and 2006. Doornbos then drove for Minardi Team USA in the 2007 and final season of the Champ Car...	Muermans Group/Jumbo Supermarkets/OzJet OzJet Ozjet Airlines Pty Ltd was a scheduled and charter airline with its head office in Tullamarine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, operating within Australasia from Melbourne Airport, Sydney Airport and Perth Airport. In 2008 the airline was sold to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, and on 20 May 2009 it...	N/A
Team Australia Team Australia Team Australia was an Auto racing team competing in the V8 Supercars and Champ Car World Series. It was created in early 2005 when two Australian businessmen bought into Derrick Walker's Walker Racing operation...	5	Will Power Will Power William Steven Power is an Australian motorsport driver, who currently competes in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske.-Australian Racing:...	Aussie Vineyards	N/A
	15	Matt Halliday Matt Halliday Matthew Halliday is a motor racing driver from New Zealand.-Formula Racing:His formula racing career has involved various single seater series in New Zealand, Australia, Europe and the United States...	Aussie Vineyards	N/A
Rocketsports Racing Rocketsports Racing Rocketsports Racing is a motor racing team from the United States based in East Lansing, Michigan.Rocketsports was founded in 1985 by racing driver Paul Gentilozzi to compete in the Trans-Am series. It competed in Trans-Am until 2004, when the championship was cancelled, and achieved 57 outright...	8	Enrique Bernoldi Enrique Bernoldi Enrique Antônio Langue e Silvério de Bernoldi is a Brazilian racing driver who raced for the Arrows Formula One team...	Sangari	N/A
Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing Dale Coyne Racing is a motorsports team in the IndyCar Series owned by former driver Dale Coyne. It was founded in 1986 with Chicago Bears great Walter Payton as Payton/Coyne Racing. The team fields the No. 18 Acorn Stairlifts and No...	11	Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira Bruno Junqueira is a Brazilian race car driver that most recently competed in the IRL IndyCar Series. He is a former Formula 3000 champion and three-time runner-up in the Champ Car World Series.-Early career:...	TBA	N/A
	19	Mario Moraes Mario Moraes Mario Ermirio de Moraes Filho is a Brazilian professional race car driver. Moraes started his career in minor youth motorsports. In 2003 Moraes competed in American Formula Renault with and won races against some competition such as Marco Andretti. In 2005 he drove for the Bassan Motorsport team...	Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q is a large barbecue restaurant chain. It was founded by Sonny Tillman in Gainesville, Florida in 1968. Bob and Jeff Yarmuth, franchisees in the Orlando area, purchased the company in 1991 and moved the headquarters to Maitland, Florida...	N/A
KV Racing Technology	21	Alex Tagliani Alex Tagliani Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:...	TBA	N/A
KV Racing Technology	22	Oriol Servià Oriol Servia Oriol Servià i Imbers is a race car driver in the IndyCar Series, originally from Catalonia, Spain. He holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia.-Early career:...	TBA	N/A
Pacific Coast Motorsports Pacific Coast Motorsports Pacific Coast Motorsports was a racing team owned by Tyler Tadevic. It was founded by Tadevic in 2003 and has competed in the American Le Mans Series, Champ Car Atlantic Series, and Rolex Grand-Am series. In 2007 it moved to the Champ Car World Series, one of America's premier open-wheel racing...	29	Alex Figge Alex Figge Alex Figge is an American race car driver born in Boulder, Colorado. He started racing professionally in the Star Mazda Championship, capturing one victory at Portland International Raceway in 2000 while driving for World Speed Motorsports.He competed in the US Formula Ford 2000 championship in...	Imperial Capital Bank	David Martínez David Martínez David Martinez is a Mexican racing driver. He holds the record for the best debut ever by a Mexican driver in a premiere open-wheel series with his 9th place finish at the 2006 Gran Premio de Mexico.-IndyCar 2012:Martinez is currently in negotiations to become the only Mexican driver in the...
	96	Mario Domínguez Mario Domínguez Mario Domínguez is a Mexican racing driver. He has competed in the CART and CCWS Champ Car series and later the IndyCar Series.-Early career:Domínguez first began racing in 1987 driving go-karts...	Mexico City Mexico City Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole... Tourism Board
Conquest Racing	24	Franck Perera Franck Perera Franck Perera is a race car driver who has competed in a number of international open wheel racing championships.-Career:...	ARES	N/A
Conquest Racing	34	Nelson Philippe Nelson Philippe -Early career:Philippe raced go-karts from 1998-2002. In 2003, he raced in the Barber Dodge Pro Series, finishing the season with one podium, and four top five finishes....	Juniper Property Development Group	N/A

The driver line-up represents the entry list for the Sebring Test.

Grands Prix (prior to unification announcement)

Team and Driver Lineup (prior to unification announcement)

See also