Freedom 100
Indy Lights
VenueIndianapolis Motor Speedway
First race2003
First Lights race2003
Last race2019
Distance100 miles (160 km)
Laps40
Previous namesFirestone Freedom 100 (2008–2013)
Futaba Freedom 100 (2004–2005)
Most wins (driver)Wade Cunningham (3)
Most wins (team)Sam Schmidt Motorsports (7)

The Freedom 100 was an automobile race held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, as part of the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires. The event was a support race for the IndyCar Series Indianapolis 500, and since 2005, it was held on the Friday preceding the Indianapolis 500, the day known as "Carb Day".

The Freedom 100 was the second race annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the other being the Grand Prix on the combined road course.

Race history

2019 Freedom 100

The Freedom 100 has its origins in both USAC's Mini Indy series and CART's ARS/Indy Lights series. None of those support series ever raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Typically the support series would take the month of May off while the top-level Indy cars were at the Indianapolis 500. In 1979, USAC's Mini-Indy series scheduled a support race on the oval at nearby Indianapolis Raceway Park, but it was held only once.[1]

When the IRL started the Indy Pro Series in 2002, officials began exploring the possibility of holding a support race at Indianapolis in the days leading up to the Indianapolis 500. It was an attempt to fill an otherwise slow part of the month, and an opportunity for exposure for up-and-coming drivers and teams. The race was added to the calendar for 2003.

For the first two years, the race was held during the second weekend of Indianapolis 500 time trials, scheduled for Saturday which was at the time, used only for Indy 500 practice. The date proved to be unpopular and drew small crowds. In 2005, Carb Day, the traditional final day of practice for the Indy 500, was moved from Thursday before the Indy 500 to Friday. Series officials moved the Freedom 100 to Carb Day, immediately following the final Indy 500 practice session. The move proved popular with fans and competitors.

In 2008, in the wake of the merger between IRL and Champ Car, the series was renamed from Indy Pro Series to the Firestone Indy Lights Series, taking the name of Champ Car's former development series which had ceased in 2001. The new sponsorship extended to this race, renaming it the Firestone Freedom 100.[2]

In the first nine runnings, the race was won six times from the pole and three times from second starting position. Therefore, the race had always been won from the front row until Esteban Guerrieri won in 2012 from the 18th starting position.[3] In 2013, Peter Dempsey, who started third, won the Freedom 100 in what was then the closest finish in Speedway history (0.0026 secs) in a four-wide finish over Gabby Chaves, Sage Karam, and Carlos Muñoz. Dempsey went from fourth to first on the final straightaway.[4]

In 2016, the field lined up in order of points, as qualifying has been rained out. Pole sitter and series point leader, Carlin's Ed Jones, traded the lead with Andretti Autosport's Dean Stoneman until a caution on lap 36 slowed the field. The green flag flew with one lap to go and Stoneman pulled alongside Jones going into Turn Three. The pair held their positions through the North Short Chute and into Turn Four; as they crossed the line, Stoneman held the lead by the slimmest possible margin, winning by 0.0024 seconds - a new Indianapolis Motor Speedway Record.[5]

Carlin's Matheus Leist took the race victory from pole position in 2017, while Colton Herta earned the win in 2018. Herta's Freedom 100 victory made it a clean sweep of the month of May for the young second-generation driver, who won both Indy Lights races on the road course at the INDYCAR Grand Prix.

Wade Cunningham(pictured in 2008) won the race three times

In 2019, Andretti Autosport's Oliver Askew took the race win in typically dramatic fashion, passing teammate Ryan Norman at the line by a mere 0.0067 seconds - the fourth closest finish in the history of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. There were 12 official lead changes at the start/finish line, but nearly 100 passes for position throughout the 40-lap race. The race starting order was altered post-qualifying when five cars failed post-qualifying technical inspection and were relegated to the back of the field, though this number did not include pole sitter Robert Megennis.

The 2020 edition of the race was cancelled after the Indy Lights season was also cancelled.[6] The race was axed from Lights' 2021 calendar. IndyCar took responsibility for the move, claiming it was to ensure for a smooth Indianapolis 500 weekend.[7]

Race results

Year Date Day Winning Driver Race Distance Time of Race Winning Speed Starting
Cars
Lead
Changes
Ref
Miles Laps
2003 May 17–18 a Sat.–Sun. United States Ed Carpenter 100 40 55:02.1661 109.019 mph (175.449 km/h) 19 2 [8]
2004 May 22 Saturday Brazil Thiago Medeiros 100 40 42:16.4388 141.931 mph (228.416 km/h) 17 2 [9]
2005 May 27 Friday Brazil Jaime Camara 100 40 40:52.6390 146.780 mph (236.220 km/h) 18 7 [10]
2006 May 26 Friday New Zealand Wade Cunningham 100 40 32:29.3233 184.679 mph (297.212 km/h) 19 0 [11]
2007 May 25 Friday United Kingdom Alex Lloyd 100 40 46:39.6029 128.590 mph (206.946 km/h) 24 0 [12]
2008 May 24 b Saturday United Kingdom Dillon Battistini 100 40 39:46.9495 150.820 mph (242.721 km/h) 27 4 [13]
2009 May 22 Friday New Zealand Wade Cunningham 100 40 50:42.2548 118.333 mph (190.439 km/h) 22 9 [14]
2010 May 28 Friday New Zealand Wade Cunningham 100 40 39:55.4552 150.285 mph (241.860 km/h) 16 4 [15]
2011 May 27 Friday United States Josef Newgarden 100 40 55:38.9881 107.817 mph (173.515 km/h) 18 6 [16]
2012 May 25 Friday Argentina Esteban Guerrieri 100 40 40:09.1965 149.427 mph (240.479 km/h) 19 c 3 [17]
2013 May 24 Friday Republic of Ireland Peter Dempsey 100 40 36:48.6540 162.995 mph (262.315 km/h) 11 2 [18]
2014 May 23 Friday Colombia Gabby Chaves 100 40 41:46.9680 143.600 mph (231.102 km/h) 11 9 [19]
2015 May 22 Friday United Kingdom Jack Harvey 100 40 33:21.2712 179.886 mph (289.498 km/h) 11 6 [20]
2016 May 27 Friday United Kingdom Dean Stoneman 100 40 41:08.6299 145.830 mph (234.691 km/h) 16 3 [21]
2017 May 26 Friday Brazil Matheus Leist 100 40 36:36.6934 163.883 mph (263.744 km/h) 14 0 [22]
2018 May 25 Friday United States Colton Herta 100 40 31:20.6650 191.422 mph (308.064 km/h) 8 20 [23]
2019 May 24 Friday United States Oliver Askew 100 40 42:02.6912 142.705 mph (229.661 km/h) 11 12 [24]
a In 2003 the race started on Saturday May 17, but was halted by rain. It was completed the following day.[25]
b The 2008 race was scheduled for Friday May 23 but postponed one day due to rain.[26]
c In 2012, Anders Krohn qualified for the race, but was unable to start due to mechanical problems. He was credited with the 19th-place finish. Therefore, only 18 cars took the green flag.

Qualification results

Year Date Day Pole Sitter /
Fast Qualifier
Pole 2-Lap
Qualifying Time
Pole Speed Number of
Qualifiers
Slow Qualifier Speed Mean Qualifying Speed
2003 May 16 Friday United States Ed Carpenter 1:35.4958 188.490 mph (303.345 km/h) 18 179.550 mph (288.958 km/h) 184.460 mph (296.860 km/h)
2004 May 21 Friday Brazil Thiago Medeiros 1:35.1000 189.274 mph (304.607 km/h) 17 178.100 mph (286.624 km/h) 186.302 mph (299.824 km/h)
2005 May 26 Thursday Brazil Jaime Camara 1:34.8018 189.870 mph (305.566 km/h) 17 168.816 mph (271.683 km/h) 184.892 mph (297.555 km/h)
2006 May 25 Thursday New Zealand Wade Cunningham 1:36.5546 186.423 mph (300.019 km/h) 18 171.844 mph (276.556 km/h) 181.753 mph (292.503 km/h)
2007 May 24 Thursday Canada Ken Losch 1:35.6271 188.231 mph (302.928 km/h) 24 183.436 mph (295.212 km/h) 186.052 mph (299.422 km/h)
2008 May 22 Thursday United Kingdom Dillon Battistini 1:35.5430 188.397 mph (303.196 km/h) 27 178.497 mph (287.263 km/h) 186.196 mph (299.653 km/h)
2009 May 21 Thursday New Zealand Wade Cunningham 1:34.6485 190.177 mph (306.060 km/h) 22 185.269 mph (298.162 km/h) 187.749 mph (302.153 km/h)
2010 May 27 Thursday United Kingdom Pippa Mann 1:35.7505 187.989 mph (302.539 km/h) 15 183.479 mph (295.281 km/h) 185.988 mph (299.319 km/h)
2011 May 26 Thursday United States Bryan Clauson Grid set by entrant points due to rain.
2012 May 24 Thursday Colombia Gustavo Yacamán 1:35.9913 187.517 mph (301.779 km/h) 19 184.494 mph (296.914 km/h) 185.828 mph (299.061 km/h)
2013 May 23 Thursday United States Sage Karam 1:35.1160 189.243 mph (304.557 km/h) 11 185.967 mph (299.285 km/h) 187.412 mph (301.610 km/h)
2014 May 22 Thursday Brazil Luiz Razia 1:35.8926 187.710 mph (302.090 km/h) 11 182.697 mph (294.022 km/h) 185.056 mph (297.819 km/h)
2015 May 21 Thursday United States Ethan Ringel 1:31.0545 197.684 mph (318.142 km/h) 12 194.404 mph (312.863 km/h) 195.909 mph (315.285 km/h)
2016 May 26 Thursday United Arab Emirates Ed Jones Grid set by entrant points due to rain.
2017 May 25 Thursday Brazil Matheus Leist 1:30.3625 199.198 mph (320.578 km/h) 14 195.445 mph (314.538 km/h) 196.984 mph (317.015 km/h)
2018 May 24 Thursday Canada Dalton Kellett 1:32.2947 195.027 mph (313.866 km/h) 8 193.269 mph (311.036 km/h) 194.054 mph (312.300 km/h)
2019 May 23 Thursday United States Robert Megennis 1:32.6851 194.206 mph (312.544 km/h) 11 191.304 mph (307.874 km/h) 192.462 mph (309.738 km/h)1
  1. ^ Five cars in the field had their qualifying runs disallowed for failing technical inspection, leaving only six official times.

Event records

Year Driver Time Speed Distance Laps
Fastest race 2018 United States Colton Herta 31:20.6650 191.422 mph (308.064 km/h) 100 mi (160 km) 40
Fastest qualification run 2017 Brazil Matheus Leist 01:30.3625 199.198 mph (320.578 km/h) 5 mi (8.0 km) 2
Fastest qualifying lap 2017 Brazil Matheus Leist 00:45.1654 199.268 mph (320.691 km/h) 2.5 mi (4.0 km) 1
Fastest race lap 2017 Uruguay Santiago Urrutia 00:45.4307 198.104 mph (318.817 km/h) 2.5 mi (4.0 km) 1
Most wins by a driver 2006; 2009; 2010 New Zealand Wade Cunningham 3 Wins
Most starts by a driver 2005 - 2010 New Zealand Wade Cunningham 6 Starts
Most participants 2008 27 Starting Drivers

Drivers

In the first seventeen years that this race has been contested, 166 drivers have participated:

drivers who went on to race in the Indianapolis 500, after first participating in the Freedom 100.
drivers who had already driven in the Indianapolis 500, before participating in the Freedom 100.
drivers who attempted unsuccessfully to race in the Indianapolis 500
Driver Nation Starts First Latest Best
Finishing Position
Best
Finish Year
Laps led
Mishael Abbott  USA 2200520061120050
Neil Alberico  USA 220162017420170
Cyndie Allemann   Switzerland 1200820082620080
Scott Anderson  USA 220142015320150
Jarett Andretti  USA 120192019620190
Marco Andretti  USA 1200520051620050
Richard Antinucci  USA 120082008220080
Oliver Askew  USA 120192019120193
Chase Austin  USA 420112014820130
Rodrigo Barbosa  Brazil 2200920101220100
Alexandre Baron  France 120142014720140
Dillon Battistini  United Kingdom 1200820081200838
Matt Beardsley  USA 220032004820040
Ana Beatriz Figueiredo  Brazil 220082009520080
Shelby Blackstock  USA 320152017420160
Matthew Brabham  USA 1201420142201428
Jon Brownson  USA 220072008920070
Nick Bussell  USA 2200620061020060
Jaime Camara  Brazil 3200520071200533
Adrian Campos, Jr.  Spain 1201020101020100
Victor Carbone  Brazil 2201120126201225
Tyce Carlson  USA 1200620061520060
Ed Carpenter  USA 1200320031200339
Cole Carter  USA 1200520051820050
Gabby Chaves  Colombia 220132014120146
James Chesson  USA 1200620061820060
Heamin Choi  South Korea 1201620161220160
Marco Cioci  Italy 120032003920030
Dan Clarke  United Kingdom 120102010420100
Bryan Clauson  USA 120112011520110
Wade Cunningham  New Zealand 62005201012006; 2009; 201099
Paul Dana  USA 220032004720030
Nicolas Dapero  Argentina 1201720171220170
James Davison  Australia 220082009620091
Alon Day  Israel 120122012820120
Zachary Claman DeMelo  Canada 220162017620170
Peter Dempsey  Ireland 320112013120131
Geoff Dodge  USA 120062006820060
Craig Dollansky  USA 1200320031720030
Pablo Donoso  Chile 220082009920090
Jay Drake  USA 220042005320050
Armaan Ebrahim  India 1201220121320120
R. C. Enerson  USA 220152016420150
Brandon Erwin  USA 1200320031120030
Duarte Ferreira  Angola 1201120111320110
Chris Festa  USA 420052008220070
Aaron Fike  USA 120032003620030
Taylor Fletcher  USA 220042005920050
Victor Franzoni  Brazil 120182018820182
Juan Pablo Garcia  Mexico 420112014620140
Victor Garcia  Spain 120112011320110
Phil Giebler  USA 220042006520040
Micky Gilbert  USA 2200720081520070
Logan Gomez  USA 220072008720080
Jorge Goncalvez  Venezuela 320112013620130
Travis Gregg  USA 120052005620050
Mikael Grenier  Canada 1201120111020110
Esteban Guerrieri  Argentina 220112012120125
Sean Guthrie  USA 3200620081120060
Davey Hamilton Jr.  USA 120182018720180
Matthew Hamilton  New Zealand 1200620061320060
Scott Hargrove  Canada 120162016520160
Scott Harrington  USA 1200320031220030
Jack Harvey  United Kingdom 2201420151201510
Jack Hawksworth  United Kingdom 1201320131020130
Jon Herb  USA 3200420061320051
Daniel Herrington  USA 120092009720090
Colton Herta  USA 2201720181201810
J. R. Hildebrand  USA 2200820092200923
James Hinchcliffe  Canada 220092010320100
João Victor Horto  Brazil 120122012720120
Jay Howard  United Kingdom 220062009220060
Imran Husain  India 1200520051420050
Alistair Jackson  United Kingdom 1200920091920090
Brad Jaeger  USA 1200720072120070
Nico Jamin  France 1201720171020170
Shane Jantzi  Canada 1200720071820070
Matt Jaskol  USA 120072007720070
Ronnie Johncox  USA 120032003820030
Ed Jones  UAE 2201520162201610
Ryan Justice  USA 1200720071320070
Kyle Kaiser  USA 320152017520150
Sage Karam  USA 1201320133201312
Dalton Kellett  Canada 42016201932016; 2017; 201817
Charlie Kimball  USA 220092010220102
Jonathan Klein  USA 220062007620060
Lucas Kohl  Brazil 120192019720190
Anders Krohn  Norway 2201120121220117
Mike Larrison  USA 120122012920120
Matheus Leist  Brazil 1201720171201740
Alex Lloyd  United Kingdom 2200620071200740
Ken Losch  Canada 1200720072420070
Arie Luyendyk Jr.  Netherlands 420032010320040
Leonardo Maia  Brazil 120042004620040
Philip Major  Canada 120102010620100
David Malukas  USA 1201920191120190
Pippa Mann  United Kingdom 2200920101620100
Jesse Mason  Canada 220042009820090
Raphael Matos  Brazil 1200820081020080
Thiago Medeiros  Brazil 2200320041200435
Robert Megennis  USA 120192019820192
Zack Meyer  Canada 1201420141020140
Rusty Mitchell  USA 120112011720110
Rocky Moran Jr.  USA 1200520051720050
Carlos Muñoz  Colombia 2201220132201227
Hideki Mutoh  Japan 120072007520070
André Negrão  Brazil 1201620161520160
Josef Newgarden  USA 1201120111201130
Emerson Newton-John  USA 1201220121720120
Ryan Norman  USA 3201720192201929
Kyle O'Gara  USA 1201320131120130
Patricio O'Ward  Mexico 120182018220183
Mark Olson  USA 1200820082520080
David Ostella  Canada 220112012820110
Robbie Pecorari  USA 220072008420080
Gary Peterson  USA 2200320041320040
Juan Piedrahita  Colombia 420142017720150
Spencer Pigot  USA 120152015920150
Martin Plowman  United Kingdom 220092010520100
Brad Pollard  USA 1200420041120040
Mike Potekhen  USA 320072009620070
Andrew Prendeville  USA 320072009420070
Rolando Quintanilla  Mexico 2200320041020030
German Quiroga  Mexico 1200520051020050
Sean Rayhall  USA 120152015620150
Luiz Razia  Brazil 120142014420145
Jonny Reid  New Zealand 1200820082020080
Garth Rickards  USA 120172017720170
Ethan Ringel  USA 1201520152201530
Billy Roe  USA 220032004920040
Mario Romancini  Brazil 120092009320090
Felix Rosenqvist  Sweden 120162016920160
Marty Roth  Canada 220042005520050
Sebastián Saavedra  Colombia 32009201252009; 20123
Joey Scarallo  Australia 1200720072020070
Félix Serrallés  Puerto Rico 220152016620160
Brent Sherman  USA 1200820081620080
Jeff Simmons  USA 520032010220045
Jimmy Simpson  USA 120132013720130
Stephen Simpson  South Africa 1200720071420070
Jake Slotten  USA 1200820082320080
Toby Sowery  United Kingdom 120192019420190
Dean Stoneman  United Kingdom 1201620161201630
Junior Strous  Netherlands 1200920091020090
Jonathan Summerton  USA 1200920091220090
Mark Taylor  United Kingdom 120032003320031
Aaron Telitz  USA 320172019220170
Al Unser III  USA 320052008420050
Jonathan Urlin  USA 120032003520030
Santiago Urrutia  Uruguay 320162018420188
Brett Van Blankers  Canada 1200620061420060
Tristan Vautier  France 1201220123201211
Zach Veach  USA 320132016320141
Rinus VeeKay  Netherlands 120192019320196
Jean-Karl Vernay  France 1201020101320100
Brandon Wagner  USA 420092012820100
Oliver Webb  United Kingdom 1201220121520120
Tom Wieringa  USA 3200620081220060
Marc Williams  New Zealand 2200720081520080
Bobby Wilson  USA 320062008620080
Stefan Wilson  United Kingdom 220102011420111
Chris Windom  USA 1201920191020190
James Winslow  United Kingdom 1201120111720110
Cory Witherill  USA 220032004220030
Tom Wood  Canada 320032006920060
Gustavo Yacaman  Colombia 420092012420121

Freedom 100 and Indianapolis 500 "Double"

Carlos Muñoz finished 2nd at the 2013 Indianapolis 500, his first ever IndyCar Series race

Since the Freedom 100 began in 2003, four different drivers have competed both in this race and in the Indianapolis 500, during the same month.

Year Driver Freedom 100
Finish
Indianapolis 500
finish
2004Canada Marty Roth1624
2004United States Jeff Simmons216
2005Canada Marty Roth531
2008United States Jeff Simmons828
2010Colombia Sebastián Saavedra923
2012Colombia Sebastián Saavedra526
2013Colombia Carlos Muñoz42

Sources

References

  1. 1979 Mini-Indy Series IRP at ChampCarStats.com
  2. "Firestone Freedom 100 To Feature Firestone Indy Lights May 23 At IMS". name. 2008-03-26. Archived from the original on 2008-04-02. Retrieved 2008-03-31.
  3. "Guerrieri charges from back to win Freedom 100". name. 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  4. Marot, Michael. Indianapolis Motor Speedway With Historic Final Lap, Huffington Post, May 24, 2013, Retrieved 2013-05-24
  5. "Stoneman Wins Thrilling Freedom 100 in Closest-Ever Indianapolis Finish". www.indylights.com. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  6. Ryan, Nate (June 1, 2020). "Indy Lights announces cancellation of 2020 season; will return in 2021". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  7. Brown, Nathan (October 22, 2020). "Indy Lights loses 2021 Freedom 100 due to fears of lingering pandemic effects around the Indy 500". Indianapolis Star. Gannett. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  8. "2003 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  9. "2004 Futaba Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  10. "2005 Futaba Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  11. "2006 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  12. "2007 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  13. "2008 Firestone Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  14. "2009 Firestone Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  15. "2010 Firestone Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  16. "2011 Firestone Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  17. "2012 Firestone Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  18. "2013 Firestone Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  19. "2014 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  20. "2015 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  21. "2016 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  22. "2017 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  23. "2018 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  24. "2019 Freedom 100". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  25. Wilson, Philip B. (May 18, 2003). "Rain stops messy Freedom 100". The Indianapolis Star. p. C10. Retrieved November 16, 2023 via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  26. Herman, Steve (May 23, 2008). "Indy 500 notes: Rain nixes Freedom 100, most of practice". The Pantagraph. Associated Press. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
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