The 2000 Indy Racing Northern Light Series was another season that saw a high level of parity, as only one driver, champion Buddy Lazier, won more than a single race. It also saw the beginning of the jump from CART as Al Unser Jr. moved to the series full-time and Chip Ganassi Racing came over to run the Indy 500, which it won with driver Juan Pablo Montoya. It was also the final season for the Riley & Scott chassis, which also saw its first series win in 2000. A planned race at Cleveland was cancelled on September 9, 1999, and reverted to a CART event.

Confirmed entries

The 5 year tire war between Goodyear and Firestone in both CART and the IRL ended after Goodyear left both series as a tire supplier in 1999. This meant from this season onward all teams used Firestone tires.

Season Summary

Schedule

Race results

Note: All races running on Oval/Speedway.

Race summaries

Delphi Indy 200

The final Delphi Indy 200 race was held January 29 at Walt Disney World Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole. Top ten results

MCI WorldCom Indy 200

This race was held March 19 at Phoenix International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole. Top ten results

Vegas Indy 300

This race was held April 22 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Mark Dismore won the pole. Top ten results

84th Indianapolis 500

The Indy 500 was held May 28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Greg Ray sat on pole. Top ten results

Casino Magic 500

This race was held June 11 at Texas Motor Speedway. Qualifying was rained out and Buddy Lazier was on the pole based on points standings. Top ten results

Radisson 200

This race was held June 18 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Greg Ray won the pole. Top ten results

Midas 500 Classic

This race was held July 15 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole. Top ten results

Belterra Resort Indy 300

The inaugural Indy Racing League event was held August 27 at Kentucky Speedway. Scott Goodyear won the pole. Top ten results

Excite 500

This race was held October 15 at Texas Motor Speedway. Greg Ray won the pole. Top ten results

Final points standings

Additional points were awarded to the pole winner (3 points), the second best qualifier (2 points), the third best qualifier (1 point) and to the driver leading the most laps (2 point).