From grassroots beginnings to one of North America's most active amateur endurance racing clubs, this archive preserves the milestones, rulebooks, videos, people, and moments that shaped ChampCar.
ChampCar was built by racers, for racers. What began as a simple idea grew into a national community of drivers, crews, volunteers, partners, and staff who believe endurance racing should be challenging, welcoming, and achievable.
A text-first timeline lets the story lead while preserving early images as archive artifacts.
ChumpCar World Series was founded by John Condren with the goal of making endurance road racing affordable and accessible. The original concept centered on low-cost endurance racing for cars valued around 500 dollars or less.
Portland International Raceway hosted the first ChumpCar race weekend. The early schedule quickly expanded to tracks such as Texas Motor Speedway, Iowa Speedway, Hallett Motor Racing Circuit, and Putnam Park.
Watch the first promo video →
The first East Coast race was held at Rockingham Speedway. Homestead-Miami also saw the first appearance of the fan-favorite Infiniti Shark Car.
Watch Rockingham video →
ChumpCar held its first 24-hour race at Virginia International Raceway. NASCAR legend Tony Stewart entered his Chevy, while the ExFed VW won overall by 14 laps.
ChumpCar popularity grew quickly, with more than 40 events scheduled across North America at some of the best-known road racing venues on the continent.
ChumpCar received its first title sponsor with Optima Batteries, helping the club reach more racers and events.
The popular AIV and 500 dollar formula came to an end. A new points-based value system was introduced, assigning point values to vehicles and performance parts.
ChumpCar reformed as a membership-driven club and 501(c)(7) tax-exempt organization. Robert Mink became CEO and Board Chair.
Mike Chisek became COO of ChumpCar and kicked off what would later become known as the Rad Flag videos.
Longtime racers RVA Graphics and Wraps joined as title sponsor for the series.
Watch promo video →
Paul Veltum, Bill Strong, and Aaron Lester streamed the 14 Hours of Road Atlanta from start to finish. ChumpCar was also featured in //Drive on NBC.
Watch //Drive on NBC →
ChumpCar World Series adopted the ChampCar Endurance Series name. A registered trademark was granted by the USPTO on August 28, 2018.
Watch change video →
The 2018 ChampCar BCCR became the official rulebook for the new ChampCar era.
View 2018 BCCR →
Tire Rack became the title sponsor of ChampCar. With 29 events on the calendar, the 10th season was set to be the biggest yet.
View 2019 BCCR →
The TireRack.com ChampCar Endurance Series raced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The event sold out in 19 minutes.
ChampCar opened 2020 with strong demand and four of its first six events sold out.
View 2020 BCCR →
After Harris Hill, the COVID-19 pandemic brought auto racing to a halt as staff traveled home and the world began shutting down.
With real racing shut down, the ChampCar iRacing League filled with racers trying to keep their skills sharp while away from the tracks.
ChampCar returned at Willow Springs, then joined the July 4 weekend with IMSA at Daytona.
Dana Morrison became CEO and President of ChampCar.
Richard "Doc" Waldrop, Board Secretary, ChampCar.Live color commentator, and Brew Krewe BMW team owner, passed away.
See the tribute →The Inside ChampCar Podcast began with Brian Bielanski and Bill Strong as hosts. CEO Dana Morrison was the first guest.
Chelsey Vickery was named Executive Director after Dana Morrison resigned. Bill Strong was named Director of Operations.
The ChampCar Board of Directors welcomed Michael Chisek as Chief Executive Officer, with Bill Strong continuing as Director of Operations and Chelsey Vickery taking on the role of Senior Events Director.
These historical rulebooks are provided for club history and reference. They are not meant to be used to build or class a current race car.
ChampCar is more than a race series. It is a club built by racers, volunteers, staff, partners, and families who keep affordable endurance racing moving forward.