ChumpCar & ChampCar History

ChumpCar World Series founded by John Condren with a mission to make endurance racing affordable for everyone. The name was a tongue-in-cheek nod to the defunct Champ Car World Series.

First Race: Portland International Raceway hosts the inaugural event, kicking off nine races nationwide.

First East Coast race at Rockingham Speedway. The iconic Infiniti “Shark Car” debuts at Homestead-Miami.

First 24-hour race at Virginia International Raceway. Tony Stewart races a Chevy, but the ExFed VW takes the overall win by 14 laps.

ChumpCar grows to 40+ events across North America. Optima Batteries becomes the first title sponsor. In 2014, the $500 car rule is replaced by a performance-based points system.

Mike Chisek becomes COO and launches early “Red Flag Videos.” RVA Graphics and Wraps joins as title sponsor in 2017. The first ChumpCast Live stream debuts from Road Atlanta.

Later in 2017, the series rebrands as ChampCar Endurance Series® after receiving permission from IndyCar to use the name.

The first official ChampCar BCCR is released. TireRack.com becomes the series title sponsor. In 2019, ChampCar races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — the event sells out in 19 minutes!

COVID-19 temporarily halts racing, but the ChampCar iRacing League keeps racers connected. Racing resumes with IMSA’s support at Daytona in July 2020.

Leadership transitions bring new energy. Dana Morrison becomes CEO in 2021, followed by Chelsey Vickery as Executive Director and Bill Strong as Director of Operations in 2023. In 2024, Michael Chisek returns as CEO, with Chelsey and Bill continuing in key roles.