Numbers reveal series' competitive history

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First in a series highlighting the 200th Indy Racing League IZOD IndyCar Series points-paying race this weekend.

There have been 86 IZOD IndyCar Series (and its title predecessors) races with a margin of victory of less than one second. That’s through 199 events. Of those, the pole sitter has won only 28 percent of the time.

The above numbers point out how close the competition has been throughout the existence of the Indy Racing League’s top division.

The first race was Jan. 27, 1996, at Walt Disney World Speedway (Buzz Calkins winner) and the 100th race was Aug. 29, 2004, at Nazareth Speedway (Dan Wheldon winner). Race No. 200 is this weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

Check out some additional tidbits and numbers, which add up to an intriguing 199:

Answers to future trivia questions

The age of winners in the IZOD IndyCar Series ranges from the youngest at 19 (Graham Rahal in 2008) to the oldest at 45 (Arie Luyendyk in 1998).

Jeff Ward is the only driver to win a race by leading just the final lap. He accomplished that at the June Texas race in 2002. It was his only IZOD IndyCar Series victory.

Dan Wheldon is the only IZOD IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year (2004) to follow up the next season by winning the series championship.

There have been 42 different winners in the 199 IZOD IndyCar Series races. Sixteen of those have won one IZOD IndyCar Series race. Among those are current drivers Marco Andretti, Danica Patrick and Graham Rahal.

In the 199 IZOD IndyCar Series races, only the 2009 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway was run caution-free.

Treadway Racing was the first team to finish 1-2 in an IZOD IndyCar Series race (Indianapolis, 1997). Team Menard was the first team to start 1-2 in an IZOD IndyCar Series race (Texas, 1997).

Helio Castroneves has competed in 26 of the 32 Firestone Fast Six sessions -- the most of any driver.

Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan are the only drivers to have competed in at least one Firestone Fast Six session in each of the past six seasons.

Will Power is only driver to have competed in every Firestone Fast Six session this season. Since 2005, at least one driver has competed in all of the Firestone Fast Six sessions during the season. (Castroneves and Kanaan in 2005; Dixon, Castroneves, Dario Franchitti and Kanaan in both 2006 and '07; Ryan Briscoe in 2008; and Franchitti in 2009).

Buddy Lazier is the only driver to win the pole for his first IZOD IndyCar Series start. That was in the first IZOD IndyCar Series race in 1996 at Walt Disney World Speedway. Lazier did not win another pole.

Buzz Calkins won the first IZOD IndyCar Series in 1996 at Walt Disney World Speedway. It was his only win in the series.

Juan Pablo Montoya won the 2000 Indianapolis 500, which was his first and only IZOD IndyCar Series start.

Scott Dixon won his first career IZOD IndyCar Series race in 2003 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his first career IZOD IndyCar Series start. He went on to win the series championship that year.

Robbie Buhl’s second career IZOD IndyCar Series win came at Walt Disney World Speedway in 2000 with Dryer & Reinbold Racing. It was the team’s first IZOD IndyCar Series start. Buhl is now part-owner of the team.

The largest starting field in the 199 races was 35 cars at the Indianapolis 500 in 1997. The largest starting field outside of the Indianapolis 500 was 31 cars at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in 1997.

Four drivers have won a pole in the IZOD IndyCar Series but have never won a race: Sarah Fisher, Marco Greco, Bruno Junqueira and Vitor Meira.

Fourteen drivers have won a race in the IZOD IndyCar Series but have never won a pole: Alex Barron, Kenny Brack, Robbie Buhl, Buzz Calkins, Airton Dare, Adrian Fernandez, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Felipe Giaffone, Jim Guthrie, Juan Pablo Montoya, John Paul Jr., Eliseo Salazar, Al Unser Jr. and Jeff Ward.

In the 199 IZOD IndyCar Series races, there have been six women to start at least one race: Lyn St. James, Sarah Fisher, Danica Patrick, Milka Duno, Ana Beatriz and Simona De Silvestro. Five started in the same race at Indianapolis and Chicagoland this year.

Only three drivers have won three consecutive races: Scott Dixon (2007), Dan Wheldon (2005) and Kenny Brack (1998).

By the numbers

182 – Different drivers to start an IZOD IndyCar Series races; 24 of those have started only one IZOD IndyCar Series race.

147 - Most starts by a driver (Scott Sharp). Helio Castroneves can tie the record by starting the rest of the races this season.

94 – Different drivers to lead at least one lap.

51 – Most drivers to start at least one race during an IZOD IndyCar Series season. This occurred during the 2001 season.

31 – Different tracks where the IZOD IndyCar Series has competed. Texas Motor Speedway has been the site of the most IZOD IndyCar Series races with 21.

22 – Different states where the IZOD IndyCar Series has competed.

4 – Countries other than the United States (Brazil, Canada, Japan, Australia) where the IZOD IndyCar Series has competed. The October 2008 Australia race was non-points exhibition.

2 – Women to start on the pole at the same track in the IZOD IndyCar Series (Sarah Fisher, 2002 and Danica Patrick, 2005 at Kentucky Speedway).

37,076 – Laps run in the 199 IZOD IndyCar Series races.

343 – Most consecutive laps led by one driver. Scott Dixon led the final 84 laps at Pikes Peak, all 206 laps at Richmond and the first 53 laps at Kansas during the 2003 season.

Thanks to Tim Sullivan for the research.