Grand Prix of Portland explained

Race Title:Grand Prix of Portland
Series Long:IndyCar Series
Series Short:ICS
Venue:Portland International Raceway
Sponsor:BitNile.com
First Race:1984
First Series Race:2018
Distance:216.04miles
Laps:110
Previous Names:Stroh's/G.I. Joe's 200 (1984–1985)
Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 (1986–1990, 1996)
Texaco/Havoline Presents the Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 (1991–1995, 1998–1999)
Budweiser/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco/Havoline (1997)
Freightliner/G.I. Joe's 200 Presented by Texaco (2000–2001)
G.I. Joe's 200 (2002–2003)
Champ Car Grand Prix of Portland (2004)
G.I. Joe's Grand Prix of Portland (2005–2006)
Mazda Grand Prix of Portland (2007)
Grand Prix of Portland (2018-2019, 2021-2022)
BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland (2023)
Most Wins Driver:Michael Andretti (3)
Al Unser Jr. (3)
Most Wins Team:Newman/Haas Racing (8)
Most Wins Manufacturer:Chassis: Lola (12)
Engine: Honda (7)
Chevrolet (7)

The Grand Prix of Portland (known as the BitNile.com Grand Prix of Portland for sponsorship reasons) is a race in the IndyCar Series held at the Portland International Raceway in Portland, Oregon. The race was an annual event from 1984 to 2007, initially as a race in the CART series, and later as part of the Champ Car World Series. After a ten-year hiatus, the race made its return to the IndyCar Series in the 2018 season.[1]

Portland is best-remembered as being the site of two of the closest finishes on a road course in Indy car racing history. In 1986, Michael Andretti lost fuel pressure on the final turn of the final lap, which allowed his father Mario to catch up and beat him to the finish line by 0.070 seconds. At the time, it was the closest finish of any race in Indy car history. In 1997, in a three-wide finish, Mark Blundell beat second place Gil de Ferran by 0.027 seconds, and beat third place Raul Boesel by 0.055 seconds. For a road course race, it was the all-time closest finish in CART series history, as well as the closest three-car finish in series history.

For nearly its entire existence, the title sponsor of the race was G.I. Joe's sporting goods and auto parts store, and the event was held during or around the Portland Rose Festival. Numerous times, the race was held on Father's Day. Beginning in 2018, the race was held in September on Labor Day weekend, promoted by Green Savoree Racing Promotions.

Race winners

IndyCar Series

SeasonDateDriverTeamChassisEngineRace DistanceRace TimeAverage Speed
(mph)
Report
LapsMiles (km)
CART/Champ Car World Series[2]
1.915miles course
1984June 17 Al Unser Jr.Galles RacingMarch 84CCosworth104199.16 (320.516)1:53:17105.484Report
1985June 16 Mario AndrettiNewman/Haas RacingLola T900Cosworth104199.16 (320.516)1:51:35107.083Report
1986June 15 Mario AndrettiNewman/Haas RacingLola T8600Cosworth104199.16 (320.516)1:50:53107.759Report
1987June 14 Bobby RahalTruesportsLola T8700Cosworth104199.16 (320.516)1:50:02108.59Report
1.922miles course
1988June 19 Danny SullivanPenske RacingPenske PC-17Chevrolet-Ilmor104199.888 (321.688)1:57:17102.253Report
1989June 25 Emerson FittipaldiPatrick RacingPenske PC-18Chevrolet-Ilmor104199.888 (321.688)1:55:20103.984Report
1990June 24 Michael AndrettiNewman/Haas RacingLola T9000Chevrolet-Ilmor104199.888 (321.688)1:48:22110.643Report
1991June 23 Michael AndrettiNewman/Haas RacingLola T9100Chevrolet-Ilmor104199.888 (321.688)1:44:06115.208Report
1.95miles course
1992June 21 Michael AndrettiNewman/Haas RacingLola T9200Ford-Cosworth XB102198.9 (320.098)1:53:25105.219Report
1993June 27 Emerson FittipaldiPenske RacingPenske PC-22Chevrolet-Ilmor C102198.9 (320.098)2:03:5496.312Report
1994June 26 Al Unser Jr.Penske RacingPenske PC-23Ilmor D102198.9 (320.098)1:50:43107.777Report
1995June 25 Al Unser Jr.Penske RacingPenske PC-24Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor102198.9 (320.098)1:54:49103.933Report
1996June 23 Alex ZanardiChip Ganassi RacingReynard 96iHonda98191.1 (307.545)1:50:25103.837Report
1.967miles course
1997June 22 Mark BlundellPacWest RacingReynard 97Mercedes-Benz-Ilmor78*153.426 (246.915)2:00:1276.575Report
1998June 21 Alex ZanardiChip Ganassi RacingReynard 98iHonda98192.766 (310.226)1:54:06101.355Report
1.969miles course
1999June 20 Gil de FerranWalker RacingReynard 99iHonda98192.962 (310.542)1:47:44107.457Report
2000June 25 Gil de FerranPenske RacingReynard 2KiHonda HRK112220.528 (354.905)2:00:46109.564Report
2001June 24 Max PapisTeam RahalLola B1/00Ford-Cosworth76*149.644 (240.828)2:00:20 74.606Report
2002June 16 Cristiano da MattaNewman/Haas RacingLola B2/00Toyota110216.59 (348.567)2:03:19105.381Report
2003June 22 Adrián FernándezFernández RacingLola B02/00Ford-Cosworth XFE100196.9 (316.879)1:56:16101.602Report
2004June 20 Sébastien BourdaisNewman/Haas RacingLola B02/00Ford-Cosworth XFE94185.086 (297.867)1:45:50104.923Report
1.964miles course
2005June 19 Cristiano da MattaPKV RacingLola B02/00Ford-Cosworth XFE105206.22 (331.878)1:51:51110.616Report
2006June 18 A. J. AllmendingerForsythe RacingLola B03/00Ford-Cosworth XFE105206.22 (331.878)1:48:32113.989Report
2007June 10 Sébastien BourdaisNewman/Haas RacingPanoz DP-01Cosworth XFE103202.292 (325.557)1:45:42114.816Report
2008

2017
Not held
IndyCar Series
1.967miles course
2018Sept. 2 Takuma SatoRahal Letterman Lanigan RacingDallara UAK-18Honda105206.535 (332.386)2:00:09102.971Report
2019Sept. 1 Will PowerTeam PenskeDallara UAK-18Chevrolet105206.535 (332.386)1:58:43104.225Report
2020Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021Sept. 12 Álex PalouChip Ganassi RacingDallara UAK-18Honda110216.04 (347.683)2:07:04102.011Report
2022Sept. 4 Scott McLaughlinTeam PenskeDallara IR18Chevrolet110216.04 (347.683)01:56:15.6892111.493Report
2023Sept. 3 Álex PalouChip Ganassi RacingDallara IR18Honda110216.04 (347.683)01:57:01.9814110.758Report
Notes

Support races

Indy Lights/Indy NXT
SeasonDateWinning DriverChassisEngineTeam
American Racing Series
1988June 19 Opar Racing
R & K Racing
1989June 25 Landford Racing
1990June 24 Landford Racing
Indy Lights
1991June 23 Landford Racing
1992June 21 Landford Racing
1993June 27 John Martin Racing
1994June 26 Tasman Motorsports
1995June 25 Forsythe Racing
1996June 23 Brian Stewart Racing
1997June 22 Indy Regency Racing
1998June 21 Johansson Motorsports
1999June 20 Dorricott Racing
2000June 25 Dorricott Racing
2001June 24 Dorricott Racing
2002

2017
Not Held
2018September 1 Andretti Autosport
September 2 Andretti Autosport
2019August 31 Juncos Racing
September 1 HMD Motorsports
Team Pelfrey
2020canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021September 11 HMD Motorsports
September 12 Andretti Autosport
2022September 4 Global Racing Group with HMD Motorsports
Indy NXT
2023September 3 Andretti Autosport
Pro Mazda/USF Pro 2000 Championship
SeasonDateWinning Driver
2018September 1 Oliver Askew
September 2 David Malukas
2019August 31 Kyle Kirkwood
September 1 Kyle Kirkwood
2020align=center colspan="2"canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021align=center colspan="2"Not held.
2022September 2 Louis Foster
September 2 Reece Gold
September 3 Reece Gold[3]
2023September 1 Kiko Porto
September 2 Michael d'Orlando
September 3 Nikita Johnson
Source: [4]
USF2000 Championship
SeasonDateWinning Driver
2018September 1 Kyle Kirkwood
September 2 Kyle Kirkwood
2019August 31 Hunter McElrea
September 1 Hunter McElrea
2020align=center colspan="2"canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021align=center colspan="2"Not held.
2022September 2 Jace Denmark
September 2 Mac Clark
September 3 Michael d'Orlando[5]
2023September 2 Jacob Douglas
September 2 Jacob Douglas
September 3 Simon Sikes
Source: [6]
Atlantic Championship
SeasonDateWinning Driver
1984June 10 Dan Marvin
1985September 8 Jeff Wood
1986August 24 Ted Prappas
1987June 13 Dean Hall
September 13 R. K. Smith
1988August 28 Mitch Thieman
2002June 16 Luis Díaz
2003June 22 Ryan Dalziel
2004June 19 Jon Fogarty
June 20 Jon Fogarty
2005June 18 Tõnis Kasemets
June 19 Tõnis Kasemets
2006June 18 James Hinchcliffe
2007June 9 Robert Wickens
June 10 Kevin Lacroix
align=center colspan=3Source: [7]
Stadium Super Trucks
SeasonDateWinning Driver
2019August 30 Sheldon Creed
September 1 Matthew Brabham
2020align=center colspan="2"canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: [8]

Race summaries

CART PPG Indy Car World Series

CART Fedex Championship Series

Champ Car World Series

IndyCar Series

External links

45.5969°N -122.6958°W

Notes and References

  1. News: IndyCar racing will return to Portland International Raceway on Labor Day weekend 2018. Molly. Blue. The Oregonian. Advance Publications. October 12, 2017. October 12, 2017.
  2. Web site: Portland International Raceway . Champ Car Stats . 7 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120405190824/http://www.champcarstats.com/tracks/portland.htm . 5 April 2012 . dead .
  3. Web site: 2022 Season Rounds 16/17/18 Results .
  4. Web site: Portland International Raceway.
  5. Web site: 2022 Championship Rounds 16/17/18 Results .
  6. Web site: Portland International Raceway.
  7. Web site: Portland International Raceway (Atlantic) . Champ Car Stats . 7 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110912050547/http://www.champcarstats.com/atlantic/tracks/portland.htm . 12 September 2011 . dead .
  8. News: Vondersmith. Jason. Power's win has him on track with greats . . September 5, 2019. September 5, 2019.
  9. News: Mario sets pace for Portland race. The Indianapolis Star. 32. Newspapers.com. June 16, 1984. February 6, 2018.
  10. News: Lolas fastest for CART go at Portland. The Indianapolis Star. 68. Newspapers.com. June 17, 1984. February 6, 2018.
  11. News: Unser Jr. captures first Indy-car race. The Indianapolis Star. 17. Newspapers.com. June 18, 1994. February 6, 2018.
  12. News: Mario overhauls Unser at Portland. The Indianapolis Star. 17. Newspapers.com. June 17, 1995. February 6, 2018.
  13. News: Mario gets gift, title from Michael (Part 1). Robin. Miller. Robin Miller (journalist). The Indianapolis Star. 21. Newspapers.com. June 15, 1986. February 6, 2018.
  14. News: Mario gets gift, title from Michael (Part 2). Robin. Miller. Robin Miller (journalist). The Indianapolis Star. 22. Newspapers.com. June 15, 1986. February 6, 2018.
  15. News: Rahal gets 1st victory of season (Part 1). Bill. Benner. The Indianapolis Star. 17. Newspapers.com. June 17, 1995. February 8, 2018.
  16. News: Rahal gets 1st victory of season (Part 2). Bill. Benner. The Indianapolis Star. 21. Newspapers.com. June 17, 1995. February 8, 2018.
  17. News: Sullivan captures CART race in pits. The Indianapolis Star. 18. Newspapers.com. June 20, 1988. February 8, 2018.
  18. News: Fittipaldi (again) wins at Portland (Part 1). The Indianapolis Star. 13. Newspapers.com. June 26, 1989. February 8, 2018.
  19. News: Fittipaldi (again) wins at Portland (Part 2). The Indianapolis Star. 14. Newspapers.com. June 26, 1989. February 8, 2018.
  20. News: Andrettis give Portland the ol' 1-2. The Indianapolis Star. 16. Newspapers.com. June 25, 1990. February 12, 2018.
  21. News: Michael Andretti wows 'em for Portland win (Part 1). Bob. Baum. The Indianapolis Star. 9. Newspapers.com. June 24, 1991. February 12, 2018.
  22. News: Michael Andretti wows 'em for Portland win (Part 2). Bob. Baum. The Indianapolis Star. 10. Newspapers.com. June 24, 1991. February 12, 2018.
  23. News: Michael earns first '92 win at Portland. Bob. Baum. The Indianapolis Star. 13. Newspapers.com. June 22, 1992. February 13, 2018.
  24. News: Michael is hoping to stop slide at Portland IndyCar race. Bob. Baum. The Indianapolis Star. 48. Newspapers.com. June 19, 1992. February 13, 2018.
  25. News: Fittipaldi fights off Mansell for checkered flag (Part 1). Mike. Harris. The Indianapolis Star. 9. Newspapers.com. June 28, 1993. February 13, 2018.
  26. News: Fittipaldi fights off Mansell for checkered flag (Part 2). Mike. Harris. The Indianapolis Star. 10. Newspapers.com. June 28, 1993. February 13, 2018.
  27. News: Say it again: Penske-owned cars finish 1-2-3 (Part 1). Mike. Harris. The Indianapolis Star. 9. Newspapers.com. June 27, 1994. February 13, 2018.
  28. News: Say it again: Penske-owned cars finish 1-2-3 (Part 2). Mike. Harris. The Indianapolis Star. 10. Newspapers.com. June 27, 1994. February 13, 2018.
  29. News: Unser Jr. bumped from victory (Part 1). Mike. Harris. The Indianapolis Star. 27. Newspapers.com. June 26, 1995. February 7, 2018.
  30. News: Unser Jr. bumped from victory (Part 2). Mike. Harris. The Indianapolis Star. 29. Newspapers.com. June 26, 1995. February 7, 2018.
  31. News: Excuse me, sir, but you won the race. Robin. Miller. Robin Miller (journalist). The Indianapolis Star. 13. Newspapers.com. June 27, 1995. February 7, 2018.
  32. News: Unser's disqualification upheld by IndyCar panel. The Indianapolis Star. 16. Newspapers.com. August 2, 1995. February 7, 2018.
  33. News: Still no decision on Portland. The Indianapolis Star. 59. Newspapers.com. September 20, 1995. February 7, 2018.
  34. News: Better late than never for Al Unser Jr.. The Indianapolis Star. 48. Newspapers.com. September 23, 1995. February 7, 2018.
  35. News: Zanardi wins easily at Portland (Part 1). Dick. Mittman. The Indianapolis Star. 25. Newspapers.com. June 24, 1996. February 14, 2018.
  36. News: Zanardi wins easily at Portland (Part 2). Dick. Mittman. The Indianapolis Star. 28. Newspapers.com. June 24, 1996. February 14, 2018.
  37. News: Blundell slips to his first CART victory (Part 1). Dick. Mittman. The Indianapolis Star. 13. Newspapers.com. June 23, 1997. February 15, 2018.
  38. News: Blundell slips to his first CART victory (Part 2). Dick. Mittman. The Indianapolis Star. 15. Newspapers.com. June 23, 1997. February 15, 2018.
  39. News: Strategy in pits helps Zanardi win 4th race this year. Bob. Baum. The Indianapolis Star. 20. Newspapers.com. June 22, 1998. February 19, 2018.
  40. News: Risky strategy in pits plays off for de Ferran. Mike. Harris. The Indianapolis Star. 10. Newspapers.com. June 21, 1999. February 19, 2018.
  41. News: De Ferran strategy pays off in victory (Part 1). Robin. Miller. Robin Miller (journalist). The Indianapolis Star. 25. Newspapers.com. June 26, 2000. February 20, 2018.
  42. News: De Ferran strategy pays off in victory (Part 2). Robin. Miller. Robin Miller (journalist). The Indianapolis Star. 26. Newspapers.com. June 26, 2000. February 20, 2018.
  43. News: Papis starts up front and finishes there. Landon. Hall. The Indianapolis Star. 20. Newspapers.com. June 25, 2001. February 20, 2018.
  44. News: Da matta goes to battle with Junqueira for win. The Indianapolis Star. 28. Newspapers.com. June 17, 2002. February 21, 2018.
  45. News: Fernandez helps his cause (Part 1). Andrew. Hinkleman. The Indianapolis Star. 21. Newspapers.com. June 23, 2003. February 22, 2018.
  46. News: Fernandez helps his cause (Part 2). Andrew. Hinkleman. The Indianapolis Star. 26. Newspapers.com. June 23, 2003. February 22, 2018.
  47. News: Top starters maintain positions in Champ Car. The Indianapolis Star. 28. Newspapers.com. June 21, 2004. February 23, 2018.
  48. News: Da Matta still knows his way to victory lane. The Indianapolis Star. 31. Newspapers.com. June 20, 2005. February 23, 2018.
  49. News: Lone American wins in Portland. The Indianapolis Star. D8. Newspapers.com. June 19, 2006. February 23, 2018.
  50. News: Bourdais gives team 100th victory. The Indianapolis Star. D8. Newspapers.com. June 11, 2007. February 23, 2018.
  51. News: Ryan . Nate . IndyCar cancels Portland, Laguna Seca; adds Mid-Ohio, Gateway, Indy . July 27, 2020 . . August 8, 2020.
  52. News: Odom . Joel . 2020 Grand Prix of Portland canceled as IndyCar adjusts schedule . . July 27, 2020 . August 8, 2020.