Thiago Medeiros

Thiago Medeiros (No. 11 Sam Schmidt Motorsports Dallara/Infiniti/Firestone) rewrote the IRL Menards Infiniti Pro SeriesT record book, scoring six victories and winning the championship by a 134-point margin.

The Brazilian won the first of eight pole positions at Phoenix, where he became the first driver in IRL history to lap the field. He followed with consecutive victories at Indianapolis, Kansas and Nashville. Medeiros returned to Victory Circle at two of the final three races of the season, including the finale at Texas.

Medeiros led a series-record 588 laps, including 249 consecutive laps in a four-race stretch. He finished in the top 10 in all 12 races and in the top-five in nine in claiming Sam Schmidt's first championship as a car owner.

Nunn Motorsports, a team founded mid-season by Kathryn Nunn, the first female owner in the IRL, started racing at Kansas and fought its way into Victory Circle in its fourth race. P.J. Chesson won three consecutive races - Michigan, Kentucky and Pikes Peak - and James Chesson earned the victory at California.

Al Unser, the son of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Al Unser Jr., made his series debut at Kansas and posted five third-place finishes to finish eighth in the standings.

History was made at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the month of May when Marty Roth and Jeff Simmons became the first two drivers to compete in both the Futaba Freedom 100 and the Indianapolis 500 in the same year.

Simmons, who led five laps and finished second in the Futaba Freedom 100, impressed IndyCar Series owner Morris Nunn enough to earn a ride for the Indianapolis 500. He finished 16th, the second- highest rookie in the field.

Roth, who formed his own team in both series, qualified sixth for the Futaba Freedom 100 but exited early due to electrical problems. In the Indianapolis 500, Roth improved from his 32nd starting position to finish 24th.

IRL officials announced the 2005 season will include a record 14 races, including four road/street course venues, a street race in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, and road course events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California, and Watkins Glen International in New York.

Press release
IRL