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1997 Dallara IR7

Dallara has supplied the cars for Indycar since 1997 and since 2006, Dallara has been the only supplier for this open-wheel car American Championship. In 2008, Indycar, initially called the Indy Racing League (IRL), integrated the CART-Champ Car into a single championship called the Indy Car Series, to which Dallara is the sole supplier.

The first car built by Dallara for the series was called the IR7 and was replaced the following year by the IR8. The IR01 was introduced in 2000, followed in 2003 by the Dallara IR03/05, and continued until 2011.

For 1997, along with the introduction of the IR7, naturally aspirated V8 engines served as a replacement for the previous turbocharged engines. The engines offered approximately 700 horsepower at 10,500 RPM and clothed with a carbon fiber body shell.

The 1997 Indy Racing League season began on August 18th of 1996 and continued through October 11th of 1997, consisting of ten races. The Indianapolis 500 was won by Arie Luyendyk while Tony Stewart won the championship. Many of the teams raced with the Dallara IR7 with many equipped with Oldsmobile engines. Other racing chassis included the Lola T92, Lola T94, Lola T95, G Force GF01, Reynard 94I, Reynard 95, Reynard 95I, and Riley & Scott Mk V.

by Dan Vaughan

Monoposto
Chassis number: IR7 001

Lyn St. James', Indy's first female Rookie-Of-The-Year (1992), made her seventh career Indy 500 start in 1997 as part of the '96 500-winning Hemelgarn Racing.

New rules and a new sanctioning body introduced the roar of normally aspirated V-8 engines to Indy replacing the scream of the turbos for the 1997 '500'. For the first time since 1979 the Indy 500 started more than the traditional 33-car field through a process guaranteed to reward season-long participants in the new Indy Racing League. Guaranteed spots for regular IRL point-scorers ensured a starting position for the 25 best IRL qualifiers.

Lyn's Infiniti-powered Dallara was one of the traditional 33 fastest but was 'bumped' by a slower car of a regular IRL entrant. Officials decided they must start the fastest 33 cars and Lyn's number 90 started a very untraditional 34th! She improved her position by 21 places in her penultimate Indy 500. But with eleven laps remaining a spinning car sent Lyn's Dallara into the turn four wall. She was unhurt and credited with 13th place, the second Infiniti-powered car in the field.

by Dan Vaughan