# 2012 IndyCar Series

The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series was the 17th season of the IndyCar Series, and the 101st season of American open wheel racing. Its premier event was the 96th Indianapolis 500, held on Sunday, May 27. The series was sanctioned by IndyCar, and took place in three countries on two continents. Chevrolet returned to the series for the first time since 2005 while Lotus debuted, with the later leaving the IndyCar Series after the 2012 season due to poor performance.
Three-time defending IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti entered the season seeking his fourth consecutive championship and fifth overall. Meanwhile, two-time championship runner up Will Power sought his first title. Heading into the final race of the season, Power led Ryan Hunter-Reay by 17 points in a two driver fight for the championship. After Power wrecked on lap 55, Hunter-Reay was able to finish 4th, and claimed the championship by 3 points.
Among the numerous stories going into the season was the departure of Danica Patrick, who left IndyCar to compete in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Joining the series was former Formula One driver Rubens Barrichello. A highlight of the season was the introduction of a new chassis and engine package.
After losing Las Vegas as a venue in the aftermath of the death of Dan Wheldon, the series welcomed the return of such venues as Detroit and Fontana. In addition, midway through the season, the inaugural Indy Qingdao 600 scheduled to take place in China was cancelled by the promoter.
It was a triumphant return for Chevrolet after returning from 6 years absence, and an average year for Honda topped by an unexpectedly good performance at the 500 after poor qualifying and thus Chevrolet ending Japanese engine manufacturer nine-year supremacy.

## Confirmed entries

All chassis are composed of a Dallara DW12 "IndyCar Safety Cell" base and aerokit in 2012. All teams will run Firestone tires.
| Team | Engine | No. | Driver(s) | Rounds |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Honda | 14 | Mike Conway | 1–14 |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Honda | 14 | Wade Cunningham R | 15 |
| A. J. Foyt Enterprises | Honda | 41 | Wade Cunningham R | 5 |
| Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 26 | Marco Andretti | All |
| Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 27 | James Hinchcliffe | All |
| Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | All |
| AFS Racing / Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | 17 | Sebastián Saavedra | 5, 13, 15 |
| Andretti Autosport / Conquest Racing | Chevrolet | 25 | Ana Beatriz | 4–5 |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 9 | Scott Dixon | All |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 10 | Dario Franchitti | All |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 38 | Graham Rahal | All |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 83 | Charlie Kimball | 1–11, 13–15 |
| Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | 83 | Giorgio Pantano R | 12 |
| Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 18 | Justin Wilson | All |
| Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | 19 | James Jakes | All |
| Dragon Racing | Lotus Chevrolet | 6 | Katherine Legge R | 1–5, 7–9, 13, 15 |
| Dragon Racing | Lotus Chevrolet | 7 | Sébastien Bourdais | 1–6, 10–14 |
| Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | Lotus Chevrolet | 22 | Oriol Servià | All |
| Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | 20 | Ed Carpenter | All |
| KV Racing Technology | Chevrolet | 5 | E. J. Viso | All |
| KV Racing Technology | Chevrolet | 8 | Rubens Barrichello | All |
| KV Racing Technology with SH | Chevrolet | 11 | Tony Kanaan | All |
| Lotus–Fan Force United | Lotus | 64 | Jean Alesi R | 5 |
| Lotus–HVM Racing | Lotus | 78 | Simona de Silvestro | All |
| Panther Racing | Chevrolet | 4 | J. R. Hildebrand | All |
| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 15 | Takuma Sato | All |
| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda | 30 | Michel Jourdain Jr. | 5 |
| Schmidt–Hamilton Motorsports | Honda | 77 | Simon Pagenaud R | All |
| Schmidt–Hamilton Motorsports | Honda | 99 | Townsend Bell | 5 |
| Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 39 | Bryan Clauson R | 5 |
| Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 67 | Josef Newgarden R | 1–13, 15 |
| Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | Honda | 67 | Bruno Junqueira | 14 |
| Team Barracuda – BHA | Lotus Honda | 98 | Alex Tagliani | 1–3, 5–15 |
| Team Penske | Chevrolet | 2 | Ryan Briscoe | All |
| Team Penske | Chevrolet | 3 | Hélio Castroneves | All |
| Team Penske | Chevrolet | 12 | Will Power | All |

### Notes

(R) – Rookie
    1.^ Charlie Kimball broke his hand in an accident while testing at Mid-Ohio on July 26. Pantano replaced Kimball for the subsequent race at Mid-Ohio.
    2.^ Team Barracuda – BHA, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and Dragon Racing terminated their Lotus engine contracts prior to the Indianapolis 500.
    3.^ Dragon Racing was reduced to a single-car team following the Indianapolis 500, as engine supplier Chevrolet could not supply engines for both cars. Bourdais was named to drive on the remaining road and street courses, and Legge was named to drive on the remaining ovals and Sonoma.
    4.^ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing formed a strategic alliance with Panther Racing prior to the Indianapolis 500, and obtained Panther's second Chevrolet engine contract.
    5.^ Team Barracuda – BHA skipped the São Paulo race to concentrate on preparations for the Indy 500.
    6.^ Josef Newgarden broke his left index finger in an accident during the Sonoma race. Junqueira replaced Newgarden for the following race at Baltimore.

### Team and driver changes

* Team Penske: Team utilized full-works Chevrolet engines beginning in 2012 and thus Team Penske earned full-factory support from Chevrolet including free engines and official road vehicles. The entire three car team returns full-time in 2012. Briscoe will switch numbers from #6 to #2.
* Chip Ganassi Racing: Team utilized Honda engines in 2012. The entire four-car team will return in 2012.
* Andretti Autosport: The team utilized customer Chevrolet engines in 2012. Marco Andretti will be in the third year of a 4-year contract with the team in 2012 Ryan Hunter-Reay signed with Andretti Autosport through the 2012 season. 2011 driver Danica Patrick left the team to compete in the Nationwide series full-time along with limited Sprint Cup Schedule. The team announced on August 26, 2011, that GoDaddy will return as a primary sponsor through 2013. Andretti confirmed that Dan Wheldon had signed a deal with Andretti to replace Patrick in the #7 GoDaddy car, but was killed at Las Vegas. James Hinchcliffe drove the GoDaddy car, and the number switched from #7 to #27, the same used by fellow Canadian drivers Gilles Villeneuve and Jacques Villeneuve. The team confirmed Sebastián Saavedra and Ana Beatriz for the Indy 500.
* Newman/Haas Racing: The team announced that it would not contest the full 2012 season on December 1, 2011. Jean Alesi was announced to drive for the team at the Indianapolis 500. The entry was later withdrawn.
* Sam Schmidt Motorsports: The team ran Honda engines in 2012. The team announced Simon Pagenaud as its first driver on December 8 and that a second full-time car was "likely", but Pagenaud was the team's lone entry to start the season. On May 3, 2012, the team confirmed that Townsend Bell would drive the #99 car for Schmidt Pelfrey Motorsports.
* A. J. Foyt Enterprises: Mike Conway replaces Vítor Meira as the team driver. The team ran Honda engines in 2012. The team confirmed Wade Cunningham for the Indy 500.
* Panther Racing: J. R. Hildebrand signed a multi-year deal in 2011 to drive the #4 National Guard car for the team.
* KV Racing Technology: The team ran Chevrolet engines in 2012. Driver Tony Kanaan signed a multi-year contract to return to the team in 2012. The team confirmed the return of E. J. Viso, switching to the #5 car. Rubens Barrichello was confirmed to be driving the full season with the team at a press conference in Brazil on March 1.
* Dreyer & Reinbold Racing: In November, the team announced that they had signed on as a Lotus works team for 2012. Oriol Servià signed to be one of the team's drivers, but efforts to field a second entry failed to materialize.
* HVM Racing: Simona de Silvestro returned as a full-time driver for the team in 2012. The team was the anchor team for the new Lotus engines in 2012.
* Dale Coyne Racing: Owner Dale Coyne confirmed that the team would return with two cars in 2012, with Honda engines. Justin Wilson and James Jakes both returned.
* Conquest Racing: While Éric Bachelart stated the team will have at least one full-time car in 2012. Difficulties securing an engine lease and a subsequent American Le Mans Series LMP2 program kept Conquest's IndyCar plans on hold.
* Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: The team purchased two DW12 chassis. The cars were powered by Honda engines. The team confirmed Takuma Sato as one of their drivers in early February 2012. The team confirmed a second car at the Indy 500, to be driven by Michel Jourdain Jr.
* Bryan Herta Autosport: The team budgeted money to buy two Dallara DW12 chassis. The team confirmed Alex Tagliani on January 9, 2012.
* Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing: Driver Ed Carpenter has left to form his own team. 2011 Indy Lights champ Josef Newgarden was the team's driver for 2012. The team will be powered by Honda engines. The team confirmed Bryan Clauson for the Indy 500.
* Dragon Racing: The team intended to run two full-time cars, with drivers Sébastien Bourdais and Katherine Legge. The team will be powered by Lotus engines. Legge has signed a multi-year deal with the team to drive the #6 car. However, after switching from Lotus to Chevrolet engines, they were forced to contract to a single entry after the Indianapolis 500.
* MSR Indy: The team is owned by Mike Shank, A. J. Allmendinger, and Columbus area businessman Brian Bailey. The team was intended to use Lotus engines. The team has purchased a DW12 chassis with the goal of running a full-time IndyCar program in 2012, and took delivery of their chassis on December 15. Unfortunately, the team did not secure the necessary funding to begin the season with often rumored, but never confirmed, driver Paul Tracy. The team originally confirmed Jay Howard for the Indy 500, but Shank released Howard in early May due to the inability to get an engine.
* Ed Carpenter Racing: Driver Ed Carpenter and his stepfather Tony George formed a new team, Ed Carpenter Racing. Carpenter was the full-time driver in 2012. The team confirmed a second car for the Indy 500, but the entry was later withdrawn.

## The ICONIC Project

The 2012 season saw the implementation of IndyCar's new ICONIC Plan (Innovative, Competitive, Open-wheel, New, Industry-relevant, Cost-effective), the biggest change to the sport in recent history. The car used through 2011, a 2003/2007-model Dallara IR-03, and normally aspirated V8 engines (required since 1997) were permanently retired. The ICONIC committee was composed of experts and executives from racing and technical fields: Randy Bernard, William R. Looney III, Brian Barnhart, Gil de Ferran, Tony Purnell, Eddie Gossage, Neil Ressler, Tony Cotman and Rick Long. IndyCar accepted proposals from BAT Engineering, Dallara, DeltaWing, Lola and Swift for chassis design. On July 14, 2010, the final decision was made public, with organisers accepting the Dallara proposal.

### New chassis

Under the new ICONIC regulations, all teams will compete with a core rolling chassis, called the "IndyCar Safety Cell", developed by Italian designer Dallara. Teams will then outfit the chassis with separate body work, referred to as "Aero Kits", which consist of front and rear wings, sidepods, and engine cowlings. Development of Aero Kits is open to any manufacturer, with all packages to be made available to all teams for a maximum price. ICONIC committee member Tony Purnell gave an open invitation to car manufacturers and companies such as Lockheed Martin and GE to develop kits.
The IndyCar Safety cell will be capped at a price of $349,000 and will be assembled at a new Dallara facility in Speedway, Indiana. Aero Kits will be capped at $70,000. Teams have the option of buying a complete Dallara safety cell/aero kit for a discounted price.
On May 12, 2011, Dallara unveiled the first concept cars, one apiece in oval and road course Aero Kit configuration.
On April 30, 2011, IndyCar owners voted 15–0 to reject the introduction of multiple Aero Kits for the 2012 season, citing costs. Owners expressed their desire to introduce the new chassis/engines for 2012, but have all participants use the Dallara aerodynamic package in 2012, and delay the introduction of multiple aero kits until 2013. On August 14, 2011, IndyCar confirmed that the introduction of multiple Aero Kits would be delayed until 2013 for "economic reasons," and furthermore, it was put off for 2013 as well. Chevrolet and Lotus had already announced their intention to build aero kits.
2011 Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon carried out the first official test of the Dallara chassis at Mid-Ohio in August 2011. Following Wheldon's death at the season-ending race in Las Vegas, Dallara announced that the 2012 chassis would be named the DW12 in his honor.
Despite the generational change of chassis and engines, the wheel rim and Firestone Firehawk tire sizes would remain same until at least 2024 season.

#### Fuel cell capacity

The fuel cell capacity of the new Dallara DW12 car was reduced from 22 US gallons (83 litres) to 18.5 US gallons (70 litres) in an effort of fuel efficiency.

### Engine formula

Turbochargers returned to the IndyCar Series for the first time since the IRL 1996 and Champ Car 2007 seasons respectively after one-year delay. The newly-revolutionary third generation fuel-efficient engines are single and twin-turbocharged engines, tuned to produce a range of 550–700 horsepower (410–520 kW) with a 12,000 RPM limit. The maximum engine displacement was reduced from 3.5 to 2.2 litres (214 to 134 cubic inches), the number of cylinders were scaled-down from eight to six and the engine shape will remain V-shaped. All engines will run E85 fuel; from 2007 to 2011, the series utilized 100% fuel grade ethanol. The turbochargers are provided by BorgWarner. The third generation of IndyCar Series engines will be used until 2026 season.

### Suppliers

On November 12, 2010, Chevrolet was confirmed as an engine supplier for 2012 with a twin turbo V6. The initial list of potential suppliers included Ford, Cosworth, and Mazda. Honda announced a 2.2-liter turbo V6 developed fully by Honda Performance Development. On May 27, 2011, Ganassi and Honda announced their partnership renewal for 2012. On August 19, 2010, Cosworth announced their interest in providing an inline-four engine, however, the plan was eventually scrapped. The Chevrolet engine is built in a joint effort with Ilmor who last time partnered Chevrolet in 1997–2002 (1997–2001 as Oldsmobile) and Honda in 2003–2011, and was introduced in full-works partnership with Penske Racing.
The third engine supplier was announced November 18, 2010 at the LA Auto Show, just prior to the league deadline. Lotus announced a twin turbo V6 engine and an Aero Kit. built in a partnership with John Judd and Jack Brabham (Engine Developments Ltd.) Judd engines were used in the CART series and at the Indy 500 from 1987 to 1992, as well as in sports car racing and F1. Lotus has suffered difficulty in both power and delivery of engines and has since pulled out of the sport.

#### Confirmed engine suppliers

* Chevrolet
* Honda
* Lotus
The arrival of Chevrolet and Lotus as IndyCar Series engine suppliers were marked the return of multiple engine suppliers since 2005 season when Chevrolet and Toyota were Honda engine competitors.

## Rule changes

* Any engine changes for an engine that has run less than 1,850 miles will result in 10-place grid penalty at the next race. Further, full-time entries are limited to 5 engines per season. There will be two exceptions:
** If an engine fails during a race, in which a new engine may be installed for the next event without penalty.
** At Indianapolis, all engine penalties will be served at the next race at Detroit. Further, all full-time season entries will receive a new engine penalty-free between Bump Day & Carb Day.
* Beginning at Long Beach for all remaining road/street course events, the pits will remain open throughout non-emergency full-course cautions periods. Previously the pits immediately closed upon the display of the caution flag. The series hopes this will shorten caution periods to as few as two laps.
* Also beginning at Long Beach for all remaining road/street course events, cars that are not on the lead lap during an upcoming restart in the final 20 laps will peel off and drive through pit lane on the speed limiter and cycle back to the end of the line. The rule was later expanded to oval races as well, where lead-lap cars will simply drive to the front in position order instead. This is similar to NASCAR's restart procedure, where all lapped cars must move to the rear of the field.
* For the races at Indianapolis, Texas, and California, restarts will revert to single-file in response to safety concerns.

## Schedule

The 2012 schedule included the following 15 races:
| Rnd | Race name | Track | Location | Date |
| 1 | Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg | S Streets of St. Petersburg | St. Petersburg, Florida | March 25 |
| 2 | Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama | R Barber Motorsports Park | Birmingham, Alabama | April 1 |
| 3 | 38th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach | S Streets of Long Beach | Long Beach, California | April 15 |
| 4 | Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestlé | S Streets of São Paulo | São Paulo, Brazil | April 29 |
| 5 | 96th Indianapolis 500-Mile Race | O Indianapolis Motor Speedway | Speedway, Indiana | May 27 |
| 6 | Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix presented by ShopAutoWeek.com | S Belle Isle | Detroit, Michigan | June 3 |
| 7 | Firestone 550 | O Texas Motor Speedway | Fort Worth, Texas | June 9 |
| 8 | Milwaukee IndyFest presented by XYQ | O Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin | June 16 |
| 9 | Iowa Corn Indy 250 | O Iowa Speedway | Newton, Iowa | June 23 |
| 10 | Honda Indy Toronto | S Exhibition Place | Toronto, Ontario | July 8 |
| 11 | Edmonton Indy | S Edmonton City Centre Airport Speedway | Edmonton, Alberta | July 22 |
| 12 | Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio | R Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Lexington, Ohio | August 5 |
| - | Indy Qingdao 600 | S Streets of Qingdao | Qingdao, China | August 19 |
| 13 | GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma | R Sonoma Raceway | Sonoma, California | August 26 |
| 14 | Grand Prix of Baltimore presented by SRT | S Streets of Baltimore | Baltimore, Maryland | September 2 |
| 15 | MAVTV 500 IndyCar World Championships | O Auto Club Speedway | Fontana, California | September 15 |
O Oval/Speedway  R Road course  S Street circuit

### Schedule development
#### Existing race contracts

* The Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg will continue through 2013. City officials look to extend the contract through 2014.
* Barber Motorsports Park signed a three-year deal through 2012.
* An agreement has been signed with the city of Long Beach to extend the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach to 2015 with an option through 2020.
* The São Paulo Indy 300 has a contract through 2019.
* The Honda Indy Toronto has renewed its contracts through 2014.
* The Edmonton Indy has a contract in place through 2013.
* The contract for the Baltimore Grand Prix runs through 2015. However, an issue with the promoter has been in dispute and a new promoter was scheduled to be announced in mid-February. In May 2012, it was announced that Race On LLP and Andretti Sports Marketing had reached a five-year agreement with the City of Baltimore.
* Michael Andretti has been announced as the new promoter of the Milwaukee 225. The race, not originally on the INDYCAR schedule, was announced February 10, and is now known as the Milwaukee IndyFest.

#### New/Returning races

* Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix returns to the schedule for 2012, having been removed after the 2008 event.
* The series will return to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California for a 500-mile night race on Saturday, September 15, 2012.

#### Potential races

* A fifteen-race calendar was announced in December 2011; however, amid speculation of a race being organized in Fort Lauderdale, it was reported in January 2012 that the series needed sixteen races in order to fulfill obligations to sponsors.
* After the cancellation of the China race, it was believed that IndyCar would need to replace it to fulfill sponsorship obligations. Road America, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Michigan, and a second race at Texas were considered. However, on June 25, IndyCar announced that the schedule would remain at 15 races.

#### Discontinued races

* The series did not return to the New Hampshire Motor Speedway in 2012.
* The Indy Japan 300 did not return in 2012.
* The series did not return to the Kentucky Speedway after IndyCar failed to reach an agreement with the track.
* Las Vegas Motor Speedway was removed from the calendar in the aftermath of Dan Wheldon's death.

#### Cancelled race

* The series was supposed to visit China for the first time; the Indy Qingdao 600 was to be held on a 3.87-mile street circuit in Qingdao over the weekend of August 19, with plans to build a permanent road course for future seasons. However, this race was cancelled by the promoter on June 13.

## Testing

The first official test of the Dallara DW12 chassis was carried out by Dan Wheldon at Mid-Ohio on August 8, 2011. Phase I of testing involved Wheldon, and was planned to involve three road courses and three ovals, over a total of about twelve days. The second test was held August 18 at Barber, and the third was held on the USGP road course at Indianapolis on September 1. Oval tests took place in September at Iowa and Indianapolis.
Honda (Scott Dixon) and Chevrolet (Will Power) began Phase II of on-track testing at Mid-Ohio in early October. A scheduled test at Las Vegas was cancelled after the fatal crash of Dan Wheldon. Testing resumed in late October and continued through February at several venues including Sebring, Fontana, Homestead, Phoenix, and Sonoma. Lotus first took to the track on January 12 at Palm Beach, and testing by individual teams began on January 16.
A full-field official open test took place on March 5–6 & 8–9, 2012 at Sebring International Raceway.
Full-field oval open tests are scheduled for April 4, 2012 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and for May 7, 2012 at Texas Motor Speedway.

## Results

| Rd. | Race | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Race Winner | Race Winner | Race Winner | Report |
| Rd. | Race | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Driver | Team | Manufacturer | Report |
| 1 | St. Petersburg | Will Power | Will Power | Scott Dixon | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | Report |
| 2 | Barber | Hélio Castroneves | Will Power | Scott Dixon | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | Report |
| 3 | Long Beach | Ryan Briscoe | Tony Kanaan | Simon Pagenaud | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | Report |
| 4 | São Paulo | Will Power | Josef Newgarden | Will Power | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet | Report |
| 5 | Indianapolis | Ryan Briscoe | Marco Andretti | Marco Andretti | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | Report |
| 6 | Detroit | Scott Dixon | Justin Wilson | Scott Dixon | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | Report |
| 7 | Texas | Alex Tagliani | Ryan Briscoe | Scott Dixon | Justin Wilson | Dale Coyne Racing | Honda | Report |
| 8 | Milwaukee | Dario Franchitti | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | Report |
| 9 | Iowa | Dario Franchitti | Ed Carpenter | Hélio Castroneves | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | Report |
| 10 | Toronto | Dario Franchitti | Josef Newgarden | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | Report |
| 11 | Edmonton | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Josef Newgarden | Alex Tagliani | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | Chevrolet | Report |
| 12 | Mid-Ohio | Will Power | Oriol Servià | Will Power | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda | Report |
| 13 | Sonoma | Will Power | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Will Power | Ryan Briscoe | Team Penske | Chevrolet | Report |
| 14 | Baltimore | Will Power | Will Power | Will Power | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | Chevrolet | Report |
| 15 | Fontana | Marco Andretti | Dario Franchitti | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet | Report |

## Race summaries
### Round 1 – St. Petersburg

Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 5 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | 100 | 1:59:50.9863 |
| 2 | 6 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 100 | +5.5292 |
| 3 | 3 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | 100 | +7.5824 |
| Race average speed: 90.113 mph (145.023 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: Report |||||||||

### Round 2 – Barber

Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 9 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | 90 | 2:01:40.1127 |
| 2 | 3 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 90 | +3.3709 |
| 3 | 1 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | 90 | +19.1150 |
| Race average speed: 102.081 mph (164.283 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: Report |||||||||

### Round 3 – Long Beach

38th Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 12 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | 85 | 1:54:01.6082 |
| 2 | 4 | 77 | Simon Pagenaud R | Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports | 85 | +0.8675 |
| 3 | 16 | 27 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Autosport | 85 | +13.2719 |
| Race average speed: 88.021 mph (141.656 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 4 – São Paulo

Itaipava São Paulo Indy 300 presented by Nestle :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 1 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | 75 | 2:08:18.2816 |
| 2 | 5 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | 75 | +0.9045 |
| 3 | 25 | 15 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 75 | +2.3905 |
| Race average speed: 88.945 mph (143.143 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 5 – Indianapolis

96th Indianapolis 500 :
Top Three Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 16 | 50 | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | 200 | 2:58:51.2532 |
| 2 | 15 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 200 | +0.0295$^†$ |
| 3 | 8 | 11 | Tony Kanaan | KV Racing Technology | 200 | +0.0677 |
| Race average speed: 167.734 mph (269.942 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 6 – Detroit

Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix presented by ShopAutoWeek.com :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 1 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 60 | 1:27:39.5053 |
| 2 | 14 | 10 | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | 60 | + 1.9628 |
| 3 | 4 | 77 | Simon Pagenaud R | Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports | 60 | + 2.4773 |
| Race average speed: 88.945 mph (143.143 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 7 – Texas

Firestone 550 :
Top Three Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 17 | 18 | Justin Wilson | Dale Coyne Racing | 228 | 1:59:02.0131 |
| 2 | 3 | 38 | Graham Rahal | Chip Ganassi Racing | 228 | + 3.9202 |
| 3 | 10 | 2 | Ryan Briscoe | Team Penske | 228 | + 5.8619 |
| Race average speed: 167.217 mph (269.110 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 8 – Milwaukee

Milwaukee IndyFest presented by XYQ :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 2 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | 225 | 1:52:17:8119 |
| 2 | 6 | 11 | Tony Kanaan | KV Racing Technology | 225 | + 5.1029 |
| 3 | 8 | 27 | James Hinchcliffe | Andretti Autosport | 225 | + 7.2715 |
| Race average speed: 122.020 mph (196.372 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 9 – Iowa

Iowa Corn Indy 250 :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 7 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | 250 | 1:43:39.3031 |
| 2 | 3 | 26 | Marco Andretti | Andretti Autosport | 250 | +0.1103$^†$ |
| 3 | 19 | 11 | Tony Kanaan | KV Racing Technology | 250 | +2.7248 |
| Race average speed: 129.371 mph (208.202 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 10 – Toronto

Honda Indy Toronto :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 7 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | 85 | 1:33:26.5096 |
| 2 | 13 | 83 | Charlie Kimball | Chip Ganassi Racing | 85 | +0.0757$^†$ |
| 3 | 11 | 14 | Mike Conway | A. J. Foyt Enterprises | 85 | +0.2848 |
| Race average speed: 0.000 |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 11 – Edmonton

Edmonton Indy :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 5 | 3 | Hélio Castroneves | Team Penske | 75 | 1:38:50.9294 |
| 2 | 3 | 15 | Takuma Sato | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 75 | +0.8367 |
| 3 | 17 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | 75 | +5.3697 |
| Race average speed: 101.246 mph (162.940 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 12 – Mid-Ohio

Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 4 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 85 | 1:39:48.5083 |
| 2 | 1 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | 85 | + 3.4619 |
| 3 | 3 | 77 | Simon Pagenaud R | Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports | 85 | + 4.5402 |
| Race average speed: 115.379 mph (185.685 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 13 – Sonoma

GoPro Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | Ryan Briscoe | Team Penske | 85 | 2:07:02.8248 |
| 2 | 1 | 12 | Will Power | Team Penske | 85 | +0.4408 |
| 3 | 6 | 10 | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | 85 | + 1.0497 |
| Race average speed: 95.740 mph (154.079 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 14 – Baltimore

Grand Prix of Baltimore presented by SRT :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 10 | 28 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | Andretti Autosport | 75 | 2:09:02.9522 |
| 2 | 11 | 2 | Ryan Briscoe | Team Penske | 75 | +1.4391 |
| 3 | 9 | 77 | Simon Pagenaud R | Schmidt Hamilton Motorsports | 75 | + 3.0253 |
| Race average speed: 71.136 mph (114.482 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

### Round 15 – Fontana

MAVTV 500 INDYCAR World Championships :
Podium Finishers :
| Pos | Grid | No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time |
| 1 | 5 | 20 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | 250 | 2:57:34.7433 |
| 2 | 9 | 10 | Dario Franchitti | Chip Ganassi Racing | 250 | + 1.9 |
| 3 | 15 | 9 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | 250 | + 2.6 |
| Race average speed: 168.939 mph (271.881 km/h) |||||||||
| Official Box Score: REPORT |||||||||

## Points standings

* Ties in points broken by number of wins, followed by number of 2nds, 3rds, etc., and then by number of pole positions, followed by number of times qualified 2nd, etc.

### Driver standings

* One point is awarded to any driver who leads at least one lap during a race. Two additional points are awarded to the driver who leads the most laps in a race.
* Bonus points are awarded for qualifying performance:
** At all tracks except Indianapolis, the driver who qualifies on pole earns one point.
** At Indianapolis, drivers who advance to Q2 earn bonus points. Drivers who qualify tenth through twenty-fourth earn four qualifying points, and the remaining qualifying drivers earn three points.
| Pos | Driver | STP | ALA | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET | TEX | MIL | IOW | TOR | EDM | MDO | SNM | BAL | FON | Pts |
| 1 | Ryan Hunter-Reay | 3 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 27$^3$ | 7 | 21 | 1* | 1 | 1* | 7 | 24 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 468 |
| 2 | Will Power | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1* | 28$^5$ | 4 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 15 | 3 | 2* | 2* | 6* | 24 | 465 |
| 3 | Scott Dixon | 2* | 2* | 23 | 17 | 2$^{15}$ | 1* | 18* | 11 | 4 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 435 |
| 4 | Hélio Castroneves | 1 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 10$^6$ | 17 | 7 | 6 | 6* | 6 | 1 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 431 |
| 5 | Simon Pagenaud RY | 6 | 5 | 2* | 12 | 16$^{23}$ | 3 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 387 |
| 6 | Ryan Briscoe | 5 | 14 | 7 | 25 | 5$^1$ | 16 | 3 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 370 |
| 7 | Dario Franchitti | 13 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 1$^{16}$ | 2 | 14 | 19 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 363 |
| 8 | James Hinchcliffe | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6$^2$ | 21 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 22 | 12 | 5 | 26 | 15 | 13 | 358 |
| 9 | Tony Kanaan | 25 | 21 | 4 | 13 | 3$^8$ | 6 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 18 | 351 |
| 10 | Graham Rahal | 12 | 4 | 24 | 16 | 13$^{12}$ | 19 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 333 |
| 11 | J. R. Hildebrand | 19 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 14$^{18}$ | 14 | 5 | 22 | 22 | 7 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 294 |
| 12 | Rubens Barrichello | 17 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11$^{10}$ | 25 | 24 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 289 |
| 13 | Oriol Servià | 16 | 13 | 16 | 11 | 4$^{27}$ | 5 | 20 | 4 | 21 | 5 | 24 | 25 | 19 | 7 | 19 | 287 |
| 14 | Takuma Sato | 22 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 17$^{19}$ | 20 | 22 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 27 | 21 | 7 | 281 |
| 15 | Justin Wilson | 10 | 19 | 10 | 22 | 7$^{21}$ | 22 | 1 | 23 | 10 | 21 | 9 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 23 | 278 |
| 16 | Marco Andretti | 14 | 11 | 25 | 14 | 24*$^4$ | 11 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 25 | 14 | 8 | 278 |
| 17 | Alex Tagliani | 15 | 26 | 21 | | 12$^{11}$ | 10 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 5* | 10 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 272 |
| 18 | Ed Carpenter | 18 | 22 | 14 | 21 | 21$^{28}$ | 12 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 25 | 1* | 261 |
| 19 | Charlie Kimball | 9 | 25 | 18 | 8 | 8$^{14}$ | 8 | 23 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 19 | | 21 | 18 | 10 | 260 |
| 20 | E. J. Viso | 8 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 18$^9$ | 18 | 19 | 5 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 9 | 25 | 244 |
| 21 | Mike Conway | 20 | 7 | 22 | 19 | 29$^{29}$ | 9 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 21 | 14 | 16 | | 233 |
| 22 | James Jakes | 26 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 15$^{17}$ | 23 | 10 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 19 | 12 | 24 | 12 | 232 |
| 23 | Josef Newgarden R | 11 | 17 | 26 | 23 | 25$^7$ | 15 | 13 | 25 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 23 | | 16 | 200 |
| 24 | Simona de Silvestro | 24 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 32$^{32}$ | 13 | 25 | 24 | 14 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 22 | 26 | 182 |
| 25 | Sébastien Bourdais | 21 | 9 | 17 | 18 | 20$^{25}$ | 24 | | | | 14 | 15 | 4 | 22 | 23 | | 173 |
| 26 | Katherine Legge R | 23 | 23 | 19 | 26 | 22$^{30}$ | | 15 | 18 | 15 | | | | 24 | | 9 | 137 |
| 27 | Sebastián Saavedra | | | | | 26$^{24}$ | | | | | | | | 15 | | 21 | 41 |
| 28 | Wade Cunningham R | | | | | 31$^{26}$ | | | | | | | | | | 14 | 29 |
| 29 | Ana Beatriz | | | | 20 | 23$^{13}$ | | | | | | | | | | | 28 |
| 30 | Townsend Bell | | | | | 9$^{20}$ | | | | | | | | | | | 26 |
| 31 | Giorgio Pantano R | | | | | | | | | | | | 14 | | | | 16 |
| 32 | Michel Jourdain Jr. | | | | | 19$^{22}$ | | | | | | | | | | | 16 |
| 33 | Bryan Clauson R | | | | | 30$^{31}$ | | | | | | | | | | | 13 |
| 34 | Jean Alesi R | | | | | 33$^{33}$ | | | | | | | | | | | 13 |
| 35 | Bruno Junqueira | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 19 | | 12 |
| Pos | Driver | STP | ALA | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET | TEX | MIL | IOW | TOR | EDM | MDO | SNM | BAL | FON | Pts |
| Color | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | 4th & 5th place |
| Light Blue | 6th–10th place |
| Dark Blue | Finished (Outside Top 10) |
| Purple | Did not finish |
| Red | Did not qualify (DNQ) |
| Brown | Withdrawn (Wth) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did Not Start (DNS) |
| White | Race abandoned (C) |
| Blank | Did not participate |
In-line notation :
| Bold | Pole position (1 point; except Indy) |
| Italics | Ran fastest race lap |
| * | Led most race laps (2 points) |
| DNS | Any driver who qualifies but does not start (DNS), earns half the points had they taken part. |
| $^{1–33}$ | Indy 500 qualifying results, with points as follows: 15 points for 1st 13 points for 2nd and so on down to 3 points for 25th to 33rd. |
| $^c$ | Qualifying canceled no bonus point awarded |
| RY Rookie of the Year ||
| R Rookie ||

### Entrant standings

* Based on the entrant, used for oval qualifications order, and starting grids when qualifying is cancelled.
* Only full-time entrants, and at-large part-time entrants shown.
| Pos | Driver | STP | ALA | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET | TEX | MIL | IOW | TOR | EDM | MDO | SNM | BAL | FON | Pts |
| 1 | #28 Andretti Autosport | 3 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 27$^3$ | 7 | 21 | 1* | 1 | 1* | 7 | 24 | 18 | 1 | 4 | 468 |
| 2 | #12 Team Penske | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1* | 28$^5$ | 4 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 15 | 3 | 2* | 2* | 6* | 24 | 465 |
| 3 | #9 Chip Ganassi Racing | 2* | 2* | 23 | 17 | 2$^{15}$ | 1* | 18* | 11 | 4 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 435 |
| 4 | #3 Team Penske | 1 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 10$^6$ | 17 | 7 | 6 | 6* | 6 | 1 | 16 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 431 |
| 5 | #77 Schmidt-Hamilton Motorsports | 6 | 5 | 2* | 12 | 16$^{23}$ | 3 | 6 | 13 | 5 | 12 | 20 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 15 | 387 |
| 6 | #2 Team Penske | 5 | 14 | 7 | 25 | 5$^1$ | 16 | 3 | 14 | 18 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 370 |
| 7 | #10 Chip Ganassi Racing | 13 | 10 | 15 | 5 | 1$^{16}$ | 2 | 14 | 19 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 17 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 363 |
| 8 | #27 Andretti Autosport | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 6$^2$ | 21 | 4 | 3 | 17 | 22 | 12 | 5 | 26 | 15 | 13 | 358 |
| 9 | #11 KV Racing Technology with SH | 25 | 21 | 4 | 13 | 3$^8$ | 6 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 18 | 351 |
| 10 | #38 Chip Ganassi Racing | 12 | 4 | 24 | 16 | 13$^{12}$ | 19 | 2 | 9 | 9 | 23 | 4 | 11 | 5 | 11 | 6 | 333 |
| 11 | #4 Panther Racing | 19 | 15 | 5 | 7 | 14$^{18}$ | 14 | 5 | 22 | 22 | 7 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 12 | 11 | 294 |
| 12 | #8 KV Racing Technology | 17 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11$^{10}$ | 25 | 24 | 10 | 7 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 4 | 5 | 22 | 289 |
| 13 | #22 Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Racing | 16 | 13 | 16 | 11 | 4$^{27}$ | 5 | 20 | 4 | 21 | 5 | 24 | 25 | 19 | 7 | 19 | 282 |
| 14 | #15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | 22 | 24 | 8 | 3 | 17$^{19}$ | 20 | 22 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 13 | 27 | 21 | 7 | 281 |
| 15 | #26 Andretti Autosport | 14 | 11 | 25 | 14 | 24*$^4$ | 11 | 17 | 15 | 2 | 16 | 14 | 8 | 25 | 14 | 8 | 278 |
| 16 | #83 Chip Ganassi Racing | 9 | 25 | 18 | 8 | 8$^{14}$ | 8 | 23 | 17 | 11 | 2 | 19 | 14 | 21 | 18 | 10 | 276 |
| 17 | #18 Dale Coyne Racing | 10 | 19 | 10 | 22 | 7$^{21}$ | 22 | 1 | 23 | 10 | 21 | 9 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 23 | 273 |
| 18 | #98 Bryan Herta Autosport w/ Curb-Agajanian | 15 | 26 | 21 | | 12$^{11}$ | 10 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 10 | 5* | 10 | 9 | 8 | 20 | 272 |
| 19 | #20 Ed Carpenter Racing | 18 | 22 | 14 | 21 | 21$^{28}$ | 12 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 18 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 25 | 1* | 260 |
| 20 | #5 KV Racing Technology | 8 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 18$^9$ | 18 | 19 | 5 | 24 | 20 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 9 | 25 | 244 |
| 21 | #14 A. J. Foyt Racing | 20 | 7 | 22 | 19 | 29$^{29}$ | 9 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 3 | 11 | 21 | 14 | 16 | 14 | 239 |
| 22 | #19 Dale Coyne Racing | 26 | 16 | 11 | 15 | 15$^{17}$ | 23 | 10 | 21 | 13 | 8 | 25 | 19 | 12 | 24 | 12 | 232 |
| 23 | #67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing | 11 | 17 | 26 | 23 | 25$^7$ | 15 | 13 | 25 | 19 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 23 | 19 | 16 | 212 |
| 24 | #78 Lotus–HVM Racing | 24 | 20 | 20 | 24 | 32$^{32}$ | 13 | 25 | 24 | 14 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 22 | 26 | 182 |
| 25 | #7 Dragon Racing | 21 | 9 | 17 | 18 | 20$^{25}$ | 24 | | | | 14 | 15 | 4 | 22 | 23 | | 173 |
| 26 | #6 Dragon Racing | 23 | 23 | 19 | 26 | 22$^{30}$ | | 15 | 18 | 15 | | | | 24 | | 9 | 137 |
| Pos | Driver | STP | ALA | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET | TEX | MIL | IOW | TOR | EDM | MDO | SNM | BAL | FON | Pts |
* ^ The #22 entry was penalized 5 points for an unspecified infraction.
* ^ The #18 entry was penalized 5 points for a post-race technical infraction at Texas.
* ^ The #20 entry was penalized 1 point for a post-race technical infraction at Texas.
* ^ The #14 entry was penalized 10 points for a post-race technical infraction at Toronto

### Manufacturers' Championship

| Pos | Manufacturer | STP | ALA | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET | TEX | MIL | IOW | TOR | EDM | MDO | SNM | BAL | FON | Pts |
| 1 | Chevrolet | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 123 |
| 2 | Honda | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 102 |
| 3 | Lotus | 15 | 9 | 16 | 11 | 32 | 13 | DNS | 24 | 14 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 17 | 22 | 26 | 60 |
| Pos | Manufacturer | STP | ALA | LBH | SAO | INDY | DET | TEX | MIL | IOW | TOR | EDM | MDO | SNM | BAL | FON | Pts |
| Color | Result | Points |
| Gold | 1st place | 9 |
| Silver | 2nd place | 6 |
| Bronze | 3rd place | 4 |
* Manufacturers' Championship points are awarded based on the finishing position of the highest finishing car of each respective manufacturer at each round.

## Broadcasting

For 2012, as in recent years, the IndyCar Series schedule split its television coverage between ESPN on ABC and NBC Sports Network (formerly Versus). The season finale returned to NBC Sports Network after airing on ABC in 2011.
As a result of logistics, NBC Sports Network aired 2012 Summer Olympics coverage during the time and ESPN's broadcast and production crew were working the NASCAR Nationwide Series U.S. Cellular 250 during a split race weekend for the two NASCAR national series), the August 5 race at Mid Ohio that aired on ABC used the NBC Sports Network crew.
In addition to qualifying and race broadcasts, NBC Sports Network aired IndyCar 36, a documentary series based on NBC's 36 format. Each 30-minute episode features a driver's race weekend. The drivers selected were:
* Tony Kanaan (St. Petersburg)
* Graham Rahal (Barber)
* Ryan Hunter-Reay (Long Beach)
* J. R. Hildebrand (Indianapolis qualifying)
* Hélio Castroneves (Indianapolis 500-Mile Race)
* Charlie Kimball (Texas)
* Ed Carpenter (Iowa)
* James Hinchcliffe (Toronto)
* Simon Pagenaud (Mid-Ohio)
* Will Power (Sonoma)
* Oriol Servià (Baltimore)
* Josef Newgarden (Fontana)
No shows were produced at São Paulo, Detroit, Milwaukee or Edmonton, whereas frontrunners Ryan Briscoe, Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon were not featured.

## Footnotes

* ↑ Not considered a series rookie. He was only considered an Indy rookie.
* ↑ Briscoe, the fastest qualifier from the Fast Six shootout, was assessed a 10-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. Dario Franchitti, who qualified 4th, was the highest-placed driver not to have a penalty, and thus started the race from pole position. Briscoe earned the pole-winner's championship point.
* ↑ Hunter-Reay, the fastest qualifier from the Fast Six shootout, was assessed a 10-place grid penalty for an unapproved engine change. Dario Franchitti, who qualified 2nd, started the race from pole position. Hunter-Reay earned the pole-winner's championship point.