# 1998 Indy Lights season

The 1998 CART PPG/Dayton Indy Lights Championship consisted of 14 races. Future 2002 CART champion and Formula One driver Cristiano da Matta captured four wins on his way to the championship.

## Team and driver chart

The following drivers and teams competed in the series:
| Team | No. | Drivers | Round(s) |
| Brian Stewart Racing | 4 | Sérgio Paese | 14 |
| Brian Stewart Racing | 3 | Sérgio Paese | 1–11 |
| Brian Stewart Racing | 3 | Wim Eyckmans | 12–14 |
| Brian Stewart Racing | 5 | Mattias Andersson | 1–3 |
| Brian Stewart Racing | 5 | Luiz Garcia Jr. | 4–14 |
| Conquest Racing | 11 | Andy Boss | All |
| Conquest Racing | 21 | Felipe Giaffone | All |
| Dorricott Racing | 30 | Bud Kaeding | 4–5, 10, 14 |
| Dorricott Racing | 31 | Philipp Peter | All |
| Dorricott Racing | 32 | Oriol Servià | All |
| Genoa Racing | 61 | Eric Jensen | 2 |
| Genoa Racing | 61 | Cory Witherill | 7, 12–14 |
| Indy Regency Racing | 16 | Shigeaki Hattori | All |
| Indy Regency Racing | 28 | Rodolfo Lavín | 1–7, 9–10, 12–13 |
| Irish Motorsports / Bordin Racing | 56 | Tim Moser | 2 |
| Johansson Motorsports | 6 | Guy Smith | All |
| Johansson Motorsports | 7 | Luiz Garcia Jr. | 1–2 |
| Lucas Place Motorsports | 14 | Geoff Boss | All |
| Lucas Place Motorsports | 15 | Brian Cunningham | All |
| Mattco Raceworks | 77 | Tony Renna | 1–11, 13–14 |
| Mattco Raceworks | 77 | Mark Hotchkis | 12 |
| Mattco Raceworks | 78 | Mark Hotchkis | 3–6 |
| Mattco Raceworks | 78 | Chris Simmons | 1–2, 7–14 |
| Mattco Raceworks | 79 | Mark Hotchkis | 14 |
| Mears Racing Team | 8 | Clint Mears | 1, 3–6, 8, 10, 13–14 |
| Mears Racing Team | 9 | Casey Mears | 1–6, 8, 10, 13–14 |
| PacWest Lights | 17 | Paul Morris | 1–12 |
| PacWest Lights | 17 | Paul Jasper | 14 |
| PacWest Lights | 18 | Didier André | All |
| Quaker State Team Go Herdez Competition Team | 87 | Jorge Goeters | 1–11, 14 |
| Quaker State Team Go Herdez Competition Team | 87 | Mario Domínguez | 12–13 |
| Quaker State Team Go Herdez Competition Team | 88 | Derek Higgins | All |
| Tasman Motorsports | 1 | Airton Daré | All |
| Tasman Motorsports | 2 | Cristiano da Matta | All |
| Team KOOL Green | 26 | Mark Hotchkis | 11 |
| Team KOOL Green | 27 | Naoki Hattori | All |
| Team Rahal | 41 | Mike Borkowski | All |

## Schedule

| Rd. | Date | Track | Location |
| 1 | March 15 | O Homestead-Miami Speedway | Homestead, Florida |
| 2 | April 5 | R Long Beach Street Circuit | Long Beach, California |
| 3 | April 27 | O Nazareth Speedway | Nazareth, Pennsylvania |
| 4 | May 23 | O Gateway International Raceway | Madison, Illinois |
| 5 | May 31 | O Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin |
| 6 | June 7 | R The Raceway at Belle Isle Park | Detroit, Michigan |
| 7 | June 21 | R Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon |
| 8 | July 12 | R Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport | Cleveland, Ohio |
| 9 | July 19 | R Exhibition Place | Toronto, Ontario |
| 10 | July 25 | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan |
| 11 | August 2 | R Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières, Quebec |
| 12 | September 6 | R Streets of Vancouver | Vancouver, British Columbia |
| 13 | September 13 | R Laguna Seca Raceway | Monterey, California |
| 14 | October 31 | O California Speedway | Fontana, California |

## Race results

| Round | Circuit | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Race Winner | Race Winner |
| Round | Circuit | Pole position | Fastest lap | Most laps led | Driver | Team |
| 1 | Homestead-Miami Speedway | Sérgio Paese | Shigeaki Hattori | Shigeaki Hattori | Shigeaki Hattori | Indy Regency Racing |
| 2 | Long Beach Street Circuit | Didier André | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Tasman Motorsports |
| 3 | Nazareth Speedway | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Tasman Motorsports |
| 4 | Gateway International Raceway | Jorge Goeters | Shigeaki Hattori | Shigeaki Hattori | Shigeaki Hattori | Indy Regency Racing |
| 5 | Milwaukee Mile | Sérgio Paese | Derek Higgins | Derek Higgins | Derek Higgins | Herdez Competition Team |
| 6 | The Raceway at Belle Isle Park | Airton Daré | Airton Daré | Airton Daré | Airton Daré | Tasman Motorsports |
| 7 | Portland International Raceway | Guy Smith | Didier André | Guy Smith | Guy Smith | Johansson Motorsports |
| 8 | Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport | Luiz Garcia Jr. | Sérgio Paese | Luiz Garcia Jr. | Luiz Garcia Jr. | Brian Stewart Racing |
| 9 | Exhibition Place | Guy Smith | Luiz Garcia Jr. | Guy Smith | Guy Smith | Johansson Motorsports |
| 10 | Michigan International Speedway | Tony Renna | Sérgio Paese | Tony Renna | Tony Renna | Mattco Raceworks |
| 11 | Circuit Trois-Rivières | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Tasman Motorsports |
| 12 | Streets of Vancouver | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Cristiano da Matta | Tasman Motorsports |
| 13 | Laguna Seca Raceway | Didier André | Chris Simmons | Didier André | Didier André | PacWest Lights |
| 14 | California Speedway | Tony Renna | Airton Daré | Tony Renna | Mark Hotchkis | Mattco Raceworks |

## Race summaries
### Homestead race

* March 15, 1998
* Homestead-Miami Speedway, Miami, Florida
* Pole position: Sérgio Paese, 0:30.098, 179.653 mph (289.123 km/h)
Top Five Finishers :
| Fin. Pos | St. Pos | Car No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led | Points |
| 1 | 2 | 16 | Shigeaki Hattori | Indy Regency Racing | 67 | 52:35.077 | 64 | 21 |
| 2 | 4 | 2 | Cristiano da Matta | Tasman Motorsports | 67 | +0.468 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | 7 | 6 | Guy Smith | Johansson Motorsports | 67 | +1.420 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | 6 | 32 | Oriol Servià | Dorricott Racing | 67 | +5.534 | 0 | 12 |
| 5 | 9 | 78 | Chris Simmons | Mattco Raceworks | 67 | +6.853 | 0 | 10 |
| Race average speed: 114.825 mph (184.793 km/h) |||||||||
| Lead changes: 1 between 2 drivers |||||||||
| Cautions: 3 for 21 laps |||||||||

### Long Beach race

* April 5, 1998
* Long Beach Grand Prix, Long Beach, California
* Pole position: Didier André, 0:57.108, 99.223 mph (159.684 km/h)
Top Five Finishers :
| Fin. Pos | St. Pos | Car No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led | Points |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | Cristiano da Matta | Tasman Motorsports | 47 | 49:20.748 | 47 | 21 |
| 2 | 4 | 14 | Geoff Boss | Lucas Place Motorsports | 47 | +0.459 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | 6 | 27 | Naoki Hattori | Team KOOL Green | 47 | +1.083 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | 5 | 31 | Philipp Peter | Dorricott Racing | 47 | +3.378 | 0 | 12 |
| 5 | 1 | 18 | Didier André | PacWest Lights | 47 | +7.317 | 0 | 11 |
| Race average speed: 89.951 mph (144.762 km/h) |||||||||
| Lead changes: none |||||||||
| Cautions: 2 for 6 laps |||||||||

### Nazareth race

* April 27, 1998
* Nazareth Speedway, Nazareth, Pennsylvania
* Pole position: Cristiano da Matta, 0:22.408, 151.981 mph (244.590 km/h)
Top Five Finishers :
| Fin. Pos | St. Pos | Car No. | Driver | Team | Laps | Time | Laps Led | Points |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | Cristiano da Matta | Tasman Motorsports | 100 | 55:56.268 | 100 | 22 |
| 2 | 9 | 18 | Didier André | PacWest Lights | 100 | +14.174 | 0 | 16 |
| 3 | 8 | 9 | Casey Mears | Mears Racing Team | 100 | +14.745 | 0 | 14 |
| 4 | 5 | 15 | Brian Cunningham | Lucas Place Motorsports | 100 | +17.914 | 0 | 12 |
| 5 | 11 | 1 | Airton Daré | Tasman Motorsports | 100 | +18.725 | 0 | 10 |
| Race average speed: 101.470 mph (163.300 km/h) |||||||||
| Lead changes: none |||||||||
| Cautions: 2 for 30 laps |||||||||

### Gateway race

Held May 23 at Gateway International Raceway. Jorge Goeters won the pole. No qualifying held due to rain. The line up was based on combined practice times.
Top Five Results
* Shigeaki Hattori
* Philipp Peter
* Cristiano da Matta
* Felipe Giaffone
* Jorge Goeters

### Milwaukee race

Held May 31 at The Milwaukee Mile. Sérgio Paese won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Derek Higgins
* Felipe Giaffone
* Sérgio Paese
* Geoff Boss
* Tony Renna

### Detroit race

Held June 7 at Belle Isle Raceway. Airton Daré won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Airton Daré
* Cristiano da Matta
* Geoff Boss
* Mark Hotchkis
* Didier André

### Portland race

Held June 21 at Portland International Raceway. Guy Smith won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Guy Smith
* Felipe Giaffone
* Luiz Garcia Jr.
* Airton Daré
* Brian Cunningham

### Cleveland race

Held July 12 at Burke Lakefront Airport. Luiz Garcia Jr. won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Luiz Garcia Jr.
* Derek Higgins
* Didier André
* Guy Smith
* Tony Renna

### Toronto race

Held July 19 at Exhibition Place. Guy Smith won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Guy Smith
* Naoki Hattori
* Chris Simmons
* Philipp Peter
* Didier André

### Michigan race

Held July 25 at Michigan International Speedway. Tony Renna won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Tony Renna
* Cristiano da Matta
* Sérgio Paese
* Andy Boss
* Oriol Servià

### Trois-Rivières race

Held August 2 at the Trois-Rivières, Quebec Street Circuit. Cristiano da Matta won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Cristiano da Matta
* Oriol Servià
* Naoki Hattori
* Guy Smith
* Didier André

### Vancouver race

Held September 6 at Pacific Place. Cristiano da Matta won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Cristiano da Matta
* Derek Higgins
* Airton Daré
* Mike Borkowski
* Felipe Giaffone

### Laguna Seca race

Held September 13 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Didier André won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Didier André
* Oriol Servià
* Derek Higgins
* Geoff Boss
* Naoki Hattori

### Fontana race

Held October 31 at The California Speedway. Tony Renna won the pole.
Top Five Results
* Mark Hotchkis
* Felipe Giaffone
* Tony Renna
* Cory Witherill
* Didier André

## Championship standings
### Drivers' championship
#### Scoring system

| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
| Points | 20 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
* The driver who qualifies on pole is awarded one additional point.
* An additional point is awarded to the driver who leads the most laps in a race.
| Pos | Driver | HMS | LBH | NAZ | GAT | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIC | TRO | VAN | LAG | FON | Points |
| 1 | Cristiano da Matta | 2 | 1* | 1* | 3 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 22 | 15 | 2 | 1* | 1* | 22 | 11 | 154 |
| 2 | Didier André | 14 | 5 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 1* | 5 | 123 |
| 3 | Guy Smith | 3 | 8 | 21 | 11 | 22 | 8 | 1* | 4 | 1* | 6 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 110 |
| 4 | Felipe Giaffone | 19 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 18 | 2 | 104 |
| 5 | Derek Higgins | 7 | 21 | 15 | 6 | 1* | 12 | 10 | 2 | 17 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 94 |
| 6 | Airton Daré | 17 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 1* | 4 | 13 | 8 | 19 | 21 | 3 | 11 | 15 | 78 |
| 7 | Oriol Servià | 4 | 19 | 13 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 21 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 25 | 73 |
| 8 | Tony Renna | DNS | 12 | 10 | 22 | 5 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 21 | 1* | 20 | | 8 | 3* | 68 |
| 9 | Geoff Boss | 9 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 20 | 19 | 14 | 19 | 7 | 4 | 18 | 67 |
| 10 | Naoki Hattori | 18 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 16 | 17 | 2 | 16 | 3 | 17 | 5 | 17 | 66 |
| 11 | Philipp Peter | 11 | 4 | 19 | 2 | 9 | 10 | 22 | 7 | 4 | 23 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 12 | 62 |
| 12 | Luiz Garcia Jr. | 22 | 10 | | 20 | 11 | 21 | 3 | 1* | 11 | 15 | 12 | 16 | 6 | 6 | 60 |
| 13 | Sérgio Paese | 21 | 6 | 20 | 10 | 3 | 22 | 6 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 13 | | | 26 | 53 |
| 14 | Shigeaki Hattori | 1* | 11 | 14 | 1* | 21 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 9 | 9 | 52 |
| 15 | Mark Hotchkis | | | 9 | 21 | 7 | 4 | | | | | 7 | 11 | | 1 | 50 |
| 16 | Jorge Goeters | 16 | 15 | 11 | 5$^1$ | 6 | 16 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 21 | 15 | | | 20 | 34 |
| 17 | Casey Mears | 10 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 16 | 19 | | 10 | | 11 | | | 21 | 8 | 33 |
| 18 | Brian Cunningham | 12 | 22 | 4 | 23 | 20 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 14 | 22 | 18 | 10 | 20 | 24 | 33 |
| 19 | Chris Simmons | 5 | 23 | | | | | 14 | 15 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 18 | 13 | 14 | 32 |
| 20 | Andy Boss | 13 | 16 | 6 | 13 | 17 | 14 | 19 | 11 | 13 | 4 | 14 | 22 | 14 | 13 | 22 |
| 21 | Paul Morris | 6 | 20 | 22 | 18 | 24 | 13 | 7 | 19 | 20 | Wth | 9 | 20 | | | 18 |
| 22 | Mike Borkowski | 20 | 25 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 11 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 18 | 17 | 4 | 17 | 23 | 15 |
| 23 | Cory Witherill | | | | | | | 13 | | | | | 15 | 12 | 4 | 13 |
| 24 | Clint Mears | DNS | | 18 | 17 | 19 | 17 | | 16 | | 8 | | | 10 | 22 | 8 |
| 25 | Mattias Andersson | 15 | 7 | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| 26 | Mario Domínguez | | | | | | | | | | | | 14 | 7 | | 6 |
| 27 | Rodolfo Lavín | 8 | 18 | DNS | 24 | 13 | 18 | 17 | | 18 | 17 | | 21 | 23 | | 5 |
| 28 | Bud Kaeding | | | | 14 | 23 | | | | | 12 | | | | 16 | 1 |
| 29 | Wim Eyckmans | | | | | | | | | | | | 12 | 19 | 19 | 1 |
| 30 | Tim Moser | | 14 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| 31 | Eric Jensen | | 17 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| 32 | Paul Jasper | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 21 | 0 |
| Pos | Driver | HMS | LBH | NAZ | GAT | MIL | DET | POR | CLE | TOR | MIC | TRO | VAN | LAG | FON | Points |
| 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) |
| Blank | Did not participate (DNP) |
| Blank | Not competing |
In-line notation :
| Bold | Pole position (1 point) |
| Italics | Ran fastest race lap |
| * | Led most race laps (2 points) |
| $^1$ | Qualifying cancelled no bonus point awarded |
* Ties in points broken by number of wins, or best finishes.

## Footnotes

* ↑ Qualifying was cancelled due to rain. The grid was set by practice times, and no bonus point was awarded.