Mike Groff drove for Clayton Cunningham and Byrd in the 1996–97 Indy Racing League season. Byrd-Cunningham driver John Paul Jr. won in the 1998 Lone Star 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Jonathan Byrd's Racing suspended operations after the 1999 Indianapolis 500. This was due to sponsorship issues and the VisionAire 500K. Byrd completed regularly until the 2001 Indianapolis 500 with Jaques Lazier as that year's driver. Jonathan Byrd had a stroke in 2004 after heart surgery, suffered paralysis on his right side, and died in 2009 from cardiac arrest.