2024 Firestone Champ Car Challenger Series season

The **2024 Firestone Champ Car Challenger Series season** was the first of the Challenger Series, the second division of American open wheel racing. The series will determine the revived Indycar National Championships, which were retired at the end of the 1999 season with the inauguration of the Indycar World Championship. The series was a part of the 112th season of American open wheel racing, in support of the AT&T Champ Car World Series.

No previous Indycar National Champions were present to contest or defend the championship. Rita Liechti, the last Indycar National Champion from 1999, retired at the end of the 2012 season, and became the managing director of Highlight Racing.

## Background

The Champ Car Challenger Series initially began planning prior to the 2020 season, as Horizon Corporation looked to redevelop the American open wheel ladder system. An attempt at creating an academy series lasted two seasons until the onset of the 2022 H1N1 global pandemic. In early 2023, Horizon Corporation, Champ Car's parent company, issued out a referendum to teams regarding the new Challenger Series, which had received support from the engine suppliers, chassis builder, and tire supplier for the World Series. Teams voted in majority to ratify and begin the process of establishing the series, which presented unique opportunities for American open wheel racing that hadn't been seen prior.

### Promotion and relegation

One of the key facets behind the Challenger Series is the adoption of promotion and relegation. Beginning with the 2024 season, the top four entries in points at the end of the season will be given an elective choice to take a promotion into the World Series the following season, or to remain in the Challenger Series. If a team elects to take the promotion, the lowest entry in the World Series is relegated into the Challenger Series for the following season. With the Champ Car World Series being capped to 26 cars outside of the Indianapolis 500, the Challenger Series will permit fields of up to 30 cars per round.

Team entry limits still apply within Champ Car. Teams can field up to three cars in each series, however, if a team has three cars in the World Series, another entry from the Challenger Series cannot be promoted. Likewise, teams can voluntarily decline promotion for the following season. However, if a team finishes top four in the championship standings for three consecutive seasons, then they will be forced to take promotion into the World Series for a season.

### Shared equipment

Another critical focal point for Horizon Corporation for establishing the second division of Champ Car was sharing the platform used currently by the World Series. The Challenger Series will utilize the same AAI IR-22 chassis being used in the World Series, and will be supplied by the same four engine suppliers as the World Series in Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, and Toyota. Additionally, Firestone, the Challenger Series' title sponsor, will continue supplying the same tire compounds for both series. All of these critical components were deemed essential, as Horizon Corporation felt it would lead to better driver development if they had access to the same equipment. The only material difference is in the fuel supplier. The World Series is currently supplied by Speedway, while the Challenger Series will be supplied fuel by Shell. Both series will maintain the initiative to reach carbon neutrality by 2030 by using more renewable fuels, among other clean energy initiatives.

The largest difference between the two series is the development aspect. In the World Series, each entry will have a development budget of US$9 million, including driver salaries. The Challenger Series, on the other hand, will not permit car or powertrain development, thus making the series cheaper and more appealing to smaller and newer teams, as well as drivers, who may see the Challenger Series as a way to earn larger contracts.

## 2024 Teams and Drivers

The following table is a full list of teams and drivers for the 2024 Challenger Series season. Champ Car rookies are denoted in **(R)**.

### Roster Movement

* Team Sakura became one of the first teams to publicly announce its movement to the Challenger Series, committing a three car effort in 2024. Sora Hoshino would pilot the #09 GUND-ARM car, with Yumina Mizuno piloting the #23 with NiCola sponsorship. Arashi Seto would complete the lineup to pilot the #52 Fuyutsuki Electronics machine. Former drivers Sakura Kunikida and Fumiko Nakajima would move to other projects around the team after splitting duties in the 2023 World Series season.
* Fortune Racing confirmed it would move its Chevrolet-backed efforts to the Challenger Series on 27 May 2023, and expanded in the process. The Canadian team added newcomer Amity Pulsatrix alongside Rex Riley to complete the all-Canadian lineup.
* Escuderia Aguila announced it would be switching from Honda to Ford as they moved their three car program into the Challenger Series. Following the passing of Cristine Espinoza, three-time National Champion Miguel Espinoza took over duties running the team, while his daughter Isabel moved over to fill the #26 car that has traditionally been a part of the Aguila lineup. The team's 2023 World Series drivers would reprise their roles in 2024, with Katrina Ochoa piloting the #36, and Maria Chavez piloting the #46.

## 2024 Calendar

The 2024 Champ Car Challenger Series calendar was ratified on 1 December 2023 by FICA, the global motorsport governing body. The season was contested over 18 weekends around the world.