2001 IRL (Various)

2001 Indy Racing League

Diecast manufacturers are noted with each vehicle.

#2 Greg Ray // Team Menard // Dallara-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#3 Al Unser Jr. // Galles Racing // G-Force-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Action)

#4 Sam Hornish Jr. // Panther Racing // Dallara-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#8 Scott Sharp // Kelley Racing // Dallara-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#11 Dr. Jack Miller // Cahill Racing // Dallara-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#15 Sarah Fisher // Walker Racing // Dallara-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#24 Robbie Buhl // Dreyer & Reinbold Racing // G-Force-Infiniti-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#28 Mark Dismore // Kelley Racing // Dallara-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#31 Casey Mears // Galles Racing // G-Force-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#51 Eddie Cheever Jr. // Team Cheever // Dallara-Infiniti-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

#91 Buddy Lazier // Hemelgarn Racing // Dallara-Oldsmobile-Firestone (Johnny Lightning)

BONUS: 2001 Indianapolis 500 Event Car (Action)

Perhaps the first sign that the official IRL-Johnny Lightning relationship wasn’t due to last much longer, Action produced the Indianapolis 500 event car for the 2001 season. (It would actually be Greenlight that picked up the contract in 2002, with Johnny Lightning only lending its name to a handful of cars on a shared casting.) As for the race itself, it was another black eye for the IRL regulars, as polesitter Scott Sharp crashed out on the first lap; Helio Castroneves, Gil de Ferran, Michael Andretti, Jimmy Vasser, and Bruno Junqueira staged a CART lockout of the top five, while then-NASCAR regular Tony Stewart was sixth. Eliseo Salazar, a lap down in seventh, was the highest-finishing IRL regular.