1996 Indy Lights season
The 1996 PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship Powered By Buick consisted of 12 races. Canadian David Empringham captured three wins on his way to the championship.[1]
| 1996 Indy Lights season | |
|---|---|
| PPG/Firestone Indy Lights Championship | |
| Season | |
| Races | 12 | 
| Start date | March 3 | 
| End date | September 8 | 
| Awards | |
| Drivers' champion | |
Team and driver chart
    
The following drivers and teams competed in the series:
| Team | No. | Drivers | Round(s) | 
|---|---|---|---|
| Brian Stewart Racing | 2 | 1–2 | |
| 4–9 | |||
| 11–12 | |||
| 3 | All | ||
| 61 | All | ||
| Dorricott Racing | 31 | All | |
| 32 | All | ||
| FRE Racing | 17 | 1–2 | |
| 3 | |||
| 5–7, 12 | |||
| 9 | |||
| Forsythe Racing | 33 | All | |
| 66 | All | ||
| 99 | 9–12 | ||
| Genoa Racing | 24 | All | |
| Indy Regency Racing | 28 | All | |
| Leading Edge Motorsports | 4 | 1–8 | |
| 10–12 | |||
| 9 | |||
| 5 | 6 | ||
| 23 | All | ||
| 77 | 1–2, 4–12 | ||
| PacWest Lights | 10 | 9 | |
| 1–2 | |||
| 12 | 3–7, 9–12 | ||
| 8 | |||
| Performance Racing | 9 | 1–2 | |
| 11 | |||
| RaceCars | 88 | 1 | |
| 2 | |||
| 8–12 | |||
| 89 | 1 | ||
| 2–4 | |||
| 7–9 | |||
| Summit Motorsports | 20 | 1–2, 4–6 | |
| Tasman Motorsports | 37 | All | |
| 38 | All | ||
| 39 | All | ||
| Team Green | 26 | All | |
| 27 | All | ||
| Team Leisy / McCormack | 34 | 1, 3 | |
| 2, 12 | |||
| 35 | 2 | ||
| Team Medlin | 12 | 1–3, 5–12 | 
Schedule
    
| Rd. | Date | Track | Location | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 3 | O Homestead-Miami Speedway | Homestead, Florida | 
| 2 | April 14 | R Long Beach Street Circuit | Long Beach, California | 
| 3 | April 28 | O Nazareth Speedway | Nazareth, Pennsylvania | 
| 4 | May 25 | O Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn, Michigan | 
| 5 | June 2 | O Milwaukee Mile | West Allis, Wisconsin | 
| 6 | June 9 | R The Raceway at Belle Isle Park | Detroit, Michigan | 
| 7 | June 23 | R Portland International Raceway | Portland, Oregon | 
| 8 | June 30 | R Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport | Cleveland, Ohio | 
| 9 | July 14 | R Exhibition Place | Toronto, Ontario | 
| 10 | August 4 | R Circuit Trois-Rivières | Trois-Rivières, Quebec | 
| 11 | September 1 | R Streets of Vancouver | Vancouver, British Columbia | 
| 12 | September 8 | R Laguna Seca Raceway | Monterey, California | 
Race results
    
Race summaries
    
    Homestead race
    
Held March 3 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
- David Empringham
 - Chris Simmons
 - Mark Hotchkis
 - David DeSilva
 - Jeff Ward
 
Long Beach race
    
Held April 14 at Long Beach, California Street Course. Gualter Salles won the pole.
Top Five Results
Nazareth race
    
Held April 28 at Nazareth Speedway. Claude Bourbonnais won the pole.
Top Five Results
- David DeSilva
 - David Empringham
 - Mark Hotchkis
 - Chris Simmons
 - Jeff Ward
 
Michigan race
    
Held May 25 at Michigan International Speedway. David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
Detroit race
    
Held June 9 at Belle Isle Raceway. David Empringham won the pole.
Top Five Results
- Tony Kanaan
 - Alex Padilla
 - Claude Bourbonnais
 - José Luis Di Palma
 - Jaki Scheckter
 
Portland race
    
Held June 23 at Portland International Raceway. Tony Kanaan won the pole.
Top Five Results
Cleveland race
    
Held June 30 at Burke Lakefront Airport. Mark Hotchkis won the pole.
Top Five Results
Trois-Rivières race
    
Held August 4 at the Trois-Rivières, Quebec Street Circuit. Hélio Castro-Neves won the pole.
Top Five Results
- Hélio Castro-Neves
 - Tony Kanaan
 - Alex Padilla
 - David Empringham
 - Bertrand Godin
 
Vancouver race
    
Held September 1 at Pacific Place. Jeff Ward won the pole.
Top Five Results
- Claude Bourbonnais
 - Tony Kanaan
 - Jeff Hotchkis
 - Alex Padilla
 - David Empringham
 
Laguna Seca race
    
Held September 8 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Tony Kanaan won the pole.
Top Five Results
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.
 
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- Ties in points broken by number of wins, or best finishes.