The Indy Racing League, better known as IRL, is the sanctioning body of a predominantly American based open-wheel racing series.

The League consists of two series, the premiere IndyCar Series (usually considered synonymous with the Indy Racing League), whose centerpiece is the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Pro Series, which is a developmental series for the IRL.

The IRL is owned by Hulman and Co., which also owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway complex and the Clabber Girl brand

History

"Indy car" is sometimes used as a descriptive name for championship open wheel auto racing in the United States. The Indy car name derived as the result of the genre's fundamental link to the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race (often referred to as the "Indy 500"), the best known and most-popular open-wheel auto race in North America.

Beginning in 1980, the term Indy car was often used to describe the race cars in the events sanctioned by CART, which had become the dominant governing body for open-wheel racing in the United States. The Indianapolis 500, however, remained sanctioned by USAC. CART recognized the Indy 500 on its schedule, and awarded points for finishers in the race from 1980-1995 despite not sanctioning it. The two entities operated separately, but utilized the same equipment. WIKI