Scott Sharp

Scott Sharp

Sharp in May 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Nationality American
Born (1968-02-14) February 14, 1968
Norwalk, Connecticut
United SportsCar Championship career
Debut season 2008
Current team Extreme Speed Motorsports
Championship titles
2009
1996
1993
1991
1988
1987
1986
ALMS LMP1 Champion
Indy Racing League Co-Champion
SCCA Trans-Am
SCCA Trans-Am
SCCA GT-1
SCCA GT-1
SCCA GT-2
IndyCar Series career
147 races run over 13 years
Best finish 1st (1996)
First race 1996 Indy 200 (Orlando)
Last race 2009 Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
First win 1997 True Value 200 (Loudon)
Last win 2005 AMBER Alert Portal Indy 300 (Kentucky)
Wins Podiums Poles
9 18 6
Champ Car career
18 races run over 3 years
Best finish 21st (1994)
First race 1993 Toyota Grand Prix of Monterey (Laguna Seca)
Last race 1995 Indianapolis 500 (Indy)
Wins Podiums Poles
0 0 0
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
1 race run over 1 year
Best finish 69th (1992)
First race 1992 Budweiser at the Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Statistics current as of June 4, 2012.

Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968) is an American professional racing driver in the United SportsCar Championship. He is the son of six-time SCCA champion Bob Sharp (racing driver). Sharp is best known for his years as a competitor in the Indy Racing League.

Early career

Born in Norwalk, Sharp starting racing karts when he was only 8 years old, winning 50 out of 75 races. Sharp came from a road-racing background, earning several championships including: 1986 SCCA GT-2, 1987 and 1988 SCCA GT-1, and 1991 and 1993 SCCA Trans-Am. Sharp competed in one NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now Sprint Cup) event, coming in 1992 at Watkins Glen. In 1993, Sharp made his CART debut with Bettenhausen Motorsports and became a full-time competitor in the series in 1994 with PacWest Racing. His first Indianapolis 500 start also came in 1994. In 1996, Sharp was part of Doyle Racing’s 24 Hours of Daytona winning team.

Indy Racing League career

Overview

Sharp is one of only two drivers (the other being Buddy Lazier) to have driven in at least one race in each of the first 12 seasons of IndyCar competition. His impressive IRL career has resulted in numerous records including: most career IndyCar Series starts (147); most consecutive IndyCar Series race starts (138); most races running at finish (110) and previously held the records for most top-ten finishes (82) and most consecutive seasons with at least one race win (7) (now both held by Hélio Castroneves).

History

He was one of the competitors in the first IRL race in 1996 with Foyt, the owner of his 1995 Indianapolis 500 car. He was the co-champion of the IRL's inaugural season in 1996 along with Buzz Calkins. In 1997 two crashes resulting in severe concussions sidelined Sharp until 1998 when he began working with the newly formed Kelley Racing team and sponsor Delphi. At Kelley, Sharp collected eight wins and four pole positions (one being at the 2001 Indianapolis 500). He was 3rd in the championship in 2001, but an influx of strong teams from CART meant that Kelley was not one of the strongest teams after that season. In 2004 he was down in 13th in the championship with a best finish of 8th — his first winless season since 1998, also ending a run of top 8 championship finishes dating back to 1998.

Kelley folded following the conclusion of the 2004 season. In 2005, Sharp, along with Delphi (who had become his personal sponsor), moved to Adrian Fernández's Fernández Racing. The switch brought about a small resurgence in Sharp's career and he was once again one of the top drivers in the IRL. 2005 saw him finish 5th in the championship, collecting a win at Kentucky Speedway along the way. However, Sharp struggled through the 2006 season as the team struggled to adapt to the Dallara chassis, and finished 11th in the points standings.

Sharp racing at Texas in 2007

For 2007, Sharp joined Rahal Letterman Racing, teaming with sophomore driver Jeff Simmons, though mid-season Simmons was replaced with Ryan Hunter-Reay. Sharp brought with him a new primary sponsor, the Patrón Spirits Company, who began as an associate sponsor in 2006. His new association with Patrón ended nine seasons of Delphi backing. His best finish of the season was 3rd, which he earned at the inaugural race at Iowa Speedway and also at Michigan International Speedway. A highlight of the season was his surprise pole position Texas Motor Speedway in June, his first since 2001. He was also able to capture his career-best finish in the Indianapolis 500, a 6th place. Sharp ended the season 8th in the championship standings.

Sharp returned to the series and compete in the 2009 Indianapolis 500 with Panther Racing. He qualified 20th and finished 14th on the lead lap.

American Le Mans Series career

Sharp on track at the Acura Sports Car Challenge of Mid-Ohio in July 2008

Sharp was under contract with Rahal Letterman Racing for 2008, but the two entities parted ways after each filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the other.[1] Sharp and Patrón joined the American Le Mans Series with Highcroft Racing. He drives the #9 Patrón Highcroft Racing Acura ARX-01b with David Brabham during the 2008 season in the LMP2 class.

Sharp started seventh in his debut race at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring and finished fourth in class (fifth overall) with teammates Brabham and Stefan Johansson. The team finished second at the Acura Sports Car Challenge of St. Petersburg, which was Highcroft’s best finish to date. Sharp earned his first ALMS win in the P2 class at the Tequila Patron American Le Mans Series at Long Beach. The win was also the first for Highcroft Racing. Sharp earned his first overall win in the American Le Mans Series at the 2008 Northeast Grand Prix at Lime Rock Park after starting from the pole position. A third class victory followed at the Generac 500 at Road America. When leader Gil de Ferran ran out of fuel on the last lap in Mosport awarded the team a fourth victory and second consecutive win.

Arguably, Sharp’s breakout ALMS performance came at the Detroit Sportscar Challenge presented by Bosch. He led for most of his stint, giving up the lead only when blocked in heavy traffic. His stellar driving won him SPEEDtv.com’s ‘Drive of the Race,’ though the team had to settle for second place in the event.[2] Sharp and Brabham were joined by Dario Franchitti, one of Sharp’s former IndyCar competitors, for the 10-hour Petit Le Mans endurance race. Unfortunately, broken suspension took the car out of competition early on.

The combination of Sharp and Brabham proved a formidable and a combination of bad luck, and a triple-pronged effort from Penske Racing at the end of the season kept Sharp and Brabham from a championship. The duo finished second in the P2 point standings, forty one points behind the Penske Racing duo of Timo Bernhard and Romain Dumas, after being as close as four points away with two rounds to go.

Extreme Speed Motorsports

It was announced on the American Le Mans Series website that Sharp would race in the 2010 series under his own team called Extreme Speed Motorsports. He ran with two Ferrari F430's in the GT class and was sponsored by the Patrón Spirits Company. Sharp raced in 2010 alongside the first announced driver, Patrón CEO Ed Brown.[3]

In 2011, the team switched to newer Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 cars. The team made steady progress which culminated in a 3rd-place finish at the Laguna Seca race.

As of 2013 the team continues to run in the ALMS. The #02 car picked up another podium finish at the 2012 American Le Mans Series at Long Beach, and the #01 won the 2012 Grand Prix of Mosport—the first win for the team since its move to the GT class.

On January 1, 2016, Sharp won the Rolex 24 for the second time, with ESR.

Motorsports career results

SCCA National Championship Runoffs

Year Track Car Engine Class Finish Start Status
1986 Road Atlanta Nissan 280Z Nissan GT2 1 4 Running
1986 Road Atlanta Nissan 300ZX Nissan GT1 1 2 Running
Nissan 280Z Nissan GT2 4 4 Running
1986 Road Atlanta Nissan 300ZX Nissan GT1 1 2 Running

American open-wheel

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

CART

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points
1993 Bettenhausen Racing Penske PC22 Chevrolet 265C V8t SRF PHX LBH INDY MIL DET POR CLE TOR MIS NHM ROA VAN MDO NZR LS
22
48th 0
1994 PacWest Racing Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8t SRF
11
PHX
9
LBH
Ret
INDY
16
MIL
12
DET
13
POR
18
CLE
Ret
TOR
Ret
MIS
Ret
MDO
11
NHM
Ret
VAN
12
ROA
10
NZR
15
LS
Ret
21st 14
1995 A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola T95/00 Ford XB V8t MIA SRF PHX LBH NZR INDY
Ret
MIL DET POR ROA TOR CLE MIS MDO NHM VAN LS 44th 0

IndyCar Series

Year Team Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Rank Points
1996 A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola T95/00 Ford XB V8t WDW
11
IND
Ret
1st-Tie 246
Lola T94/00 PHX
2
1996-1997 A. J. Foyt Enterprises Lola T95/00 Ford XB V8t NWH
1
LVS
Ret
22nd 119
Dallara IR7 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
4
PPIR
Ret
CHR NH2 LV2
G-Force GF01 PHX
Ret
IND
DNQ
TXS
1998 Kelley Racing Dallara IR8 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
6
PHX
1
IND
Ret
TXS
5
NWH
3
DOV
1
CHR
Ret
PPIR
11
ATL
Ret
TX2
Ret
LVS
12
4th 272
1999 Kelley Racing Dallara IR9 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
4
PHX
8
CLT
C
IND
Ret
TXS
10
PPIR
8
ATL
1
DOV
Ret
PPI2
Ret
LVS
4
TX2
Ret
8th 220
2000 Kelley Racing Dallara IR-00 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 WDW
15
PHX
5
LVS
Ret
IND
10
TXS
1
PPIR
3
ATL
Ret
KTY
Ret
TX2
13
7th 196
2001 Kelley Racing Dallara IR-01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 PHX
4
HMS
8
ATL
2
IND
Ret
TXS
1
PPIR
8
RIR
5
KAN
Ret
NSH
5
KTY
2
STL
8
CHI
Ret
TX2
2
3rd 355
2002 Kelley Racing Dallara IR-02 Chevrolet Indy V8 HMS
Ret
PHX
Ret
FON
8
NZR
1
IND
Ret
TXS
14
PPIR
5
RIR
Ret
KAN
6
NSH
8
MIS
9
KTY
4
STL
18
CHI
7
TX2
4
6th 332
2003 Kelley Racing Dallara IR-03 Toyota Indy V8 HMS
5
PHX
7
MOT
1
IND
Ret
TXS
Ret
PPIR
11
RIR
17
KAN
Ret
NSH
13
MIS
4
STL
10
KTY
13
NZR
12
CHI
11
FON
8
TX2
6
8th 351
2004 Delphi Kelley Racing Dallara IR-04 Toyota Indy V8 HMS
9
PHX
13
MOT
9
IND
13
TXS
Ret
RIR
9
KAN
Ret
NSH
14
MIL
15
MIS
9
KTY
17
PPIR
15
NZR
Ret
CHI
9
FON
11
TX2
8
13th 282
2005 Delphi Fernández Racing Panoz GF09C Honda HI5R V8 HMS
Ret
PHX
5
STP
Ret
MOT
2
IND
7
TXS
4
RIR
Ret
KAN
6
NSH
4
MIL
10
MIS
7
KTY
1
PPIR
9
SNM
12
CHI
8
WGL
9
FON
4
5th 444
2006 Delphi Fernández Racing Dallara IR-05 Honda HI6R V8 HMS
7
STP
10
MOT
Ret
IND
9
TXS
5
RIR
5
KAN
Ret
NSH
Ret
MIL
12
MIS
6
KTY
16
CHI
9
12th 287
Panoz GF09C WGL
9
SNM
14
2007 Rahal Letterman Racing Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 HMS
12
STP
11
MOT
6
KAN
Ret
IND
6
MIL
6
TXS
7
IOW
3
RIR
8
WGL
14
NSH
7
MDO
11
MIS
3
KTY
6
SNM
14
DET
11
CHI
5
8th 412
2009 Panther Racing Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 STP LBH KAN INDY
14
MIL TXS IOW RIR WGL TOR EDM KTY MDO SNM CHI MOT HMS 34th 16
Years Teams Races Poles Wins Podiums
(Non-win)
Top 10s
(Non-podium)
Indianapolis 500
Wins
Championships
13 5 147 6 9 9 64 0 1 (1996)

Indy 500 results

Year Chassis Engine Start Finish Team
1994 Lola T94/00 Ford XB V8t 17 16 PacWest Racing
1995 Lola T95/00 Ford XB V8t 30 26 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
1996 Lola T95/00 Ford XB V8t 21 10 A. J. Foyt Enterprises
1997 G-Force GF01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 DNQ A. J. Foyt Enterprises
1998 Dallara IR8 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 7 16 Kelley Racing
1999 Dallara IR9 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 6 28 Kelley Racing
2000 Dallara IR-00 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 5 10 Kelley Racing
2001 Dallara IR-01 Oldsmobile Aurora V8 1 33 Kelley Racing
2002 Dallara IR-02 Chevrolet Indy V8 8 27 Kelley Racing
2003 Dallara IR-03 Toyota Indy V8 9 20 Kelley Racing
2004 Dallara IR-04 Toyota Indy V8 20 13 Kelley Racing
2005 Panoz GF09C Honda HI6R V8 3 7 Fernández Racing
2006 Dallara IR-05 Honda HI6R V8 8 9 Fernández Racing
2007 Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 12 6 Rahal Letterman Racing
2009 Dallara IR-05 Honda HI7R V8 20 14 Panther Racing

Touring/sports car racing

24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
1996 United States Riley & Scott Cars Inc. South Africa Wayne Taylor
United States Jim Pace
Riley & Scott Mk III-Oldsmobile WSC 157 DNF DNF
2015 United States Extreme Speed Motorsports United Kingdom Ryan Dalziel
Denmark David Heinemeier Hansson
Ligier JS P2-Honda LMP2 329 28th 10th
2016 United States Extreme Speed Motorsports United States Ed Brown
United States Johannes van Overbeek
Ligier JS P2-Nissan LMP2 341 16th 10th

American Le Mans Series results

(Races in bold indicate pole position)

Series Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Final Pos. Points
ALMS P2 2008 Patrón
Highcroft
Florida
SEB
4
Florida
STP
2
California
LGB
1
Utah
MMP
9
Connecticut
LRP
1*
Ohio
MDO
2
Wisconsin
ROA
1
Ontario
MOS
1
Michigan
DET
2
Georgia (U.S. state)
ATL
Ret
California
LAG
9
3rd 162
ALMS P1 2009 Patrón
Highcroft
Florida
SEB
5
Florida
STP
1*
California
LGB
2
Utah
MMP
2
Connecticut
LRP
2
Ohio
MDO
2
Wisconsin
ROA
1*
Ontario
MOS
1*
Georgia (U.S. state)
ATL
6
California
LAG
2
1st 179
ALMS GT2 2010 Extreme Speed Motorsports Florida
SEB
Ret
California
LGB
7
California
LAG
5
Utah
MMP
7
Connecticut
LRP
6
Ohio
MDO
5
Wisconsin
ROA
8
Ontario
MOS
6
Georgia (U.S. state)
ATL
2
10th 70
ALMS GT 2011 Extreme Speed Motorsports Florida
SEB
16
California
LGB
11
Connecticut
LRP
4
Ontario
MOS
9
Ohio
MDO
5
Wisconsin
ROA
8
Maryland
BAL
9
California
LAG
3
Georgia (U.S. state)
ATL
6
7th 66
ALMS GT 2012 Extreme Speed Motorsports Florida
SEB
9
California
LGB
3
California
LAG
5
Connecticut
LRP
4
Ontario
MOS
1
Ohio
MDO
6
Wisconsin
ROA
3
Maryland
BAL
3
Virginia
VIR
3
Georgia (U.S. state)
ATL
1
2nd 123
ALMS P2 2013 Extreme Speed Motorsports Florida
SEB
5
California
LGB
1
California
LAG
3
Connecticut
LRP
2
Ontario
MOS
2
Wisconsin
ROA
2
Maryland
BAL
2
Texas
COTA
4
Virginia
VIR
2
Georgia (U.S. state)
ATL
2
3rd 163

* Overall victory as well as class victory. Italics indicates season is currently running.

WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(key)(Races in bold indicate pole position, Results are overall/class)

Year Team Car Engine Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Rank Points
2014 Extreme Speed Motorsports HPD ARX-03b Honda HR28TT 2.8 L V6 Turbo P DAY
15
SIR
2
LBH
6
LS
11
DET
5
S6H
10
MSP
8
IMS
5
ELK
3
COA
PET 9th 228
2015 Tequila Patrón ESM HPD ARX-04b[N 1]
HPD ARX-03b[N 2]
Honda HR28TT 2.8 L V6 Turbo P DAY
10
SIR
9
LBH LS DET S6H MSP ELK COA PET 21nd 45
2016 Tequila Patrón ESM Ligier JS P2 Honda HR35TT 3.5 L V6 Turbo P DAY
1
SIR
1
LBH LS DET S6H MSP ELK
COA
PET
1st 72

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

Notes

  1. Round 1.
  2. Round 2.

References

  1. Jim Peltz (1 December 2007). "Rahal Letterman, Sharp go to Court". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-12-01.
  2. "ALMS: Scott Sharp Wins SPEEDtv.com's 'Drive of the Race' for Detroit". SPEEDtv.com. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-03.
  3. "Sharp Creates New GT2 Team For 2010". International Motor Sports Association. 10 October 2008. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Tommy Kendall
Trans-Am Series champion
1991
Succeeded by
Jack Baldwin
Preceded by
Jack Baldwin
Trans-Am Series champion
1993
Succeeded by
Scott Pruett
Preceded by
Inaugural
Indy Racing League Champion
1996 (with Buzz Calkins)
Succeeded by
Tony Stewart
Preceded by
Lucas Luhr
Marco Werner
American Le Mans Series champion
2009
with David Brabham
Succeeded by
David Brabham
Simon Pagenaud
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