Scott Sharp
Scott Sharp (born February 14, 1968 in Norwalk, Connecticut) is an American race car driver in the Indy Racing League. He is the son of SCCA multiple champion Bob Sharp. Early in his career he was 1991 Trans-Am champion, also taking 7 poles the next season.
He began racing in Champ Cars and the Indianapolis 500 in the early 90's, initially for PacWest, and later for owner A.J. Foyt and was one of the competitors in the first IRL race in 1996. He was the co-champion of the IRL's inaugural season in 1996 along with Buzz Calkins. He has started more IRL races than any other driver, including over 100 consecutive appearances (as of early 2006).
In 1997 two crashes resulting in severe concussions sidlined Sharp until 1998 when he began working with the newly formed Kelley Racing team. At Kelley, Sharp collected eight wins and four pole positions (one being in the Indy 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, and ending a run of top 8 championship finishes dating back to 1998.
In 2005, Sharp, along with Delphi, his personal sponsors, moved from Kelley Racing (which had folded) to Adrian Fernandez's Fernandez Racing. The switch brought about a resurgence in Sharp's career and he is 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.
IndyCar career results
| Year | Team | Wins | Points | Championship Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Foyt Enterprises | 0 | 82 | 1st (tie) |
| 1996-1997 | Foyt Enterprises | 1 | 119 | 22nd |
| 1998 | Kelley Racing | 2 | 272 | 4th |
| 1999 | Kelley Racing | 1 | 220 | 8th |
| 2000 | Kelley Racing | 1 | 196 | 7th |
| 2001 | Kelley Racing | 1 | 355 | 3rd |
| 2002 | Kelley Racing | 1 | 332 | 6th |
| 2003 | Kelley Racing | 1 | 351 | 8th |
| 2004 | Kelley Racing | 0 | 282 | 13th |
| 2005 | Fernandez Racing | 1 | 444 | 5th |
| 2006 | Fernandez Racing | 0 | 291 | 11th |
9 Wins, 1 Championship
Indy 500 results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 17th | 16th |
| 1995 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 30th | 26th |
| 1996 | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 21st | 10th |
| 1997 | G-Force | Oldsmobile | Practice Crash | |
| 1998 | Dallara | Oldsmobile | 7th | 16th |
| 1999 | Dallara | Oldsmobile | 6th | 28th |
| 2000 | Dallara | Oldsmobile | 5th | 10th |
| 2001 | Dallara | Oldsmobile | 1st | 33rd |
| 2002 | Dallara | Chevrolet | 8th | 27th |
| 2003 | Dallara | Toyota | 9th | 20th |
| 2004 | Dallara | Toyota | 20th | 13th |
| 2005 | Panoz | Honda | 3rd | 7th |
| 2006 | Dallara | Honda | 8th | 9th |
References