The Grand Prix of Denver was a Champ Car race last held on a street circuit in Denver, Colorado, United States. A Champ Car race was first held in Denver in 1909 on a 14.5-mile (23.3-km) road circuit in nearby Brighton. Racing returned to the Centennial Park dirt oval in 1951 and 1952 under AAA sanctioning. 38 years later Champ Cars returned to Denver with a CART-sanctioned event downtown near the Civic Center. However, like the previous incarnation, that race also lasted only two years. CART returned to Denver in 2002 with a race on a 1.64-mile (2.64-km) temporary circuit around the then-named Pepsi Center. The final race was held in 2006. Champ Car initially put the race on its 2007 schedule but removed it after conflicts with other events could not be reconciled.
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| Location | Denver, Colorado, USA 39°44′48″N 105°0′23″W / 39.74667°N 105.00639°W |
|---|---|
| First race | 1990 |
| Last race | 2006 |
| Previous names | Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver (1990–1991) Shell Grand Prix of Denver (2002) Centrix Financial Grand Prix of Denver (2003–2005) |
| Most wins (driver) | Al Unser Jr. (2) Bruno Junqueira (2) Sébastien Bourdais (2) |
| Most wins (team) | Newman/Haas Racing (3) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Lola (7) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt/concrete |
| Length | 1.647 mi (2.651 km) |
| Turns | 9 (Champ Car 2006 version) |
Winners
AAA Championship Car results
| Season | Date | Winning driver | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909[NC 1] | July 5 |  Eaton McMillan | Colburn | |
| 1910–1950: not held | ||||
| 1951 | September 23 | Tony Bettenhausen | Kurtis Kraft | Offy |
| 1952 | September 28 | Bill Vukovich | Kuzma | Offy |
| Source:[1][2] | ||||
CART/Champ Car World Series results
| Season | Date | Winning driver | Chassis | Engine | Team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | August 26 | Al Unser Jr. | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | Galles/Kraco Racing | Report |
| 1991 | August 25 | Al Unser Jr. | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | Galles/Kraco Racing | Report |
| 1992–2001: Not held | ||||||
| 2002 | September 1 |  Bruno Junqueira | Lola | Toyota | Chip Ganassi Racing | Report |
| 2003 | August 31 | Bruno Junqueira | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | Newman/Haas Racing | Report |
| 2004 | August 15 |  Sébastien Bourdais | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | Newman/Haas Racing | Report |
| 2005 | August 14 | Sébastien Bourdais | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | Newman/Haas Racing | Report |
| 2006 | August 13 | A. J. Allmendinger | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | Forsythe Racing | Report |
| Source:[3][4] | ||||||
Lap Records
The fastest outright all-time track record set during a race weekend on the original layout is 1:25.896, set by Michael Andretti in a Lola T91/00, during qualifying for the 1991 Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver.[5] The fastest outright all-time track record set during a race weekend on the second layout is 0:59.096 seconds, set by Sebastien Bourdais in a Lola B02/00, during qualifying for the 2006 Grand Prix of Denver. [6] The fastest official race lap records at the Grand Prix of Denver are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Grand Prix Circuit (Pepsi Center): 2.651 km (2002–2006)[6] | ||||
| Champ Car | 1:00.314 | Sebastien Bourdais | Lola B02/00 | 2006 Grand Prix of Denver |
| Formula Atlantic | 1:06.945[7] | Graham Rahal | Swift 016.a | 2006 Denver Formula Atlantic round |
| Formula BMW | 1:14.854[8] | Ryan Phinny | Mygale FB02 | 2006 Denver Formula BMW USA round |
| Super Touring | 1:21.119[9] | Adam Pecorari | Audi A4 | 2006 Denver Speed World Challenge round |
| Original Grand Prix Circuit (Denver Civic Center): 3.058 km (1990–1991)[5] | ||||
| CART | 1:25.896[10] | Michael Andretti | Lola T91/00 | 1991 Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver |
| Indy Lights | 1:36.612[11] | P. J. Jones | Wildcat-Buick | 1991 Denver Indy Lights round |
| Trans-Am | 1:42.050[12] | Irv Hoerr | Oldsmobile Cutlass | 1991 Texaco/Havoline Grand Prix of Denver |