For 1996 -- 1997 , the series was simply referred to as the Indy Racing League , with no genre designation .
Due to the legal settlement with CART , the Indy Racing League was unable to utilize the name IndyCar until the beginning of the 2003 season .
For 1996 -- 1997 , the series was simply referred to as the Indy Racing League     , with no genre designation .
Due to the legal settlement with CART , the Indy Racing League was unable to utilize the name IndyCar until the beginning of the 2003 season .