Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) was formed on November 25, 1978 by a group of 18 team owners who sought to gain control of a series which had, until then, been sanctioned by the United States Automobile Club (USAC).

In its 23-year history, CART has experienced solid growth by presenting some of the most hotly contested races in the world, by attracting major sponsors and manufacturers, by awarding ever-increasing prize money and by successfully adding international venues to its schedule in the early 1990s.

Over the years, superstars Mario and Michael Andretti, Rick Mears, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser, Nigel Mansell, Alex Zanardi and Juan-Pablo Montoya, as well as Canadians Paul Tracy, Jacques Villeneuve, Patrick Carpentier and Alex Tagliani have thrilled audiences worldwide with their on-track prowess. Today, some 60 million television viewers in 190 countries avidly follow the series.

CART's last presence in Quebec dates back to the middle of the 1980s at a time when the late Gilles Villeneuve's brother, Jacques, raced for the Canadian Tire IndyCar team. Danny Sullivan, Johnny Rutherford and Bobby Rahal took successive wins from 1984 to 1986 on the ultra-fast 1.33 km Sanair tri-oval track in St.Pie-de-Bagot, near St.Hyacinthe.

In 1991, CART held its first event outside of North America by staging a race on a temporary road course through the streets of Surfers Paradise, on the Gold Coast of Australia.

Freshly crowned 1992 Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell took the CART world by storm in 1993 when he promptly took pole position and won on his very first drive at the wheel of the familiar-looking No. 5 Newman-Haas Lola/Ford. Mansell, who brought CART unprecedented international exposure, went on to capture four more victories to become the first rookie to win the CART Championship.

In 1994, current F1 veteran Jacques Villeneuve got his chance to shine on the highly competitive CART circuit. In his first year, Villeneuve finished second at the storied Indianapolis 500, then chalked up his first win at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin in September en route to rookie-of-the-year honours. In 1995, Villeneuve became the first Canadian in history to win the Indy 500, which at the time counted toward the CART Championship Series, and posted three more victories to become, at the time, the youngest champion in CART history, edging out Al Unser Jr. 172-161 in the final points standings.

In 1996, Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George launched the rival Indy Racing League (IRL), an all-oval track series contested in the United States and whose crown jewel remains the Indy 500. On March 10, 1998, CART completed its Initial Public Offering and is now a publicly held company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.

The 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series consists of 20 events held on four continents encompassing seven countries and is conducted on four types of venues: super speedways measuring over 3 km in length, short ovals, permanent road courses and temporary street circuits such as Toronto and Vancouver.

The series saw 11 different drivers record wins in each of the 2000 and 2001 seasons and is well on its way to equalling or surpassing that mark this year as four different drivers have claimed victory after six rounds of the 2002 CART FedEx Championship Series.