| Race details | |
|---|---|
| 1st round of the 1996 Indy Racing League season | |
 | |
| Date | January 27, 1996 |
| Official name | Indy 200 at Walt Disney World |
| Location | Walt Disney World Speedway |
| Course | Permanent racing facility 1.000 mi / 1.609 km |
| Distance | 200 laps 200.000 mi / 321.869 km |
| Weather | Dry with temperatures reaching up to 80.1 °F (26.7 °C); wind speeds reaching up to 13 miles per hour (21 km/h)[1] |
| Pole position | |
| Driver | Buddy Lazier (Hemelgarn Racing) |
| Time | 19.847 |
| Fastest lap | |
| Driver | Buzz Calkins (Bradley Motorsports) |
| Time | 20.954 (on lap 188 of 200) |
| Podium | |
| First | Buzz Calkins (Bradley Motorsports) |
| Second | Tony Stewart (Team Menard) |
| Third | Robbie Buhl (Beck Motorsports/Zunne Group) |
The 1996 Indy 200 at Walt Disney World was the first round of the 1996 Indy Racing League,[2] and the inaugural event for the Indy Racing League, who initiated the American open-wheel split that would last for 12 years. The race was held on January 27, 1996, at the 1.000 mi (1.609 km) Walt Disney World Speedway in Bay Lake, Florida. The race was won by a rookie driver, Buzz Calkins, after leading 130 laps. Future Indy Racing League and NASCAR champion Tony Stewart also made his Indy car debut, finishing second after a late-race duel with Calkins.
- ^ "1996 Indy 200 at Walt Disney World weather information". Old Farmers' Almanac. Retrieved October 26, 2013.
- ^ Siano, Joseph (January 27, 1996). "Camaraderie Is Watchword On Eve of First Indy 200". New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2009.