CART -- Championship Auto Racing Teams. CART is the definitive open wheel racing league in the U.S. As of the 2000 season, they drive Champ cars with V8 Honda, Toyota, Ford, and Mercedes engines. In the early ninties, Indy Car racing forked into CART and the IRL. CART kept all the exceptional drivers and teams, IRL kept the Indianapolis 500, the most watched racing event in the world. CART is easily the most competitive open wheel racing series in the world, and it is gaining worldwide support and acceptance. In CART, the focus is on the driver and the crew, rather than the technology the team has available, as it is in Formula 1. This, coupled with the fierce competition, is why many claim CART is the better series.