The CART Toyota Atlantic Championship is one of North America's "development series" providing one of the most recognized stepping stones to a career in international motorsports competition. The Atlantic Championship entered the 2002 season as the final rung on CART's "Ladder System" designed to develop the continent's best, young open-wheel talent. New teams, drivers, cars and tracks highlight what should be one of the most memorable season’s in years. Atlantic's international flavor is rooted in 28 years of racing in the United States, Canada, South America, Mexico, Great Britain, France, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and South Africa.

The Atlantic Championship officially began in 1974. Notable racers Bobby Rahal and Danny Sullivan were the stars in the late '70s, followed by Michael Andretti in the early '80s. Jimmy Vasser and Jacques Villeneuve were some of the Atlantic stars of the early 90s. Richie Hearn, the '95 Atlantic champion, Patrick Carpentier, the '96 champion, and Alex Barron, the '97 champion, '98 competitor Memo Gidley, and '99 Atlantic graduate Alex Tagliani, have all competed at the CART Champ Car level.

The remarkable growth of the series over the past decade and the successes of Atlantic alumni in professional motorsports has elevated the CART Toyota Atlantic Championship to the highest level of prestige and stature within the motorsports industry. Impressive race purses of over $100,000, a million-dollar points fund, increased worldwide television coverage, and ambitious competitors seeking to make their mark in the chronicle of auto racing have ensured that Atlantic racing is the place to be for a rising star. (Information provided by www.cart.com and www.toyota-atlantic.com)