The Menard engine was a Buick V6 engine modified for the IndyCar Series by John Menard, owner of Team Menard. The engine only lasted through 1996, the IRL's only season without its own unique chassis and engine combination. Before its IRL use, the Menard engine was used almost exclusively in the Indianapolis 500. First appearing on the starting grid in 1993, Menard engines powered future IRL drivers such as Scott Brayton, Eddie Cheever Jr., Arie Luyendyk, and Buddy Lazier in various Indianapolis 500s before the IRL was formed.