Scott McLaughlin leads Alex Palou and Colton Herta. Indycar photo by Joe Skibinski

I hope everyone had a good day yesterday. I have a few more thoughts about Mid Ohio. I watched the replay yesterday, and it confirmed my thoughts from Sunday. Today I’ll explore some of the after effects of the Honda Indy 200.

Andretti Drama Continues

The on track intramural bumping and banging between the Andretti teammates resulted in some harsh words from one driver post race and a team meeting. One media member was asked to delete a recording which he had every right to make, and a driver interview was cut short by team PR.

We may never know what was said in the team meeting, but I don’t think we’ll see a mid season driver change. It would be too complicated to do with sponsor commitments. The team has been in a state of dysfunction all year, and Sunday it boiled over.

Another Good Crowd

Attendance this weekend appears to have continued the season long trend of improved attendance at Indycar events. I though Saturday’s crowd was quite large and Sunday the esses seemed very packed.

Toronto should have a really good crowd as the race returns for the first time since 2019. Iowa will be a key race for attendance. Will the festival concept draw more fans? Are ovals outside IMS sustainable?

Is Newgarden Still the Favorite?

Although he lost a couple of points to leader Marcus Ericsson, many still regard Josef Newgarden as the favorite to win the championship. The reason is the three oval races coming up. Newgarden has won three times at Iowa and twice at Gateway. Toronto is almost a must win for Ericsson.

Rookie of the Year Battle Still Tight

Christian Lungaard leads David Malukas by 14 points after Sunday. Malukas seems to be coming on strong and I think he will eventually pass Lundgaard.

Lundgaard’s lead has stayed between 13 and 19 points over the last few races, but Malukas is making great strides while Lundgaard seems to be treading water The rookie title may come down to the last race at Laguna Seca.

Photo Gallery

A few photos from the weekend.