Category: Auto Racing

The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid Fast Facts 

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From Indycar:

 Race weekend: Friday, July 5-Sunday, July 7
Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a 13-turn, a 2.258-mile permanent road course in Lexington, Ohio
Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES
The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid: 80 laps / 180.64 miles
INDY NXT by Firestone INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio: 35 laps / 79.03 miles / 55 minutes
Push to Pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation
INDY NXT by Firestone150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation
Hybrid energy deployment parameters:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 280 kilojoules (kj) per lap.
Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires unless wet conditions are declared. One additional set is available for the weekend’s first session to teams fielding a rookie driver.
INDY NXT by Firestone Three new sets to be used during the event weekend. Two carryover sets from the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca event may be used during pre-qualifying practice sessions Friday and Saturday.
X: @Mid_Ohio, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #Honda200, #INDYCAR
Instagram: @officialmidohio, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR
Threads: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT
Facebook: @MidOhioSportsCarCourse, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @INDYCAR, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCARY
ouTube: @INDYCAR
Event website: www.midohio.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
INDY NXT by Firestone website: www.indynxt.com
2023 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Alex Palou (No. 10 The American Legion Honda
)INDY NXT by Firestone Louis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Autosport)2023 NTT P1 Award winner: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) 1:06.3096, 122.589 mph
2023 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner:Christian Rasmussen (No. 6 HMD Motorsports), 1:11.4998, 113.690 mph
Qualifying lap record: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Simon Pagenaud, 1:03.8700, 127.271 mph, July 30, 2016I
NDY NXT by FirestoneOliver Askew, 1:10.8079, 114.801 mph, July 27, 2019
NBC Sports race telecast: The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid, 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 7, NBC (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports’ coverage of the The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry and Charlie Kimball are the pit reporters.
Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC Sports’ race telecast of The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR LIVE.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. Michael Young, Alex Wollf and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid race (1 p.m. ET Sunday), INDY NXT Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio (11:10 a.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 218, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all times local):
FRIDAY, JULY 5 
2:05-2:55 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 1, INDYCAR Live
3:20-4:35 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1, Peacock SATURDAY, JULY 6
9:40-10:25 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 2, INDYCAR Live
10:50-11:50 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (45 minutes of green flag or 60 total minutes), Peacock
2:05-2:35 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Two groups, 12 minutes each), INDYCAR Live
3-4:30 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock
SUNDAY, JULY 7
10:25-10:55 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice, Peacock
11:20 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio command to start engines11:25 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio (35 laps/55 minutes), Peacock
1:05 p.m. – Driver introductions
1:46 p.m. – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid command to start engines
1:53 p.m. – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid (80 laps/180.64 miles), NBC (live)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:
This weekend marks the start of the INDYCAR SERIES hybrid power unit era – further extending INDYCAR’s efforts to deliver the most compelling, challenging and engaging racing product on the planet. INDYCAR’s new hybrid power unit, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the Indianapolis-based sanctioning body, Honda and Chevrolet, pairs the existing 2.2-liter twin-turbocharged V6 combustion engine with groundbreaking supercapacitor hybrid technology. A low-voltage (48V) motor generator unit (MGU) is paired to an energy storage system (ESS), both of which fit into the bellhousing between the engine and the gearbox. The MGU builds power that is stored in the ESS’ 20 supercapacitors. The additional horsepower is deployed through the same motor generator on drivers’ demand. The hybrid power unit (280 kilojoules per lap at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) will be available in addition to traditional Push to Pass on road and street circuits (200 seconds at a maximum of 20 seconds per push at Mid-Ohio). Used simultaneously, the package will provide an additional 120+ horsepower on driver demand.
The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid will be the ninth race of the 2024 season.
There have been six winners in eight NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Pato O’Ward (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach and Streets of Detroit), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park), Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course and WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca), Josef Newgarden (Indianapolis 500) and Will Power (Road America) have all won in 2024. The modern record (1946-present) for the most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid will be the 41st INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Alex Palou won the race in 2023. Johnny Rutherford won the first INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio, in 1980.
Scott Dixon is the winningest INDYCAR SERIES driver at Mid-Ohio with six victories (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019). Emerson Fittipaldi won at Mid-Ohio three times, while Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Teo Fabi, Josef Newgarden, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser Jr. and Alex Zanardi all won at Mid-Ohio twice. Past winners Dixon, Newgarden (2017, 2021), Graham Rahal (2015), Alexander Rossi (2018), Will Power (2020-Race-1), Colton Herta (2020-Race 2), Scott McLaughlin (2022) and Alex Palou (2023) are entered this year.
ACTIVE RACE WINNERWINSSEASONS
Scott Dixon62007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019
Josef Newgarden22017, 2021
Graham Rahal12015
Alexander Rossi12018
Will Power12020 Race 1
Colton Herta12020 Race 2
Scott McLaughlin12022
Alex Palou12023

Fifteen drivers have won the race from the pole – Mario Andretti (1984), Bobby Rahal (1985), Roberto Guerrero (1987), Teo Fabi (1989), Michael Andretti (1990, 1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Patrick Carpentier (2002), Paul Tracy (2003), Scott Dixon (2011), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Alexander Rossi (2018), Will Power (2020-Race 1), Colton Herta (2020-Race 2) and Josef Newgarden (2021). Power has won five poles at Mid-Ohio, the most of any driver

Active Pole Winners

Will Power 5 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020 Race 1

Scott Dixo 2 2011, 2015

Colton Herta 2 2020 Race 2, 2023

Alexander Rossi 1 2018

Josef Newgarden 1 2021

Pato O’Ward 1 2022

Twenty-two drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Mid-Ohio. Scott Dixon (20) has made the most starts at Mid-Ohio among the entered drivers. Nine drivers have led laps at the track (Dixon 263, Will Power 206, Josef Newgarden 162, Alexander Rossi 71, Colton Herta 92, Alex Palou 48, Graham Rahal 30, Felix Rosenqvist 15 and Marcus Ericsson 3).
Chip Ganassi Racing has won 12 times at Mid-Ohio, including nine of the 18 races sanctioned by INDYCAR. Ganassi’s winning drivers are Alex Zanardi (1996, 1997), Juan Pablo Montoya (1999), Scott Dixon (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014. 2019), Dario Franchitti (2010), Charlie Kimball (2013) and Alex Palou (2023).
Team Penske also has 12 wins at the track with Emerson Fittipaldi (1992, 1993), Al Unser Jr. (1994, 1995), Helio Castroneves (2000, 2001), Ryan Briscoe (2008), Simon Pagenaud (2016), Josef Newgarden (2017, 2021), Will Power (2020-Race 1) and Scott McLaughlin (2022).
Scott Dixon has finished in the top five in 14 of his 20 starts at Mid-Ohio, including six wins between 2007 and 2020 … Will Power has finished in the top five in 11 of his 16 starts at Mid-Ohio … Kyle Kirkwood won eight of nine development series starts from 2018-21.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 331st consecutive start, extending his series record streak … Alexander Rossi will attempt to make his 140th consecutive start and become the 19th driver ever to make 140 or more consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts…Arrow McLaren will make its 500th NTT INDYCAR SERIES start this weekend.

INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:
The INDY NXT by Firestone title fight between Jacob Abel and Louis Foster hits its midpoint with the series’ annual visit to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Foster, who has recorded five straight top-two finishes, heads to Mid-Ohio with a 35-point lead over Abel, a two-time race winner this season.
The ultra-competitive 2024 season has seen four winners in eight races to start the season and eight different drivers finish on the podium.
Louis Foster returns to Mid-Ohio looking for his third consecutive race win in 2024 and fourth in the last five races. The 20-year-old British driver scored his first INDY NXT win in 2023 at Mid-Ohio and could become the sixth driver since 2018 to record a three-race win streak.
Three of the previous five drivers – Linus Lundqvist, Kyle Kirkwood and Oliver Askew – won the INDY NXT by Firestone championship.
The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio will be the series’ 36th race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course dating to the American Racing Series race in 1986. Previous INDY NXT by Firestone winners at Mid-Ohio include Paul Tracy, Bryan Herta, Townsend Bell, Raphael Matos, Jack Harvey, Pato O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood and Linus Lundqvist.
Push to Pass could play a key strategic role at Mid-Ohio as INDY NXT by Firestone drivers will have a bank of 150 seconds to use an added 50 horsepower to assist in overtaking, similar to the drivers in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.
The maximum amount of time for each press of the overtake system is 15 seconds.
Group qualifying will decide the starting grid on road and street circuits. Based on the best lap times from the practice session immediately preceding qualifying, the fastest driver in that session will choose which group will compete in the first of the two qualifying sessions. With 12 minutes allotted for each group (with a guarantee of one timed lap), the fastest driver between the two sessions will be awarded pole position with the drivers who finished behind that driver, in order and in that group, occupying the odd-numbered starting positions (3, 5, 7, etc.) for the race and the drivers who finished in order from the other group occupying the even-numbered starting positions (2, 4, 6, etc.). One driver and entrant championship point will be awarded to the fastest car in each qualifying group. 

Lundgaard In, Rossi Out at Arrow McLaren for 2025

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Musical chairs continue at McLaren, as the announces they have signed Christian Lundgaard for 2025. The current Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver replace Alexander Rossi, who will leave the team after not being able to reach an agreement.

The announcement from Arrow McLaren:

Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team announced today that its 2025 driver lineup is confirmed with the addition of Christian Lundgaard who will join Pato O’Ward and Nolan Siegel in the team’s three-car lineup following the close of this season.

Christian, who is currently 11th in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship standings, will pilot the No. 7 VELO Arrow McLaren Chevrolet, as the team mutually parts ways with Alexander Rossi, who is in his second season with the team and finished ninth in the championship in 2023.

Christian, 22, has had a strong start to his campaign in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES earning a win, two poles and three podiums throughout his early tenure. He made an immediate splash as the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Rookie of the Year with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, which he’s raced with through his three seasons in INDYCAR.

A native of Hedensted, Denmark, Christian remains the only Danish driver in INDYCAR SERIES history to boast a race win after a dominant performance on the streets of Toronto in 2023.

Before launching a professional career in North America, Christian was an Alpine development racer competing in the FIA Formula 2 Championship where he earned two wins and nine podiums across the 2020-21 seasons. He also raced with Alpine in the 2019 FIA Formula 3 Championship and produced a win, two podiums and two poles.

The trio of Pato, Nolan and Christian will make up one of the youngest teams in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Each driver has proven success on his resume that warrants a promising outlook for the Arrow McLaren team in the seasons to come.

Christian Lundgaard, Driver, NTT INDYCAR SERIES, said:

“I’m excited to have my plans set for 2025 and beyond, and I’m thrilled it’s with Arrow McLaren. I have a lot of respect for Zak, Gavin, Tony and the team, and I think Pato, Nolan and I will work well together. I’m focused 100% on finishing this season strong with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. We have a lot of the season left, but this is a huge weight off my shoulders that will hopefully let me compete at my best the next nine races.”

Alexander Rossi

Alexander Rossi, Driver, Arrow McLaren, said:

“My time at Arrow McLaren, while it’s been only short two seasons, has been rewarding in many ways. I’m grateful to have been part of the team’s internal growth. The No. 7 crew is fantastic, and I’ve built a lot of long-lasting friendships with the team. Zak, Gavin, Tony and I had many conversations over the last several months on my future with the team. We were not able to come to terms on a new deal, so the mutual decision to part ways is amicable. I’m very confident with current discussions in the paddock to land a new spot. I’ll have good news to follow soon, and meanwhile I’m focused on a top-five finish in the 2024 championship and a strong conclusion to my time in papaya.”

Gavin Ward, Team Principal, Arrow McLaren, said:

“Alexander has been an incredible teammate, and we’re grateful for our two seasons we’re racing with him. We wouldn’t be where we are today without him. Ultimately we couldn’t meet in the middle on terms, but we absolutely wish him the best and will do all we can the second half of the season to get him in the top five in the championship.

“Christian has had proven success in his few seasons racing in the series, and he checks the boxes for what we’re looking for in speed and potential alongside Pato and Nolan. The three make up the youngest trio on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES grid, and we know that direction has been paying off for our F1 counterparts with Lando and Oscar.

“We’re looking toward our long-term goal of sustained high performance, and I believe with these three drivers and the ongoing support of Arrow and all our amazing partners, we’re taking a good step in that direction for 2025.”

SOWERY TO MAKE SERIES DEBUT WITH DCR AT MID-OHIO

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By INDYCAR | Published: Jun 26, 2024

From Indycar

INDY NXT by Firestone veteran Toby Sowery will take over driving duties of the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR entry for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid on July 5-7 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Sowery will make his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES start at the Ohio track after getting his first taste of the series during a test with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing last year at Sebring International Raceway.

British driver Sowery is racing in the LMP2 class of IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, where he finished second at the Rolex 24 At Daytona and also raced in the 12 Hours of Sebring in his debut LMP2 season. In addition to competing in the Fanatec GT World Series, he has also raced and won in LMP2 in the Asian Le Mans Series this year.

“Racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is an exciting challenge for anyone, and I’m extremely fortunate to be given this opportunity by Dale (Coyne),” Sowery said. “This race adds to an already incredible season for me filled with two amazing programs in IMSA and Fanatec GT World Challenge.

“Dale Coyne has been fundamental to INDYCAR in giving drivers opportunities to prove themselves, and I am eager for this challenge. It’ll be a difficult step to make having only one day in the car over a year ago, as well as adapting to the hybrid system, but I’m up for it.”

Sowery competed in INDY NXT by Firestone in 2019 and finished third in the championship after seven podium finishes, including a win at Portland International Raceway. He returned to the series for a partial season in 2021, finishing on the podium three times.

After being crowned champion of the inaugural Radical World Finals in 2022, Sowery returned to INDY NXT in 2023 to compete in two rounds, scoring a podium finish at Barber Motorsports Park.

“I’ve been following Toby’s career for quite some time now,” Team Owner Dale Coyne said. “He’s shown that he can quickly adapt to whatever car he is driving and has a successful track record to prove it. We realize coming into the weekend at Mid-Ohio with no prior testing of the car in its hybrid form might be a steep learning curve, but we’re confident he will get up to speed quickly, and we look forward to seeing what he can do.”

Earlier in his racing career, Sowery won the MSV Formula 3 cup Championship (2014) and the MRF Series Championship (2014/15). He is a two-time BRDC McLaren Autosport Finalist (2015, 2016).

Sowery competed in the BRDC British Formula 3 series in 2016, where he finished third in the championship, and returned to the series in 2017 to finish fourth in points. He was also runner-up in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia series in 2017.

Sowery has four starts at Mid-Ohio in INDY NXT by Firestone, with four top-10 finishes, including a best finish of second.

Fellow British driver Jack Harvey will team with Sowery at Mid-Ohio in DCR’s No. 18 Honda. Live coverage of the race Sunday, July 7 starts at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

    Thoughts on the 2025 Schedule

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    Next year’s Indycar series schedule is the same, yet different. There are no new venues, but there is one less oval race. Several events have been moved, and just slightly.

    Milwaukee lost one of its races. I am glad it is still on the schedule, but I am not thrilled with the second race’s replacement, The Thermal Club. If you drop an oval, replace it with an oval. I will give the points paying version of Thermal Club a chance to see if it works, but replacing an oval with flat road course which appears to have very little personality doesn’t seem to be a great trade off.

    World Wide Technology Raceway moving to June will allow for slightly improved weather conditions, but coming right before Road America may hurt attendance at both places. Some fans may have to choose between the two. I do like having an oval race closer to the Indianapolis 500.

    While Laguna Seca will have its third date in three years, going to Portland afterwards makes sense with a week to travel in between.

    I like ending the season with two ovals. Ovals are a fairer way to decide the championship.

    The worst thing about the schedule is the August 31 end date. Take a bit of a ratings hit and run through September. Saturday races are fine with me. Fox could promote the races on their football broadcasts.

    It’s not the best schedule I’ve ever seen, but it’s not the worst either. I think this early end date will be a thing as long as Fox holds the contract.

    Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Wrap Up

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    Photo by Kyle McInnes

    Yesterday’s race ay Weather Tech Raceway was an entertaining one with battles for the lead, differing strategies, and tire calls that looked questionable at first, but proved correct at the end. Alex Palou once again put on a clinic at a track he has come to dominate the last four years.

    Yesterday’s win was not a typical Palou beatdown. He was beaten to the second corner by Kyle Kirkwood on lap 1 and didn’t take the lead until lap 25. Although he lad 48 laps, he had to fight for the lead, and his laps in front were spread over four segments.

    Some thoughts:

    Delayed Yellow

    Marcus Armstrong spun and stopped on track on lap 74. Indycar withheld throwing the yellow so that several cars who were on an alternate strategy could make pit stops. I’ve talked about my dislike for this procedure before.

    This delayed yellow policy is dangerous and gives the pitting cars an advantage. At some point another car is going to collide with the disabled car. Indycar has been fortunate that an incident hasn’t occurred yet.

    Josef Newgarden, who had cycled to second place because of pit stops, needed one more stop. Because of the delayed yellow, which was thrown while he was in the pits, allowed him to keep his position. He did not have a second place car yesterday. He spun with two laps to go and finished 19th, a little lower than where he should have finished.

    I don’t care if it was Newgarden or some other driver, as he was not the only one still needing a final stop, but this policy is unfair. If a yellow is needed, just wave the flag. Race control should not concern itself with whether cars need to pit or not. That is a team decision. If a yellow comes out, well, that’s the way it goes.

    Off Road Adventures

    At times this weekend I thought I was watching the Baja 1,000. I don’t recall seeing so many cars go off track in one race weekend. Christian Lundgaard went airborne as went through the sand trap at the corkscrew.

    The dust clouds were commonplace all three days. may=be the track’s new pavement is still slick. Fortunately, most drivers recovered and kept going.

    Malukas, Siegel Debuts

    David Malukas and Nolan Siegel had successful debuts at Laguna Seca. Malukas drove his first race of the season for his new team, Meyer Shank Racing, and finished 16th. he ran in the top 10 most of the day.

    Nolan Siegel, in his first drive for Arrow McLaren, ironically in the car Malukas was supposed o run this season, finished 12th after starting 23rd and recovering from a spin and stall on lap 41.

    Strategies

    I love a race where pit strategies differ. On Palou’s first stop, the team decided to stay on primaries and save the alternates for the final stint. It seemed questionable at the time, but worked out as Palou was able to pull away once he regained the lead.

    Colton Herta and Alexander Rossi just missed on fuel strategy, and they had to hold back to save fuel.

    In two weeks at Mid-Ohio, the hybrid era begins. I am looking forward to seeing how the addition of this power component affects the dynamics of the racing and strategy.