Tag: Honda Indy Toronto

Honda Indy Toronto Fast Facts

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From Indycar:

Race weekend: Friday, July 14-Sunday, July 16
Track: Streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place, an 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street course
Race distance: 85 laps / 151.81 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.
Firestone tire allotment: Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams fielding a rookie driver may use one additional set of primary tires. Teams must use one set of primary and one set of new (sticker) alternate tires for at least two laps in the race.
Twitter: @HondaIndy, @IndyCar, #IndyTO, #IndyCarInstagram: @HondaIndy, @INDYCAR, #IndyTO, #INDYCARFacebook: @HondaIndyToronto, @INDYCAR, #INDYCARTikTok: @INDYCAR, #INDYCARYouTube: @INDYCAREvent website: www.HondaIndy.comINDYCAR website: www.INDYCAR.com
2022 race winner: Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)2022
NTT P1 Award winner: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda), 59.2698 seconds, 108.480 mph
Qualifying record: Gil de Ferran, 57.143 seconds, 110.565 mph, July 17, 1999 (Note: Josef Newgarden set a qualifying mark of 58.4129 seconds, 110.072 mph, for the current layout in 2019.)

Race telecast: Honda Indy Toronto 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 16, TSN (Canada)/Peacock (USA) (live). Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for Peacock’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Kevin Lee and Dillon Welch 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 in the United States, and TSN+ in Canada. The race telecast of the Honda Indy Toronto will be streamed exclusively on Peacock in the United States.

INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young are the turn announcers. Joel Sebastianelli, Alex Wolff and Georgia Henneberry are the pit reporters. The Honda Indy Toronto race (1:30 p.m. ET Sunday), NTT P1 Award Qualifying (2:50 p.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA

.At-track schedule (all times local):

Friday, July 14
3-4:15 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1, Peacock/TSN+

Saturday, July 151
0:35-11:35 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (45 minutes green flag or 60 minutes), Peacock/TSN+

2:50-4:20 p.m. – Qualifying for NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock/TSN+

Sunday, July 16

10:15-10:45 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice, Peacock/TSN+

1:30 p.m. – Peacock/TSN on air

1:53 p.m. – Honda Indy Toronto “Drivers, start your engines”

2 p.m. – Honda Indy Toronto (85 laps, 151.81 miles), Peacock/TSN (Live).

Race notes:The Honda Indy Toronto will be the 10th race of the 2023 season. There have been five different winners in nine NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Marcus Ericsson (Streets of St. Petersburg), Josef Newgarden (Texas Motor Speedway and Indianapolis 500), Kyle Kirkwood (Streets of Long Beach), Scott McLaughlin (Barber Motorsports Park) and Alex Palou (Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course-1, Streets of Detroit, Road America and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course) have all won in 2023. The modern record (1946-present) for most different winners in a season is 11 in 2000, 2001 and 2014.
The Honda Indy Toronto will be the 37th INDYCAR SERIES race held on the streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place. Scott Dixon earned his fourth Toronto victory in 2022.
Scott Dixon is the winningest active INDYCAR SERIES driver at Toronto with four victories (Dixon won both races in 2013, and in 2018 and 2022). 
Michael Andretti has the most wins at the track with seven. Dixon, three-time Toronto winner Will Power (2007, 2010, 2016), Josef Newgarden (2015, 2017) and Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012) are previous race winners entered this year.
ACTIVE RACE WINNER WINS SEASONS
Scott Dixon 4 2013 Race #1, 2013 Race #2, 2018, 2022

Will Power 3 2007, 2010, 2016

Josef Newgarden 2 2015, 2017

Ryan Hunter-Reay 1 2012

Drivers who have won poles at Toronto entered in this year’s race are Will Power (2011, 2015), Scott Dixon (2013 Race 2, 2016), Helio Castroneves (2000), Josef Newgarden (2018) and Colton Herta (2022). The polesitter has won the race seven times since the first race in 1986, most recently by Simon Pagenaud in 2019.ACTIVE POLE WINNER POLES SEASONS
Will Power 2 2011, 2015

Scott Dixon 2 2013 Race #2, 2016

Helio Castroneves 1 2000 (Note: also started 2014 Race #2 on pole as awarded by points)

Josef Newgarden 1 2018

Colton Herta12022From 2009-2019, the eventual NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion won the Toronto race six times. 

Dario Franchitti won in 2009 and in 2011. Ryan Hunter-Reay won in 2012, Scott Dixon swept both races in 2013 and won the single race in 2018, and Josef Newgarden won in 2017.
Seven other drivers have claimed the INDYCAR SERIES championship in the same season they won at Toronto: Bobby Rahal (1986), Al Unser Jr. (1990), Michael Andretti (1991), Alex Zanardi (1998), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Paul Tracy (2003) and Sebastien Bourdais (2004).
Twenty-three drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Exhibition Place. Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Will Power (16) have made the most starts at Toronto among the entered drivers.
Eleven entered drivers have led laps at the track (Dixon 240, Power 162, Josef Newgarden 120, Castroneves 101, Ryan Hunter-Reay 36, Graham Rahal 29, Rinus VeeKay 18, Colton Herta 17, Pato O’Ward 3 and Felix Rosenqvist 1).Chip Ganassi Racing has won eight times at Toronto: Michael Andretti (1994), Alex Zanardi (1998), Dario Franchitti (2009, 2011) and Scott Dixon (2013 both races, 2018, 2022).
Team Penske has five wins at the track: Paul Tracy (1993), Will Power (2010, 2016), Josef Newgarden (2017) and Simon Pagenaud (2019). T
eam Penske has 10 pole positions at the track: Danny Sullivan (1988, 1990), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Helio Castroneves (2000), Gil de Ferran (2001), Will Power (2011, 2015), Simon Pagenaud (2017), Josef Newgarden (2018) and Simon Pagenaud (2019).
Scott Dixon has finished on the podium in six of his last 12 races at Toronto. He has 10 top-five finishes in 16 starts…Will Power has finished on the podium in five of his 16 Toronto starts…Toronto-area native Devlin DeFrancesco is the lone Canadian driver entered in the race.Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 315th consecutive start, the second-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES histor Tony Kanaan holds the INDYCAR SERIES record with 318 consecutive starts…Sports car racing standout Tom Blomqvist will make his INDYCAR SERIES debut in Toronto, substituting for Meyer Shank Racing driver Simon Pagenaud, who was not cleared to drive after his crash in practice July 1 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. 

Blomqvist Makes Indycar Debut Sunday; Pagenaud Not Cleared to Drive

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Simon Pagenaud will miss his second consecutive race recovery from his accident at Mid Ohio two weeks ago. Tom Blomqvist, who drives the Meyer Shank GTP car in IMSA, will drive the 60 car in the Honda Indy Toronto.. There is speculation that Blomqvist will join the Indycar team full time in 2024.

Blomqvist won the IMSA event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park last Sunday.

The news release from Meyer Shank Racing:

Blomqvist to Substitute for Pagenaud at Toronto

Fresh from IMSA CTMP victory, Blomqvist drafted in as Pagenaud Continues Mid-Ohio Recovery

Toronto, Ontario (11 July 2023) – When Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) found itself in need of a replacement driver for the injured Simon Pagenaud this weekend in Toronto, the team just walked through the doors of its IMSA program and tabbed another experienced champion to take the wheel.

Two-time defending and reigning Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona winner Tom Blomqvist will make his NTT INDYCAR SERIES debut this weekend, taking the reins of the No. 60 AutoNation / Sirius XM Honda. The move was made necessary Tuesday after the series’ medical staff did not clear Pagenaud to compete this weekend as the Frenchman continues his recovery from the effects of a dramatic barrel-rolling crash that took place in Saturday’s practice at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Blomqvist, who won the 2022 IMSA WeatherTech Championship with Meyer Shank Racing, has run primarily in sports cars and prototypes in the last seven seasons after having started his career in open-wheel racing. Last weekend, Blomqvist claimed pole position at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on his way to victory at the track with co-driver Colin Braun.

The Toronto outing will not be his first on board an INDYCAR SERIES race car, as Blomqvist had an INDYCAR test with MSR in Sebring in October of 2022. The British-born driver came up through the karting ranks and ran four seasons in various Formula 3 series in Europe, scoring 12 wins. He also broke Lewis Hamilton’s record as the youngest champion of the Formula Renault UK series, taking the crown at the age of 16.

His INDYCAR SERIES debut comes in Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto, as the series battles for the 37th time on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street course that winds through the city’s Exhibition Place grounds.

This weekend’s MSR lineup features drivers on both ends of the seat time spectrum as the rookie Blomqvist will be joined by veteran Helio Castroneves (No. 06 AutoNation / SiriusXM Honda) who is looking to reprise previous successes on the course that lies in the shadow of the Princes’ Gate.

Castroneves has five front-row starts to his credit in Toronto, including pole positions in 2000 and 2004. The Brazilian has led laps in seven of his starts in the Ontario city and has finished on the lead lap in each of his last nine INDYCAR starts there.

Sunday’s 85-lap race will air on Peacock on Sunday starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Qualifying takes place on Saturday, July 15, beginning at 2:45 p.m. with live coverage on Peacock. SiriusXM will also host live race coverage on XM Ch. 160.

Meyer Shank Racing Driver Quotes:

Honda Indy Toronto – Some Quick Thoughts on the Race and History

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Photo: by Joe Skibinski, Indycar

It is so rare to get to witness history like we did today. Scott Dixon, a generational driver whom I have appreciated for a long time, tied Mario Andretti with his 52nd career win today. Dixon won in typical fashion, taking the lead with a strategic pit stop which allowed him to overtake Colton Herta coming out of the pits on cold tires.

Dixon has now won at least one race in 18 consecutive seasons, which is a record. He has won races in 20 different seasons, also a record. It has been 442 days since his last win in Texas in 2021. That is eons in Dixon terms.

While Dixon has a chance to surpass Andretti’s win total, the 67 win mark of A. J. Foyt is likely still quite safe. I am grateful that I have been able to watch the three most successful drivers in Indycar history drive. I won’t see another 50 win driver in my lifetime.

A Good Day for Marcus Ericsson

Photo- Chris Jones, Indycar

Marcus Ericsson began the day with a 20 point lead over Will Power. Josef Newgarden trailed him by 34 points. Ericsson finished fifth, Power was 15th, and Newgarden came home 10th. Ericsson’s lead is now 35 over Power while Newgarden has dropped to fourth, 44 points behind. Alex Palou moved up to third place, 37 points behind his teammate.

Great Drives

Graham Rahal started 14th and drove a brilliant race to finish fourth. Rahal’s practice times had put him in the conversation for the pole, but he got caught out by the red flag in his qualifying group. Rahal and the team have been mired mid pack or worse most of the year, but today Rahal had his best race of the year. He is my driver of the day.

Photo by Joe Skibinski, Indycar

Teammate Christian Lundgaard finished eighth and extended his lead in the rookie standings to 20 points over David Malukas. Overall Toronto was Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s best race of the season.

Alex Palou turned around what had been an awful weekend following a week of turmoil. He crashed in practice, then his car stalled on track during qualifying. He started 22nd and finished sixth. I admire his mental toughness to come out today and race hard after all that happened this week.

Final Thoughts

The race was cleaner than I expected, and the jam in the pits I feared never happened.

When a city knows it is hosting a street race, which it hasn’t hosted in three years, I would think said city would want to check the streets used for the track to make sure they are in good repair. I wondered about this all week, and the mix of surfaces at certain portions of the circuit. There is no excuse to have a track tear up during the race weekend. I’m surprised that there wasn’t an issue during qualifying.

Felix Rosenqvist is gaining on teammate Pato O’Ward. Rosenqvist has top 10 finishes in two of the last three races while O’Ward’s best finish in that time was his 11th place this afternoon.

The winner of each of the last three Indycar races has started second. The outside front row starter has won five times this season, while the pole winner has won just once.

Thanks for following along this weekend. I will be onsite the rest of the season starting next Friday in Iowa.

VeeKay Fastest in Warmup; Tires, Pits, Brakes Concerns for Race

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Rinus VeeKay turned the fastest lap in the morning warmup with a lap of 0.59.8987 seconds. The session saw many cars overshoot turn 3 and some close calls on pit road. Alexander Rossi was the only other driver to lap in under a minute, trailing VeeKay by about 5 hundredths of a second.

Polesitter Colton Herta had an eventful session. He stalled leaving pit road when he has to stop to let another car by, then later went into the turn 3 runoff area and stalled, bringing out the only red flag of the practice period.

Herta also was involved in a close race off pit road with two other cars who were nearly three wide at pit exit.

Tire marbles were strewn across the track, and when cars came into the pits lots of debris was on the tires.

This could be a high attrition race.

Results

Toronto Race Day

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Today’s Schedule:

Sunday- All Times Eastern

The race is only on Peacock

GATE HOURS 8:45 AM – 5:00 PM 

9:45 AM – 10:25 AMUSF2000Race 2

10:55 AM – 11:25 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm-Up Peacock

Note- this is the time listed on Peacock. The original schedule had practice beginning at 11:05

11:40 AM – 12:20 PM Indy Pro 2000Race 2

12:35 PM – 1:15 PM Sports Car Championship Canada Race 2

1:30 PM – 2:15 PM Porsche Carrera Cup Race 2

2:40 PMNTT INDYCAR SERIES Driver Introductions

3:00 PM – Peacock coverage begins

3:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Honda Indy Toronto  Peacock

We missed out on tying history yesterday when Colton Herta earned his second pole of the season, but another mark could be tied today. If Scott Dixon wins, and I have had a good feeling about him all week, he will tie Mario Andretti for second place in career victories with 52. Dixon’s last win came at Texas in race 1 May 1, 2021. Dixon has won at least one race every season since 2005.

Four rookies in the top 12 starting spots makes for a bit of tension at the start. Yesterday was the 2022 rookie class’ best overall day of the season. Can they back up their qualifying performances with good results today?

The alternate tires may not see a lot of action today We could see some early pit stops, especially if there is an early caution, to get back to blacks for the rest of the race. The track is too sort for an alternate strategy to work.

There will be yellows. The timing and length of each will play into the outcome.

It should be a fun race. It’s great to have Toronto back on the schedule.

I’ll be back after morning warmup.

Herta Takes Toronto Pole

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Colton Herta Photo by Chris Owens, Indycar

The streak is over. Coming into Toronto this weekend, the NTT Indycar series had seen nine different pole winners in its nine races. A different pole winner today would have tied a record set in 1952. But Colton Herta won his second pole of the season in a wild qualifying session that saw several pole contenders eliminated early due to a red flag.

The first group in round 1 had a smooth run. In group 2 things got a bit crazy. Devlin DeFrancesco overshot turn 3 and went nose first into the tires. The other cars were on an out lap, so DeFrancesco was not penalized. While he was extricating himself, Alex Palou’s car stopped on track, causing a red flag.

Drivers scrambled to get their best laps in the short time remaining. Kyle Kirkwood was on pace to solidly advance, but he clipped the wall in turn 6 and spun just before pit entrance in turn , bringing out a red flag. The drivers behind Kirkwood did not get to complete their laps. Will Power, Graham Rahal, and Simon Pagenaud, who all looked like pole contenders, missed the second round.

The round of 12 included four rookies- Callum Ilott, David Malukas, Christian Lundgaard, and Devlin DeFrancesco. Malukas would advance to the fast Six. he was the only driver in the final round who could keep the pole streak alive.

Indycar photo by Chris Owens

Josef Newgarden set the fastest time with less than a minute to go, then pitted and waited. Herta and Scott Dixon were both on a pace to beat Newgarden’s time. Herta edged Newgarden by 0.25 seconds. Dixon was faster than Newgarden but fell short of Herta by 0. 089 seconds. Herta earned his ninth career pole.

Notes

Points leader Marcus Ericsson will start ninth.

Callum Ilott just missed the fast Six and will start seventh.

David Malukas is in a good spot to pick up more ground on Christian Lundgaard in the Rookie of the Year battle. Lundgaard leads by 14 points. He starts 10th tomorrow.

Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing drivers Jack Harvey and Graham Rahal saw their competitive practice times go for naught with their 13th and 14th place staring spots. Rahal looked to be a pole contender.

Pato O’Ward has been slow all weekend. O’Ward needs a good result Sunday. He has averaged a 25th place finish the last two races.

Does Will Power have another come from behind run in him? Power will line up 16th tomorrow. It will be his third straight start of 15th or worse. Toronto is a difficult track to make up ground.

Results