Tag: Mid Ohio Sports Car Course

Dixon Leads Warm Up

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Scott Dixon had the fastest lap in the final tune up for this afternoon’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio. Dixon starts 17th this afternoon, but he has won here from last place. It will still be a difficult climb through the field.

Pole sitter and defending race winner Alex Palou was second fastest The session stayed green, but Agustin Canapino went of track, spun, and returned to the track.

Colton Herta, Scott Mc Laughlin, and Marcus Armstrong were the rest of the top five. Armstrong will serve a six place grid penalty at the start of the race.

Scott McLaughlin remains the fastest of the Team Penske cars this weekend. He was fourth in the warmup. Josef Newgarden finished 10th, his best session so far. He has complained of understeer all weekend. Newgarden starts18th. Will Power was 26th this morning. He starts 16th today.

Tire selections should be out after the Indy NXT race which is going on now.

Results

Race Day at Mid Ohio

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Today’s Schedule:

Gates are open.

9:15 am: USF2000 Race
10:25 am: INDYCAR Warmup
11:20 am: INDY NXT command
11:25 am: INDY NXT Green Flag
1:05 pm: Driver Intros
1:34 pm: Invocation
1:35 pm: Anthem
1:46 pm: Command
1:53 pm: Green Flag

Good morning from Mid-Ohio. It will be a beautiful day with he temperature around 80 degrees at the green flag and no rain in sight. Today is the race debut of the new Indycar hybrid system.

Alex Palou will attempt to win from the pole again. He has won from the pole four times in five attempts. the Indianapolis 500 in 2023 was the only time he failed to win from the pole.

I would not count out Pato O’Ward or Colton Herta today. They have been strong all weekend.

How much will the hybrid unit play into race tactics today? Will it make any difference at all? I am interested n post race comments from the drivers.

More Hybrid News

IndyCar expects the hybrid unit to last 5,000 miles, which means two per car per full season. There will be no penalties for a change this year if approved by Indycar.

A mockup of the unit is on display in the media center. I am amazed at how compact it is.

Yesterday during qualifying I followed Alexander Rossi on the Indycar app just to see when he used the system. He seemed to deploy it in short bursts three to four times a lap. Unlike push to pass, there is no limit on the use of the hybrid.

Simon Pagenaud

One year ago today Simon Pagenaud crashe in practice whe his brakes failed entering turn four. His car rolled several times and came to a stop upside down near the ntire barriers. he has been in recovery for a head injury ever since. He issued a statement on Xwitter yesterday:

I wish Simon the best. His absence has left a void in the paddock. I’m not sure if he will ever race again, but I hope he can at least get back gto help a team in some way.

\I will be back after Warmup with results and tire selections.

Palou Slips by O’Ward for Historic Pole at Mid-Ohio

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

The first pole of the hybrid era goes to Alex Palou by a razor thin margin. Palou slipped by Pato O’Ward on his last lap by 0.0024 seconds, the closest front row difference since Indycar began knockout qualifying. Palou won the race at Mid-Ohio last year.

David Malukas will start third as he made his first Fast Six. Malukas has not finished worse than 10th in his career at Mid-Ohio. In his two starts with Meyer Shank Racing, and his first two races of the season, Malukas has gone beyond the first round. He started 12th at Laguna Seca.

Colton Herta will start 4th, followed by Marcus Armstrong and Marcus Ericsson.

Scott Dixon, Josef Newgarden, and Will Power were eliminated in Round 1. Alexander Rossi had been fast in the practices, but went out in Round 2.

Youth Will Be Served

All the drivers in the Fast Six began their Indycar careers in 2019 or later. The youth movement has taken a little longer to assert itself than I expected, but we may be seeing the beginning of a power shift.

Close Qualifying

2024 will be known for the year of the hybrid, but it could also distinguish itself as the season with the closest front rows on road and street courses. Three of the six closest front rows have occured this year.

The top 10 closest qualifying sessons:

Results

O’Ward Tops Practice 2

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Pato O’Ward led the morning practice at Mid-Ohio with a lap of1:05.9862, edging Graham Rahal by 0.0423 seconds. Five teams placed a car in the top five:

Teams were allowed to use alternate tires this morning because the rain yesterday didn’t allow for a good read on how the red tires would work with the added weight.

Colton Herta brought out a red flag when he slid into the tire barrier in turn 12. Kyffin Simpson later stalled his car and caused another stoppage. The hybrid system which is supposed to allow drivers to restart their cars without assistance is not operational because of a software glitch. It is one of the teething problems of a new technology I suppose. Several drivers had off course excursions as they adjust to the added weight of the hybrid unit..

Indycar qualifying begins at 3 pm Eastern.

Results

Mid-Ohio Saturday- Another Test for the Hybrid

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Photo by Kyle McInnes

Today’s schedule:

Gates open at 7:00 AM

8:25 AM – 9:15 AM USF Pro 2000 Race 1

9:40 AM – 10:25 AM INDY NXT Practice 2

10:50 AM – 11:50 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 Peacock, Indycar radio

12:10 PM – 12:50 PM USF Juniors Race 2

1:05 PM – 1:45 PM USF2000 Race 2

2:05 PM – 2:35 PM INDY NXT Qualifying

2:20 PM – 2:40 PM USF Pro 200 Autograph Session in USF Championships Paddock

2:45 PM – 3:05 PM USF Juniors Autograph Session in USF Championships Paddock

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying Peacock, Indycar radio

3:10 PM – 3:30 PM USF2000 Autograph Session in USF Championships Paddock

4:30 PM – 5:15 PM INDY NXT Autograph Session at American Legion in Midway

4:50 PM – 5:40 PM USF Pro 2000 Race 2

Dusk Fireworks Display Sunset is 9:04 PM ET

Good morning from Mid-Ohio. Today the new hybrid unit gets its first test in qualifying. How will it be used? How much difference will it make?

Yesterday’s limited practice time did not allow the drivers and teams to learn as much as they wanted to. The morning practice will be quite busy today.

Alex Palou told the media last night, “I think everybody with the hybrid system wants to get reads on all the stages and also get the car where we want because with the repave, everything changed quite a lot,” Palou said. “It’s going to be exciting tomorrow.”

Notes

There is no rain in the forecast the rest of the weekend. High today should be 80 degrees.

It’s nice being back at an Indycar race, and it is a strange feeling that this my first Indycar race since the 500. Familiarity and comfort are always a good thing.

I learned that the fire on Agustin Canapino’s car yesterday was from a loose oil line, and not related to the hybrid unit or the engine.

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The New Power Era Begins- Mid Ohio Preview

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It has been a tough hill to climb, but Indycar finally debuts its hybrid power system this weekend at Mid Ohio as the series launches the second half of the season.

The new unit is an energy recovery system developed collaboratively by Honda and Chevrolet. It sits behind the engine at the rear of the car.

In a media availability Tuesday, jay Frye talked about the ERS’s use as a compliment to Push to Pass. It can be used with P2P or separately. While P2P still has a limit for the race, there is no limit on deploying the hybrid system.

Will the new system help fuel mileage? It is possible, but maybe not right away. It would be nice to not have fuel saving races anymore.

The one immediate benefit the hybrid presents is the ability for drivers to restart their stalled cars without assistance. We could see fewer red flags in practice and qualifying, and fewer cautions during the race.

Will we see improved racing? The jury is out on that, but I don’t think we will see much difference, at least not this year. The system only provides 60 additional horsepower. The horsepower will be raised for 2025 according to Frye. The series wants to use the rest of 2024 to see how it performs and get everyone acclimated to it.

Fans will be able to monitor hybrid usage on the Indycar app. NBC will also display its usage on a graphic during the race. The system is allowed in practice and qualifying.

Another Repaved Track

Mid-Ohio joins Laguna Seca and road America as tracks that have been repaved in the last two years. This weekend is IndyCar’s first time on the new surface at Mid-Ohio. We have seen lots of slipping and sliding on new pavement at other tracks, so this could be a wild weekend.

Drivers will be dealing with new slick pavement and a new engine propulsion system. I can’t wait.

Silly Season

Christian Lundgaard and Alexander Rossi enter the Mid-Ohio weekend after announcing they will have new teams in 2025. Lundgaard will replace Rossi at Arrow McLaren. Rossi is optimistic that he will be in Indycar next year. I don’t expect to see much change in their performances the rest of the year.

It is possible we hear more news at the track about 2025 lineups.

As far as who will win, I am going with Alexander Rossi. He has been close nearly every weekend. I think this is the Sunday he finally breaks through.

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.