Tag: Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto

Quick Thoughts- Toronto

thepitwindow

Pato O’Ward won the race by stopping. His Arrow McLaren team called him in to ditch the alternate tires on the early caution on lap 3. The strategy put him in position to take the lead on lap 57, then assume it again on lap 62 after everyone else cycled through their final stops. O’Ward dodged the colliding cars of David Malukas and Felix Rosenqvist on lap 88. I thought he may have had slight contact with one of them.

O’Ward has won two of the last three races and has cut Alex Palou’s lead in the championship to 99 points with four races to go.

The 90 lap race was one of the best of the year. Three cautions in the first 30 laps scrambled pit strategies and made it a thinking man’s race, but in between the yellows, fans saw some excellent racing. There were many battles throughout the field. I don’t recall ever seeing Toronto as racy as it was today.

New Faces on the Podium

Rinus VeeKay returned to the podium for the first time in three years. He finished second after O’Ward won the pit stop battle. The result isvindication for VeeKay, who could not find a ride until just before the season began. It is also a win for Dale Coyne Racing. DCR cars usually hover near the Leaders’ Circle cut line, but VeeKay has the 18 solidly in 11th place. VeeKay has recorded seven top 10s and two top fives in 2025.

Kyfffin Simpson has come close, but today he finally earned the elusive podium. Simpson drove from 13th to third as he held off Colton Herta, who had fresher tires. Simpson has had a solid season. He is 14th in points in his sophomore campaign.

A Tale of Two Seasons

From the opener at St. Pete through the Indianapolis 500, IndyCar races were as uninteresting as I ever remember, There were few cautions, and they all occurred very early in the races. The racing was processional, and drama came only when there was a pit stop miscue.

At Detroit, someone finally remembered to turn on the IndyCar racing switch. The last seven races have been amazing. Timely and untimely cautions, incredible racing for position, and victories in doubt until the end have produced a great summer of action.

There are sadly just four races left for 2025, and let’s hope the trend continues.

FOX

While the network pulled out all the stops for the Indianapolis 500, I am finding their broadcasts a bit tedious. Today a they were once again in commercial when a major crash happened, important pit stops were missed, and not much mention was made of O’Ward’s near miss at the end.

Towards the end of the race there was a one lap break between commercials.

The last two weekends we have seen a tiny peek at a pit stop timer. I saw it once today. If you have it, use it consistently. I would rather the pit stop timer overused than the current overuse of onboard cameras. I wnt to see side by side racing, not the view from a cockpit.

Notes

Finally, a good result for Marcus Ericsson. Ericsson finished fifth, between teammates Herta and Kyle Kirkwood. The 2023 500 winner has had a tough year with disqualifications and unfortunate happenings on track.

Tam Penske’s dismal season continues. Scott McLaughlin left the pits with the left rear wheel not mounted properly and crashed in turn 3 on the out lap. It is the third time this season he has been the first car out of the race. Josef Newgarden once again got caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, as he ended up underneath the car of Jacob Abel. Will Power finished 11th, but he had several incidents of contact throughout the day.

David Malukas salvaged a top 10 after a disastrous final pit stop and a collision with two laps to go. Malukas began to exit the pits before the right rear tire had been secured. He stopped and the crew pulled him back, but the time lost nearly ruined the day.

Kirkwood thought that he threw away the pole yesterday. Today he may have thrown away a win. Team strategy had him in a good spot to contend, but he was spun coming in for his last stop and had to fight his way back to sixth. While he regained third place in the standings Kirkwood is 173 points behind Palou.

Results

Thanks for following along this weekend. One more race this month, then a short break.

Toronto Tire Selections, Warm Up Results

thepitwindow

I’m surprised at how many drivers are starting on the primary tire.

In the Warmup, Santino Ferrucci crashed heavily in turn 7 destroying the car’s left side suspension. He slid down the track top turn 8 where the right side made contact with the tire barrier.

Late word is that Ferrucci was seen by IndyCar medical but not cleared to drive. Will keep you posted as this story is updated.

Race broadcast begins at noon Eastern on Fox, with he green flag at 12:22 pm.

IndeyCar Radio coverage begins at 11:30 am Eastern.

The Streets Belong to Andretti

thepitwindow

Colton Herta took pole at Toronto for the second straight year and the third time in his career as Andretti Global completed an amazing qualifying record across all four street races for the IndyCar season.

The team has had a presence on the front row at every street course event. Herta started second at St. Pete, Kyle Kirkwood and Herta locked out the front row at Long Beach, Herta won pole at Detroit and starts first again tomorrow for the Ontario Honda dealers Toronto Indy.

Qualifying began as a battle between Kirkwood and Will Power for the pole as they traded the top spot in round 1. Herta, Marcus armstrong, and Alex Palou then became the main contenders as the fast 12 came to a close. In the Fast Six, Herta and Palou were left to slug it out as Kirkwood had a wild slide on his hot lap and Power could not improve on his first lap. Just 27 hu8ndredths of a second was the difference between Herta and Palou. The Fast Six had a separation of just seven tenths of a second.

Notes

Louis Foster is becoming a Fast Six and Fast 12 regular in the second half of the season.

Five different teams made the Fast Six, and eight different teams advanced to round 2.

Marcus Armstrong backed up his podium last Sunday at Iowa with a third place result in today’s qualifying.

Nolan Siegel qualified 13th, a respectable return after sitting out last Sunday’s race.

The cars of Pato O’Ward and Christian Lundgaard will undergo engine changes this afternoon. Both new powerplants are approved, and no penalties will be assessed for the changes.

Scott Dixon will start 17th due to an engine penalty.

Results

Toronto Practice 1

thepitwindow

Low grip and bumps were the main concerns for drivers in Practice 1 for the Ontario Honda Dealers Toronto Indy. Kyle Kirkwood led the practice session after Will Power led the way in the all car portion and his group. Nine drivers turned laps under 62 seconds.

It appears as if the race is trending toward running primary tires as the preferred rubber in what should be a three stop race.

Results

INDYCAR Announces Streets of Toronto Grid Penalty

thepitwindow
 
 INDIANAPOLIS (Friday, July 18, 2025) – INDYCAR has announced a six-position starting grid penalty for the entry of No. 9 Chip Ganassi Racing for an unapproved engine change following the Sunday, July 13 race at Iowa Speedway.
The entry was in violation of:Rule 16.1.2.3.2. A fifth (5th) Engine is eligible to earn Engine Manufacturer points if a Full Season Entrant has completed the Full Season Entrant Engine Mileage with its first four (4) Engines. Otherwise, a fifth (5th) or more Engine does not earn Engine Manufacturer points and will be considered an Unapproved Engine change-out.
According to Rule 16.1.6.1.2., the penalty is a six-position starting grid penalty on road and street course events and nine positions at oval events and will be served at the series’ next event, which is the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Sunday, July 20 on the Streets of Toronto.

Toronto Preview

thepitwindow

With five races remaining on the 2025 IndyCar schedule, Toronto begins the final third of the year. Alex Palou has virtually clinched the championship while second place is very much in play between Pato O’Ward, Kyle Kirkwood, and Scott Dixon. Just 51 points separate the three drivers.

The 39th running of the race at Exhibition Place faces an uncertain future. The event renews annually, and with the calendar shifts coming in2026 and beyond, this tight track and this ever-changing venue may be a casualty. It would be a shame for IndyCar to lose this race and this city. I have only attended once, but it was one of the best times I have ever had at a race weekend.

Andretti Bounce Back

The team most happy to come to Toronto is Andretti Global. They had a miserable two races at Iowa last weekend with three tire failures and each car crashing at least once.

But Andretti drivers Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood finished 1-2 at Toronto last year, and they have dominated the street courses in 2025. Kirkwood has won at Long Beach and Detroit. Both drivers have a street course pole this season as well.

I will give the nod to Herta as your winner again Sunday, but it very well could be Kirkwood.

The Penske Roller Coaster

In race 1 at Iowa, it appeared Team Penske might have regained some momentum, but that balloon quickly deflated in race 2. The team comes to a track where their last podium is a second place by Simon Pagenaud in 2018 and thei next best finish was in 2023 when Josef newgarden ended the race in fifth place.

Penske’s street course record this season shows a pole for McLaughlin at St. Pete, a podium for Newgarden at St. Pete, Fifth for Power and sixth for McLaughlin at Long Beach, and fourth for Power at Detroit. McLaughlin is the only Penske driver to make the Fast Six this season, adding a sixth place start at long Beach to his pole.

Notes

Nolan Siegel has been cleared by IndyCar Medical to drive this weekend. Siegel had to sit out last Sunday’s race at Iowa after suffering a mild concussion in Saturday’s race 1.

On Monday Arrow McLaren signed Linus Lundqvist as a reserve driver to cover situations like last weekend.

ECR will build a new race shop in Westfield.

Toronto is third of four straight IndyCar weekends., Next weekend’s race at Weather Tech raceway in Monterey will conclude a five races in four weeks stretch. A much deserved but too short one week break follows.

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Fast Facts

thepitwindow

From IndyCar:

  Race weekend: Friday, July 18-Sunday, July 20
Track: Streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place, an 11-turn, 1.786-mile (2.874-kilometer) temporary street course
Race distance: Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto: 90 laps/160.74 miles/258.69 kilometers
Push-to-pass parameters: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation.
Hybrid energy deployment parameters: Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 295 kilojoules (kJ) per lap.
Firestone tire allotment: Five sets primary, five 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
.X: @HondaIndy, @IndyCar, #indyTO, #IndyCar
Instagram: @HondaIndy, @INDYCAR, #indyTO, #INDYCAR
Threads: @INDYCAR
,Facebook: @HondaIndyToronto, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
TikTok: @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
YouTube: @INDYCAR
Event website: www.HondaIndy.com
INDYCAR website: www.INDYCAR.com
2024 race winner: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)2024 NTT P1 Award winner: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda), 59.5431 seconds, 107.982 mph
Qualifying record: Josef Newgarden, 58.4129 seconds, 110.072 mph. July 13, 2019 (Note: Gil de Ferran set the outright lap record of 57.143 seconds, 110.565 mph on July 17, 1999)
FOX Sports telecasts: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 
Practice 1, 3 p.m. ET Friday, FS2 (live);
Practice 2, 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Qualifying, 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live);
Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Noon ET, Sunday, FOX (USA)/TSN4/TSN+ (Canada) (live).
Will Buxton is the play-by-play announcer for FOX’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry, Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. Michael Young and Alex Wollf are the pit reporters. The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto race (11:30 a.m. ET Sunday), NTT P1 Award Qualifying (2:35 p.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES practices 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 18
3:05-4:25 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1 (45 minutes for all cars, followed by two groups for 10 minutes each), FS2 (USA) /TSN+ (Canada), (Live).
Saturday, July 19
10:30-11:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (45 minutes of green flag running or 60 minutes), FS1 (USA) /TSN+ (Canada), (Live).
2:30-4 p.m. – Qualifying for NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS1 (USA) /TSN+ (Canada), (Live).
Sunday, July 20
8:32-8:57 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warmup, FS1 (USA) /TSN+ (Canada), (Live).
Noon p.m. – FOX/TSN4 on air
12:15 p.m. – Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto “Drivers, start your engines”
12:22 p.m. – Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto (90 laps/160.74 miles/258.69 kilometers), FOX (USA) /TSN4/TSN+ (Canada), (Live).
Race notes:The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto will be the 13th race of the 2025 season. There have been four different winners in 12 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this season. Pato O’Ward (Iowa Speedway-1), Scott Dixon (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course), and Kyle Kirkwood (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Detroit and World Wide Technology Raceway) and Alex Palou (Streets of St. Petersburg, The Thermal Club, Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Road America, Iowa Speedway-2) have all won in 2025.The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto will be the 39th INDYCAR SERIES race held on the streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place. Colton Herta won on the streets of Toronto from pole position in 2024.Scott Dixon is the winningest active INDYCAR SERIES driver at Toronto with four victories (Dixon won both races in 2013, the 2018 race and the 2022 race). 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), Christian Lundgaard (2023) and Colton Herta (2024) are previous race winners entered this year.

Drivers who have won poles at Toronto entered in this year’s race are Will Power (2011, 2015), Scott Dixon (2013 Race 2, 2016), Josef Newgarden (2018), Colton Herta (2022, 2024) and Christian Lundgaard (2023).
The polesitter has won the race nine times since the first race in 1986, most recently by Herta last season.
From 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-four drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Exhibition Place. Scott Dixon and Will Power (18) have made the most starts at Toronto among the entered drivers. Eleven entered drivers have led laps at the track (Dixon 245, Power 162, Josef Newgarden 120, Christian Lundgaard 54, Graham Rahal 29, Scott McLaughlin 28, Rinus VeeKay 18, Colton Herta 98, Pato O’Ward 3, Marcus Ericsson 2 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).
Team 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, 2019) and Josef Newgarden (2018).
Scott Dixon has finished on the podium in seven of his last 14 starts at Toronto and has 12 consecutive top-10 finishes. He has 12 top-five finishes in his 18 Toronto races…Will Power has finished on the podium in five of his 18 Toronto starts.
Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 352nd consecutive starts, extending his INDYCAR SERIES record streak…Graham Rahal will attempt to make his 252nd consecutive start, the third-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Josef Newgarden will attempt to make his 215th consecutive start, the sixth-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Dixon passed Mario Andretti for the INDYCAR SERIES record for starts with his 408th start May 25 at Indianapolis and will extend his record to 412 with a start Sunday…Dixon’s win at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 6 – his 59th INDYCAR SERIES win – extended two ongoing INDYCAR SERIES records he currently holds: Seasons with a win (23), Consecutive Seasons with a win (21). Dixon’s second-place finish at Iowa Speedway on July 13 extended two additional ongoing INDYCAR SERIES records he currently holds: podium finishes (145) and top-five finishes (215).