IndyCar News: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Preview
On-track action begins tomorrow at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for Ohio’s biggest racing event, The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport, July 4-6. This spectacular Fourth of July weekend will feature a kickoff party, camping activities, live music, movie on site, fireworks show, and nine total races.
The stars and cars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES headline the three-day spectacle, racing for the 42nd time on the legendary 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course in Lexington, Ohio. The competitive field of 27 INDYCAR drivers will feature multiple Ohio connections including two entries from Pataskala, Ohio-based Meyer Shank Racing (MSR), Marcus Armstrong and Felix Rosenqvist. The MSR duo has already set a team record with 12 top-10 finishes this season, and Rosenqvist heads to Mid-Ohio fourth in the championship standings.
“I love Mid-Ohio. This track is very special to me as it’s where I drove an Indy car for the first time,” said Rosenqvist. “It’s also our team’s home track and the place of my first podium. We have the Black Sabbath, Ozzy Osbourne and Ozzy’s Boneyard wagon going this weekend as well, so there’s a lot to look forward to.”
The North Central Ohio circuit is also special to Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal and his father and team co-owner Bobby Rahal. Both Rahals are past INDCAR winners at Mid-Ohio with Graham taking the checkered flag in 2015 and Bobby winning in 1985 and 1986. In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of Bobby’s first Mid-Ohio INDYCAR win, he has been named this weekend’s grand marshal and will give the command for drivers to start their engines ahead of the 90-lap race on Sunday.
“(I’m) very honored and appreciative. Mid-Ohio is kind of like my home track. I went there with my dad. He drove in the first race there in 1962, and every year we would go there at least once to race all during the ’60s. And then I started there in 1974 in an SCCA National and of course won a lot of races at Mid-Ohio,” said Bobby. “And the fans are the best at Mid-Ohio. Again, it was like my home track. Of course the relationship I had with Jim Trueman and seeing what he did with that track and winning in front of him in 1985 was really special. So yeah, I’m really pleased and am looking forward to a great weekend.”
Alex Palou – NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader, 2025 Indianapolis 500 winner and three-time series champion – will again be one of the favorites at Mid-Ohio. Palou, pilot of the No. 10 OpenAI Honda, tallied a victory at Mid-Ohio in 2023 and has won six of the nine races this season. The Chip Ganassi Racing star nearly won the 2024 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, finishing second to Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward.
Off-track race weekend fan experiences begin tonight with a kickoff party at The Local @ 97 in downtown Lexington, Ohio from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. ET. The gathering will feature appearances by Armstrong, Rosenqvist and other support series racers, plus Indianapolis Motor Speedway and INDYCAR President Doug Boles. Attendees can partake in food and beverage specials, enjoy live music from Taylor Schlupp and check out the INDYCAR show car on display.
Fourth of July celebrations begin at the track on Friday evening starting with a camper golf cart parade where weekend campers can decorate their golf carts or side-by-sides in patriotic red, white and blue and then take a lap of the 13-turn road course. After a trip around the track, campers will be welcomed back to the campgrounds with live music from Panco Black Root starting at 7 p.m. ET.
On Saturday after INDYCAR qualifying, later in the afternoon, the Camping with Honda tradition continues as Honda-powered NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers will tour the campground areas to meet fans and check out the festive, patriotic campsite decor. At 7 p.m. ET, campers and ticketed guests are invited to head to the “Esses” spectator mound to watch Disney’s animated classic “Cars” on the big screen between Turns 4 and 5. Then, shortly after dusk (sunset is 9:05 p.m. ET), ticket holders can enjoy a spectacular fireworks show over the Mid-Ohio grounds.
On Sunday, fans can get involved in INDYCAR pre-race festivities by participating in the Fan Grid Walk from 12:20 – 12:50 p.m. ET, an opportunity to get up close to the cars on pit lane before the race begins. Grand marshal Bobby Rahal will give the command for drivers to start their engines at 1:15 p.m. ET, followed by the green flag waving over the field at 1:22 p.m. ET. Live national broadcast coverage on FOX begins at 1 p.m. ET.
Fast Facts
Push to Pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation | INDY NXT by Firestone: A maximum of 50 activations total or 150 seconds of total time.
Hybrid energy deployment parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 365 kilojoules (kj) per lap.
Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Five sets primary, five 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 Detroit event may be used during pre-qualifying practice sessions on Friday and Saturday.
Entry List
|
CAR |
DRIVER |
HOMETOWN |
CAR NAME |
TEAM |
ENGINE |
|
|
1 |
2 |
Josef Newgarden |
Nashville, Tennessee |
PPG Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
2 |
3 |
Scott McLaughlin |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
Odyssey Battery Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
3 |
4 |
David Malukas |
Chicago, Illinois |
AJ FOYT RACING |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Chevrolet |
|
4 |
5 |
Pato O’Ward |
Monterrey, Mexico |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
5 |
6 |
Nolan Siegel |
Palo Alto, California |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
6 |
7 |
Christian Lundgaard |
Hedensted, Denmark |
Arrow McLaren |
Arrow McLaren |
Chevrolet |
|
7 |
8 |
Kyffin Simpson |
Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands |
Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
8 |
9 |
Scott Dixon |
Auckland, New Zealand |
PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
9 |
10 |
Alex Palou |
Barcelona, Spain |
Open AI Chip Ganassi Racing |
Chip Ganassi Racing |
Honda |
|
10 |
12 |
Will Power |
Toowoomba, Australia |
Verizon Team Penske |
Team Penske |
Chevrolet |
|
11 |
14 |
Santino Ferrucci |
Woodbury, Connecticut |
AJ FOYT RACING / SEXTON PROPERTIES |
A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
Chevrolet |
|
12 |
15 |
Graham Rahal |
New Albany, Ohio |
Fifth Third Bank |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
13 |
18 |
Rinus VeeKay |
Hoofddorp, Netherlands |
askROI |
Dale Coyne Racing |
Honda |
|
14 |
20 |
Alexander Rossi |
Nevada City, California |
ECR Java House |
Ed Carpenter Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
15 |
21 |
Christian Rasmussen |
Copenhagen, Denmark |
ECR Splenda |
Ed Carpenter Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
16 |
26 |
Colton Herta |
Valencia, California |
Gainbridge |
Andretti Global w/ Curb-Agajanian |
Honda |
|
17 |
27 |
Kyle Kirkwood |
Jupiter, Florida |
Andretti Global |
Andretti Global |
Honda |
|
18 |
28 |
Marcus Ericsson |
Kumla, Sweden |
Andretti INDYCAR |
Andretti Global |
Honda |
|
19 |
30 |
Devlin DeFrancesco |
Toronto, Canada |
EVTEC |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
20 |
45 |
Louis Foster (R) |
Odiham, England |
Mi-Jack |
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing |
Honda |
|
21 |
51 |
Jacob Abel (R) |
Louisville, Kentucky |
Abel Construction |
Dale Coyne Racing |
Honda |
|
22 |
60 |
Felix Rosenqvist |
Värnamo, Sweden |
SiriusXM |
Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian |
Honda |
|
23 |
66 |
Marcus Armstrong |
Christchurch, New Zealand |
SiriusXM/Root Insurance |
Meyer Shank Racing w/ Curb-Agajanian |
Honda |
|
24 |
76 |
Conor Daly |
Noblesville, Indiana |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
25 |
77 |
Sting Ray Robb |
Payette, Idaho |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Juncos Hollinger Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
26 |
83 |
Robert Shwartzman (R) |
Tel Aviv, Israel |
PREMA Racing |
PREMA Racing |
Chevrolet |
|
27 |
90 |
Callum Ilott |
Cambridge, England |
PREMA Racing |
PREMA Racing |
Chevrolet |
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YouTube: @INDYCAR
Event website: www.midohio.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
INDY NXT by Firestone website: www.indynxt.com
2024 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)
INDY NXT by Firestone
Caio Collet (No. 18 HMD Motorsports)
2024 NTT P1 Award winner:
Alex Palou (No. 10 Ridgeline Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) 1:05.3511, 124.387 mph
2024 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner:
Caio Collet (No. 18 HMD Motorsports), 1:10.2879, 115.650 mph
Qualifying lap record:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Simon Pagenaud, 1:03.8700, 127.271 mph, July 30, 2016
INDY NXT by Firestone
Caio Collet, 1:10.2879, 115.650 mph, July 6, 2024
FOX Sports telecasts: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Practice 1, 4:30 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); Warmup, 9:30 a.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live); Race, 1 p.m. ET Sunday, FOX (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. | INDY NXT by Firestone: Practice 1, 3 p.m. ET Friday, FS2 (live); Practice 2, 8:35 a.m. ET Saturday, FS1; Qualifying, 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, FS1 (live); Race, 10:30 a.m. ET Sunday, FS1 (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for FOX Sports’ coverage of INDY NXT by Firestone alongside analyst Jack Harvey. Georgia Henneberry is the pit reporter.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. Michael Young, Ryan Myrehn and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport race (12:30 p.m. ET Sunday), INDY NXT Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio (10:25 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 4
3:05-3:50 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 1, FS2 (live)
4:35-5:55 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1, FS2 (live)
SATURDAY, JULY 5
8:35-9:20 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 2, FS1 (live)
10:30-11:30 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (45 minutes of green flag or 60 total minutes), FS1 (live)
1:30-2 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Two groups, 12 minutes each), FS1 (live)
2:35-4 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), FS1 (live)
SUNDAY, JULY 6
9:32-9:57 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warmup, FS1 (live)
10:31 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio command to start engines
10:36 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio (35 laps/55 minutes), FS1 (live)
12:27 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Driver Introductions
1:15 p.m. – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport command to start engines
1:22 p.m. – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport (90 laps/203.22 miles), FOX (live)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Notes:
- The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport is the 10th race of the 2025 season. There have been two winners in nine NTT INDYCAR SERIES races in the 2025 season. Alex Palou (Streets of St. Petersburg, The Thermal Club, Barber Motorsports Park, Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course, Indianapolis 500 and Road America) and Kyle Kirkwood (Streets of Long Beach, Streets of Detroit and World Wide Technology Raceway).
- The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport will be the 42nd INDYCAR SERIES race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Pato O’Ward won the race in 2024. 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 and 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 and 2021), Graham Rahal (2015), Alexander Rossi (2018), Will Power (2020-Race-1), Colton Herta (2020-Race 2), Scott McLaughlin (2022), Alex Palou (2023) and Pato O’Ward (2024) are entered this year.
| ACTIVE RACE WINNER | WINS | SEASONS |
| Scott Dixon | 6 | 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2019 |
| Josef Newgarden | 2 | 2017, 2021 |
| Graham Rahal | 1 | 2015 |
| Alexander Rossi | 1 | 2018 |
| Will Power | 1 | 2020 Race 1 |
| Colton Herta | 1 | 2020 Race 2 |
| Scott McLaughlin | 1 | 2022 |
| Alex Palou | 1 | 2023 |
| Pato O’Ward | 1 | 2024 |
- 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 WINNER | POLES | SEASONS |
| Will Power | 5 | 2010, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2020 Race 1 |
| Scott Dixon | 2 | 2011, 2015 |
| Colton Herta | 2 | 2020 Race 2, 2023 |
| Alexander Rossi | 1 | 2018 |
| Josef Newgarden | 1 | 2021 |
| Pato O’Ward | 1 | 2022 |
| Alex Palou | 1 | 2024 |
- Twenty-four drivers entered in the event have competed in past INDYCAR SERIES races at Mid-Ohio. Scott Dixon (21) has made the most starts at Mid-Ohio among the entered drivers. Twelve drivers have led laps at the track (Dixon 265, Will Power 206, Josef Newgarden 162, Alex Palou 101, Colton Herta 99, Alexander Rossi 71, Pato O’Ward 52, Scott McLaughlin 48, Graham Rahal 30, Conor Daly 22, Felix Rosenqvist 15, Marcus Ericsson 3).
- Chip Ganassi Racing has won 12 times at Mid-Ohio, including nine of the 19 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 21 starts at Mid-Ohio, including six wins between 2007 and 2020 … Will Power has finished in the top five in 11 of his 17 starts at Mid-Ohio … Kyle Kirkwood won eight of nine development series starts from 2018-21.
- Rookies Jacob Abel, Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman will race an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the first time this weekend.
- Milestones: Scott Dixon will attempt to make his 349th consecutive start, extending his record streak…Graham Rahal will attempt to make his 249th consecutive start, breaking a tie with Marco Andretti for the third-longest streak in INDYCAR SERIES history…Josef Newgarden will attempt to make his 212th consecutive start, breaking a tie with Jimmy Vasser for 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.
INDY NXT by Firestone Notes:
- The INDY NXT by Firestone title fight between Andretti Global drivers Dennis Hauger and Lochie Hughes starts its second half with the series’ annual visit to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Hauger, who has recorded five top-two finishes this season, heads to Mid-Ohio with a 28-point lead over Hughes, a two-time race winner this season. The ultra-competitive 2025 season has seen three winners in seven races so far, with six different drivers finishing on the podium.
- Caio Collet returns to Mid-Ohio looking for his second consecutive race win in 2024. The 23-year-old Brazilian driver scored his first INDY NXT by Firestone win at Mid-Ohio in 2024 and is aiming to become the first INDY NXT driver to win at Mid-Ohio in back-to-back seasons since Santiago Urrutia swept a doubleheader in 2016 and won the first race of the 2017 doubleheader.
- The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio will be the series’ 37th 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, Linus Lundqvist and Louis Foster.
- 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