Round 13: Honda Indy 200 At Mid-Ohio. Lexington, Ohio. July 27-29.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, was the idea of local business man Les Griebling, who convinced a number of friends from the local business community, to invest in a road course for weekend sportscar racing. The course, which followed the contours of the land, was designed by Griebling, and was opened in 1962. From 1970 to 1976, Mid-Ohio became an event on the SCCA/USAC Formula 5000 Championship calendar and from 1977 to 1980, hosted a round of the revived Can-Am series. AOWR returned when CART initially raced at Mid-Ohio in 1980, with Johnny Rutherford taking victory in the Chaparral-Cosworth DFX.
In 1981, the track was bought by road racing enthusiast Jim Trueman, the owner of Red Roof Inns and Mid-Ohio underwent its first major renovation. Permanent grandstands, new pit garages with spectator balconies, a media/hospitality center, underground tunnels and a new paddock were built as well as the Goodyear Tower. CART returned in 1983 racing there until 2003.
In 2006, Mid-Ohio underwent further renovation, with the whole track and pit lane being completely resurfaced and adding a 75,000 seat grandstand. In 2007, after a 3 year absence from AOWR, Mid-Ohio returned as a venue for the IndyCar series and this weekend will see the 10th running of the race as an IndyCar event.
In March 2011, the track was purchased from Truesports by Green Savoree Racing Promotions, which currently promotes the IndyCar street races at St Petersburg and Toronto.
Some Trivia:
Driver with most wins, Scott Dixon: 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014.
Team with most wins, Chip Ganassi Racing: 1996, 1997, 1999, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
Track Layout:
Mid-Ohio features two track configurations, one of 2.25 miles (3.621 km) and 13 turns, the other of 2.4 miles (3.862 kms) and 15 turns. The track runs clockwise, with the start line located on the back stretch after Turn 3 and the finish line in front of the pits. In 1963 the original sports car course was modified, as drivers were concerned it was too slow. Oak Tree Bend, which literally went around an oak tree, was removed and replaced by the Thunder Valley section.
In 1990, there were further modifications, with the track being widened, creating the 13-turn, 2.250 mile (3.621 km) layout, adopted by CART and which is now used by IndyCar. During the 2006 renovations, new link roads were added to the track's famous Keyhole section, creating three separate road course configurations.
Original track layout:
1963-1989 track layout:
1990-2005 track layout:
Current IndyCar track layout:
Length: 2.250 Miles (3.621 km)
Turns: 13
Lap record:
Simon Pagenaud, 30 July, 2016. 1:03.870, 127.271 mph (204.822) km/h.
Team Penske,
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet IndyCar V6.
Verizon IndyCar Series.
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Last year's race:
Power took pole and at the start of the race, the top five qualifiers remained in starting order, with The opening laps mostly uneventful aside from pit stops. On lap 12, Alexander Rossi pitted having been the highest running driver using the softer option tire. He was followed next lap by Hunter-Reay, Kimball and Hinchcliffe. During these stops, the battle for the lead suddenly heated up, with Newgarden managing to pass Power on Lap 13. Two laps later, third place changed hands, as Rahal managed to pass Sato. The leaders made their stops shortly after, emerging in the same order, which stayed the same until the next round of pit stops, after which the running order was, Newgarden, Power, Rahal, Rossi, Pagenaud. On Lap 55, Pagenaud managed to pass Rossi to take fourth spot. The order remained until the last round of pit stops which began on Lap 62. After the stops, Newgarden remained in front with a healthy margin of over 12 seconds.
On Lap 67, Newgarden's lead was reduced, when the race's only caution period came due to Jones spinning and stalling his car at Turn 9. The restart came at the end of Lap 70, with Newgarden's position protected by back marker Gutiérrez, who had become stuck between Newgarden and Power. This allowed Newgarden to pull away and ensure his second consecutive victory and his third of the season. Power held on to second place, despite heavy pressure from Rahal in the closing laps. Pagenaud finished fourth, Takuma Sato managed to move back into the top five on the final restart to round out the top 5 positions. All cars were listed as running at the end of the race.
Pole position:
Will Power, 1:04.1720. 126.672 mph (203.858 km/h)
Team Penske
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet IndyCar V6
Last year's winner:
Josef Newgarden
Team Penske
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet IndyCar V6
Laps: 90
Distance: 203.22 mi (327.05 km)
Race Time: 1:46:20
Average Speed: 114.677 mph 184.555 km/h)
Cautions:
1, laps 4
TV Coverage:
NBCSN, 3:00pm ET.