Round 14: The Honda Indy 200, Mid-Ohio. Lexington, OH, USA. July 31st - 2nd August, 2

[bjohnsonsmith]

Round 14: The Honda Indy 200, Mid-Ohio. Lexington, OH, USA. July 31st - 2nd August, 2015.

Mid-Ohio was opened in 1962 as a road course for weekend sports car racing and from 1970 to 1976 it became an event on the US Formula 5000 series calendar. AOWR returned when CART initially raced at Mid-Ohio in 1980. In 1982, the track was bought by road racing enthusiast Jim Trueman, the owner of Red Roof Inns and Mid-Ohio underwent the first of three major refurbishments. Permanent grandstands, new pit garages with spectator balconies, a media/hospitality center, underground tunnels and a new paddock were built. CART returned in 1983 racing until 2003. After a 3 year absence from AOWR, Mid-Ohio returned as a venue for the IndyCar series in 2007. This weekend's race will see the 8th running of the race as an IndyCar event.

Track Layout:







The original track had 15-turns and was 2.4-miles (3.9 kms) long, running clockwise, with the start line located on the back stretch and the finish line in front of the pits. In 1990, the second refurbishment took place, adding a new retaining wall and the entire track resurfaced and widened, This allowed for a new alternative, 13-turn, 2.258 mile (3.634 km) layout, which CART adopted and which is now used by IndyCar.

The track underwent its third refurbishment in 2006, with the whole track being resurfaced again and adding a 75,000 seat grandstand.

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.

Length: 2.258 mi - 3.634 km
Turns: 13
Lap record: August, 14th 1999. Dario Franchitti, 1:05.347 minutes, 124.394 mph - 200.193 km/h. Team Kool Green, Reynard 99i-Honda HRK. 1999 FedEx Championship Series

Last year's winner:
Scott Dixon
Chip Ganassi Racing
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet

Laps: 90
Distance: 203.22 mi - 327.05 km
Race Time: 1:52:45
Average Speed: 108.14

TV Coverage:
CNBC
Green flag, 1:30pm ET.