What: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio / Race 9 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series
Where: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Ohio – natural-terrain road course
When: Sunday, July 2, 1:30pm ET (green flag 1:53pm ET)
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, which hosts Sunday’s Honda Indy 200, provides a thorough workout for the drivers and cars of the NTT IndyCar Series, with several turns that rely heavily on showing the kind of commitment that only comes from huge amounts of bravery and intricate track knowledge.
Turn 1, for instance, requires absolute precision on turn-in. Come from too wide on the front-straight slice toward the apex, and your right-hand wheels will pick up enough track dust that you skitter wide on exit, find more dust, lose momentum and find yourself a sitting duck for your closest pursuer on the long run down to Turn 2. Turn in too early and clip the inside curb, and the car will again be nudged out wide on exit, possibly sending you out beyond the exit curbs.
Retaining maximum velocity through the dip then climb toward the second-gear hairpin of Turn 2 — also known as the Keyhole — is crucial because it’s a heavy braking zone, and there are a variety of lines one can take through there. The asphalt at the apex isn’t always in the rudest of health, and because the Firestone rubber has barely recovered from the longitudinal forces under braking, it can be a real tire shredder when it’s forced to deal with the lateral loads of a hairpin.
If you try and pass the car ahead on the outside, they’re going to leave you in the boonies for as long as possible before turning in, and even then they can run you out of road at the exit. If you dive down the inside, they can pinch you tight to the entry curb, costing you speed…and there’s a very long straight (incorporating the slight kink of Turn 3) that follows immediately afterward.
That second straight is where the race starts (below), and it’s ample for 27 Indy cars — although you wouldn’t guess that when you see the pack brake, change down to second gear, condense, compress and run three-wide into right-hand, 100-degree Turn 4. Oftentimes, some unfortunate souls fall off the edge, right and left.
As IndyCar has proven in recent years, it’s possible to then run two-wide through the uphill left-hand switchback of Turn 5, and downhill right-hand Turn 6 — which you have to get right or the blind turn-in for Turn 7 will be wrong. It’s a similar tale at Turn 8: get it right or it will leave you all wrong for the blind turn-in for Turn 9, where the car goes light and your momentum tries to drag you left and into the dirt. Then it’s the high-speed kink of Turn 10, climbing to the high-commitment, left-hand Turn 11, which will determine if you have it right into the long, neck-pulling right-hand Carousel, Turn 12, from which you can duck into the pitlane or commit to the dash downhill and hard left onto the pit straight.
In short, Mid-Ohio packs a lot into its 13-turn, 2.258-mile course, and the grandstand seating and grass banks offer thrilling viewing spots, whether you want to see Indy cars at maximum velocity, or braking hard and making passes.
Last year at Mid-Ohio, Arrow McLaren Chevrolet looked the most likely winners after qualifying, with Pato O’Ward on pole and Felix Rosenqvist lining up fourth. But both would suffer mechanical failures — Rosenqvist’s early and sudden while running third; O’Ward’s gradually debilitating — which left the door open for front-row starter Scott McLaughlin to claim his second win of the year for Team Penske (below).
The Kiwi was chased home by Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou, who’d raced his way from seventh on the grid. But the biggest climber was Will Power. He and the No. 12 Penske had looked the fastest combination until qualifying, when he was docked his two fastest laps for inadvertently blocking his former teammate Helio Castroneves of Meyer Shank Racing-Honda. That consigned Power to 21st on the grid, and he compounded his issue by spinning to the back of the field on the opening lap after backing out of a maneuver he realized was overambitious. From the very back of the field, he climbed all the way to third, giving the lie to those who claim it’s too hard to pass at Mid-Ohio…
You can follow all the practice and qualifying action on Peacock on Friday, June 30, and Saturday, July 1, and the warmup on the morning of Sunday, July 2. Then the 80-lap/180.64-mile race will be carried on the USA Network and streamed on Peacock. And to get even closer to it all, grab the best seat in the house with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA and its 14 race day live onboard cameras.
TUNE IN
Friday, June 30 / 3:05pm – 4:20pm ET – Practice 1 – Peacock
Saturday, July 1 / 9:45am – 10:45am ET – Practice 2 – Peacock
Saturday, July 1 / 2:45pm – 4:15pm ET – Qualifying – Peacock
Sunday, July 2 / 10:30am – 11:00am ET – Warmup – Peacock
Sunday, July 2 / 1:30pm – 4:00pm ET – RACE – USA Network, Peacock
* All sessions and the race are also available as audio commentary on SiriusXM and INDYCAR Radio.
Ride along with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA
Taking you inside the action, 14 drivers will be carrying in-car cameras in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. During the race, you can live-stream every one of them with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. You choose who you ride along with, and you can switch drivers at any time. The App’s free to download for fans worldwide and you can find out more HERE
Bringing you the onboard action from Mid-Ohio are…
Scott McLaughlin / No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet
The defending Mid-Ohio race winner seems able to dig deep and shine on any road course, matching the pace of his Penske teammates Will Power and Josef Newgarden. McLaughlin’s triumph at Barber Motorsports Park this season — the track which most closely resembles Mid-Ohio — is another indicator that he’ll be a threat in the Buckeye State. Generally wise in attack, solid in defense, he’s the complete driver. And he started on the front row here last year. You wouldn’t bet against him.
Pato O’Ward / No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Knocked sideways at Turn 3 at Road America, O’Ward lost some hard-earned spots from his front row grid slot, and then some more as punishment for blocking on the run down to Turn 5. Yet despite this, and a malfunctioning weight jacker, he pressed on to finish an impressive third, ahead of Scott Dixon. At Mid-Ohio, O’Ward (below, in 2022) is always spectacular to ride onboard with, such is the swiftness with which he reacts when the car goes light and sideways over the crests, and his pole position last year was impressive. Keeping the tires alive is a bigger ask — for everyone — but Arrow McLaren appears to be on top of that in 2023.
