What: Honda Indy Toronto / Race 10 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series
Where: Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ont. – street track
When: Sunday, July 16, 1:30pm ET (green flag 1:53pm ET)
The NTT IndyCar Series heads north of the border for its annual rumble on the streets of Toronto, Ont. With nine races in the books and only eight to go, it could be a pivotal weekend for anyone with ambitions to chase down runaway championship leader Alex Palou and his increasingly gargantuan points lead.
Winding around Exhibition Place, close to the shore of Lake Ontario, the tight 11-turn, 1.786-mile track lends itself to some opportunistic passing moves, although many times there’s only one car making it out unscathed. The long front straight leading into the right-hander Princes’ Gate Turn 1 and the Lakeshore Boulevard straight leading into a hard 90-degree right-hander at Turn 3 are the most obvious places for overtaking, but the Turn 5 left-hander and Turn 8’s 90-degree right-hander formed by the intersection of Manitoba Drive into Nova Scotia Avenue can come into play for some ‘Hail Mary’ passing attempts, too.
Scott Dixon is Palou’s nearest challenger in the standings, albeit 110 points (more than the haul from two race wins and every bonus point on offer) behind his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate. But while Palou is on a roll of four wins from the last five races, Dixon is the form man when it comes to Toronto. He’s won four times, including last year (below), and will be looking to close the gap as the series heads for its home stretch.
In the last 10 Toronto races, the winner has come from the front row five times – three from the pole and two from the second slot (that man Dixon in 2018 and ’22). As noted, passing moves come with a fairly high degree of risk, but Josef Newgarden is the guy when it comes to winning from further back in the pack. He started seventh for his 2017 win, and all the w ay back in 11th for a 2015 victory. The Team Penske driver sits third in the standings, 116 points off of Palou, so he’ll be a man on a mission in Hogtown, too.
Sunday afternoon’s Honda Indy Toronto is scheduled for 85 laps and 151.81 miles. There’s the chance of rain on Saturday and for race day, and with temperatures set to nudge 80 degrees on Sunday, it could be a real workout for the 27-car field – not least IndyCar debutant Tom Blomqvist, who subs for a still-recovering Simon Pagenaud at Meyer Shank Racing following the Frenchman’s multiple rolls at Mid-Ohio. NTT IndyCar Series cars aren’t fitted with power steering, so IMSA ace Blomqvist will certainly feel it on Monday morning…
You can follow all the practice and qualifying action on Peacock on Friday, July 14, and Saturday, July 15, with Peacock also your go-to location for race day on Sunday, July 16. 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 11 race day live onboard cameras.
TUNE IN
Friday, July 14 / 3:00pm – 4:15pm ET – Practice 1 – Peacock
Saturday, July 15 / 10:35am – 11:35am ET – Practice 2 – Peacock
Saturday, July 15 / 2:50pm – 4:20pm ET – Qualifying – Peacock
Sunday, July 16 / 10:15am – 10:45am ET – Warmup – Peacock
Sunday, July 16 / 1:30pm – 4:00pm ET – RACE – 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, 11 drivers will be carrying in-car cameras. 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. If you’re not already onboard, take your viewing experience to a whole new level HERE.
Bringing you the onboard action from the Honda Indy Toronto are…
Colton Herta / No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda
How hasn’t this guy won a race in 2023, part 1. Last two races, Herta’s started on pole and gone on to lead 33 laps at Road America, then 26 laps at Mid-Ohio (below). On current form, he’s the driver to beat, but he and his No. 26 Andretti Autosport crew have only beaten themselves. A premature pit stop at Road America left him fifth at the checkers, and a pitlane speeding penalty tumbled him down to 11th in Ohio. Kill the errors, put a whole weekend together, and the 2022 Toronto pole winner and runner-up could be heading for victory lane on Sunday.
Pato O’Ward / No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
How hasn’t this guy won a race in 2023, part 2. He’s fifth in points, has four podiums so far, including three second-place finishes, but O’Ward just hasn’t been able to convert race-winning potential into a victory yet. Crashes at Long Beach, Indy and Detroit haven’t helped the cause, but you can expect the spectacular Mexican and the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevy to be a threat for the win again this weekend.
