Round 13: Honda Indy 200 At Mid-Ohio. Lexington, Ohio. July 28-30.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Round 13: Honda Indy 200 At Mid-Ohio. Lexington, Ohio. July 28-30.

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.


In last year's race pole sitter Simon Pagenaud, who broke the track record, took the lead until lap 16, when Dixon attempted to pass Castroneves at turn three. The cars two touched, severely damaging Dixon's rear suspension, sending him to the back of the field, where he finished last. This brought out the first caution, with some drivers opting to pit including Pagenaud. However, Montoya elected to stay out taking the lead.

Racing resumed on lap 19 with Montoya leading until lap 25, when he made his first stop. Some drivers opted for an alternative strategy, including Aleshin, who took the lead when Montoya pitted. Aleshin maintained and increased his lead through the second round of scheduled pitstops, until lap 61, when Hawksworth went wide entering turn one, causing him to lose control and hitting the wall. This brought about the second and final caution of the race and the final round of pit stops. During the stops, Aleshin was released into the path of Josef Newgarden. Both made contact and both cars were damaged. This dropped Aleshin down to 17th and Daly inherited the lead.

The race restarted on lap 66, with Daly pulling ahead, meanwhile Pagenaud overtook Penske team mate Power at Turn 12. However, Daly needed one more stop and without another caution was forced to pit on lap 84, handing Pagenaud the lead. With 5 laps left, Pagenaud won by some 4 seconds over Power.


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.

Last year's winner:
Simon Pagenaud
Team Penske
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet IndyCar V6

Laps: 90
Distance: 203.22 mi (327.05 km)
Race Time: 1:50:00
Average Speed: 110.853 mph (178.400 km)
Cautions:
2, laps 10

TV Coverage:
NBCSN, 3:00pm ET.