The Honda Indy 200 is an IndyCar Series race held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Professional open wheel races at the facility date back to 1970. The U.S. Formula 5000 series ran from 1970 to 1976, and the revived Can-Am series ran from 1977 to 1980.
The CART series debuted at the track in 1980, and continued to race there from 1983–2003. In 2007, American open wheel racing returned to the venue, when the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series held an event. The race used to be part of a doubleheader with the American Le Mans Series, however in ALMS chose not to return to the track during its final year, 2013.
The history of open-wheel races has a unique footnote. The race has been won consecutively on seven occasions, including four times in a row from 1991–1997. It is also one of only a few Indy car races to be won by two sets of fathers & sons. (Mario & Michael Andretti and Bobby & Graham Rahal).
Since 2007, the race has been sponsored by Honda. The sponsorship arrangement complements the track's proximity to the manufacturer's assembly plants in Marysville, East Liberty, and Anna.
Indy car racing first visited Mid-Ohio in 1980. After a two-year hiatus, the CART series returned in 1983, after which time Truesports owner Jim Trueman had purchased the facility. CART appeared annually through 2003. The race was well-attended, drawing fans from two major markets nearby, Columbus and Cleveland. Crowds topped 75,000-80,000 at the peak of its popularity. The race schedule usually included a large slate of support races including Indy Lights, Atlantics, and SCCA.
In mid-2003, CART president Chris Pook hinted at dropping Mid-Ohio from the CART schedule going forward, citing various issues. For many years, Mid-Ohio was on the schedule alongside the Grand Prix of Cleveland, and Pook stated it was not viable to have two races in such close proximity, and favored keeping the race at Cleveland instead. In addition, some observers felt that the powerful Champ Cars had "outgrown" the narrow, winding course, citing a lack of passing and competition over the previous several years. Though the decision was generally unpopular with fans, Mid-Ohio was dropped from the CART/Champ Car schedule for 2004.
In late 2006, it was announced that the race would be revived as part of the Indy Racing League. Re-starting in 2007, the race would be sponsored by IRL engine supplier Honda, which has a prominent manufacturing presence in the central Ohio area.
Through much of its history, the track has been considered the hometown venue for first Truesports (1980s) and later Rahal Letterman Racing (1990s-present). Jim Trueman and the Trueman family owned the track from 1981 to 2007. Truesports scored two poles and two wins, while Rahal Letterman Racing has scored one pole and one win.
Chip Ganassi Racing leads with ten total victories, with driver Scott Dixon scoring five of those wins. Penske has the most poles (ten). Mario and Michael Andretti have combined for three wins and five poles, and Bobby and Graham Rahal have a combined three wins and two poles.
In early years of the event under CART, the race was scheduled for Labor Day weekend. In 1990, it was pushed back two weeks into mid-September. Rain and cooler temperatures, however, prompted officials to move the race to the summer. For 1994, it was situated in early to mid-August, the weekend after the Brickyard 400.
When the race was revived by the Indy Racing League in 2007, it was placed in July. Carried by ABC, it immediately followed final round coverage of the British Open. Such a lead-in usually created a strong television audience, but it was at the risk of the golf tournament running long due to a playoff, as it did in 2007. Starting in 2009, the race was moved back to its early August slot.
Through 1989, the race utilized the original full 2.4-mile track layout, which included the chicane (turns 2 and 3) just before the keyhole (turn 4). During a track repaving project in early 1990, a straightaway segment was paved to create an alternate layout which bypasses the chicane. The alternate layout measured 2.25 miles. Since the 1990 race, the Indy cars have utilized the alternate course, bypassing the chicane and creating a passing zone going into the keyhole.
In all years, the Indy cars have utilized the auxiliary starting line located at the mid-point of the backstretch. The finish line and all other scoring is done at the line on the pit straight. Restarts after caution periods are also all done at the line on the pit straight.
1994: Race shortened due to time limit.
1980: The Indy cars visited Mid-Ohio for the first time in 1980, under the USAC/CART CRL banner. Brothers Al and Bobby Unser started on the front row, but both dropped out early with mechanical problems. Rick Mears took the lead for the first time on lap 13, with Johnny Rutherford close behind in second. The two cars battled for the lead over many laps, with Mears holding off Rutherford's challenges. Late in the race, Rutherford made his final pit stop, leaving Mears in the lead by about 20 seconds. Mears, however, was suffering from the heat, which caused him to spin out in turn 12. Mears lost a lap, handing the lead to Rutherford in the Chaparral 2K. Moments later, Mears tangled with the spinning car of Rick Muther, and he was out of the race. Johnny Rutherford cruised to victory over the final 19 laps, beating Gordon Johncock by 23.07 seconds. Only seven cars were running at the finish.
1983: The Indy cars returned to Mid-Ohio for the second time, as part of the CART PPG Indy Car World Series. Polesitter and hometown favorite Bobby Rahal led the first 18 laps, but was forced to pit with a fuel pickup problem. Teo Fabi assumed the lead on lap 27, and never relinquished it. Contenders John Paul Jr. and Al Unser Jr. both fell by the wayside, while second place Mario Andretti was never able to mount a strong challenge on Fabi. Fabi stretched out to a 45-second lead at one point, and made his final pit stop without losing the lead. Fabi won by 25 seconds over Andretti. Despite two unscheduled pit stops, Bobby Rahal still managed to come home in third.
1984: The race was moved to Labor Day weekend beginning in 1984. On a hot, 90° day, Mario Andretti dominated the race, leading 76 of the 84 laps. He lapped all but second place Bobby Rahal, who finished 37.9 seconds behind. The hot conditions took a toll on the field, with numerous drivers, including Andretti, complaining of exhaustion and heat-related fatigue. No driver was able to mount any sort of challenge for the win, and Andretti only relinquished the lead during pit stops. Rahal gave up the chase with about 14 laps to go, and third place Danny Sullivan was more than a lap down, allowing Andretti to cruise to victory.
1985: Hometown favorite Bobby Rahal won the pole position with a new track record (114.791 mph), and led 83 of the 84 laps, en route to a dominating victory. It was Rahal's first Indy car win at Mid-Ohio, in his third attempt. Mario Andretti was running second with just over one lap to go when he blew a tire down the backstretch and skidded to a halt in the grass. Andretti dropped to seventh at the finish, while Danny Sullivan came home in second place.
1986: Bobby Rahal was victorious again, winning one of the more exciting races thus far at Mid-Ohio. Mario Andretti started from the pole position and led the first 12 laps until he dropped out with exhaust problems. Danny Sullivan led 60 of the next 61 laps, with Rahal close behind. The two cars battled for the lead most of the day, with Sullivan able to hold off Rahal. Coming out of the keyhole with nine laps to go, Sullivan's car shockingly began to sputter and Rahal blew by to take the lead on the backstretch. Sullivan pitted for fuel, and wound up third. Rahal now held a seven second lead over Roberto Guerrero, but it quickly evaporated when Rahal became mired in traffic. Guerrero was right on the back bumper of Rahal with six laps to go at the start/finish line. But as the leaders exited turn one, Josele Garza touched wheels with Randy Lewis just behind them. Garza's car flipped into the guardrail, catapulted into the crossover bridge, and tumbled back onto the track near turn one. Garza suffered a broken leg, but was not critically injured in the horrendous crash. The race finished under caution, with Rahal becoming the first back-to-back winner at Mid-Ohio.
1987: Bobby Rahal was looking to win his third-consecutive Indy car race at Mid-Ohio - and fifth race overall (he had won in IROC and IMSA) - but with 11 laps to go, a collision took away the chance for victory. Rahal led 66 laps, and was ahead by half a lap when he was working through traffic on lap 74. Rahal tangled with the lapped car of Rick Miaskiewicz, forcing him to pit with a punctured tire. Roberto Guerrero blew by the limping car of Rahal to take the lead, and pulled away for the victory. Rahal climbed back up to second, and avoided a major blow when Michael Andretti - his closest competitor in the points championship - blew his engine in the closing laps. Four days later, Guerrero would be injured during a tire test at Indianapolis. He was struck in the head by a tire, leaving him in a coma, and sidelined for the remainder of the season.
1988: The race started in rain, with Danny Sullivan on the pole. On lap 3, Michael Andretti tapped Sullivan at the end of the backstretch, sending the two cars, along with Al Unser Jr., spinning into the grass. Andretti dropped out, but Unser and Sullivan were able to continue. Emerson Fittipaldi started 7th, but was quickly up the lead by lap 7. Fittipaldi led 62 laps, stretching out to a 31-second margin at one point. After the final sequence of pit stops, Fittipaldi took the lead for good on lap 70, and won his first race at Mid-Ohio.
1989: Teo Fabi started from the pole position and won the race, the first and only victory for the Porsche Indy Car program. Fabi took the lead at the start, and led 45 of the first 47 laps, with Al Unser Jr. in pursuit. Unser caught and passed Fabi for the lead on lap 48. After the second round of pit stops, Fabi was back in the lead pulling out to a sizable margin. Fabi's crew, however, had not been able to fill the car with fuel on the second stop, and Fabi would be forced to make a third splash-and-go pit stop to make it to the finish. With the light fuel load, Fabi pulled out to a 21-second advantage, allowing him to pit for fuel with nine laps to go and still hold the lead. Fabi became the second two-time winner at Mid-Ohio, and this would be the final Indy car race held on the original 2.4-mile layout.
1990: During the offseason, a new straightaway segment was paved to bypass the chicane (turns 2-3), and the track layout now measured 2.25 miles. Heavy rain in the morning made for a damp track at the start. Michael Andretti led the first 45 laps. During his first scheduled pit stop, Andretti's crew insisted he stay on wet tires, while his father Mario Andretti switched to slicks. Two laps later, Michael Andretti slid off-course in the keyhole, allowing Mario to take the lead. Michael dropped to third, with Eddie Cheever now up to second. On lap 57, Michael tried to pass Cheever for second at the end of the backstretch, but lost control and clipped Cheever's tire. Cheever's tire was punctured, and Michael's front wing was damaged. Moments later, a downpour put the race under caution, and the entire field pitted for wets. When the green came out, Michael quickly reeled in his father Mario, and took the lead for good on lap 71. Michael Andretti led the rest of the way and cruised to victory, with Mario finishing second.
1991: Michael Andretti dominated the race, leading 88 of the 89 laps, and held on for a crucial victory, his second-consecutive win at Mid-Ohio. Andretti started from the pole and led most of the day with ease, giving up the lead only during a pit stop. But late in the race, his tires started to go away. On lap 66, Emerson Fittipaldi passed Bobby Rahal for second place and began charging to catch Andretti. Fittipaldi closed to within one second with five laps to go. Andretti and Fittipaldi encountered lapped traffic on lap 86, and Andretti was able to get by cleanly. Fittipaldi, however, got caught behind the slower cars and could not get by. Andretti held on to win the race, taking the points lead as a result. It was a critical win that helped Andretti on the way to winning the 1991 CART championship.
1992: Michael Andretti led 50 of the first 51 laps, ahead of Penske teammates Emerson Fittipaldi and Paul Tracy, who were in close pursuit. Andretti, going for three in a row at Mid-Ohio, however, dropped out with low oil pressure. Fittipaldi took over the lead and won the race, with Tracy coming home second. Hometown favorite Bobby Rahal, two-time Mid-Ohio winner, and the series points leader going into the race, had an embarrassing crash in turn one on the third lap. Battling poor handling, he hit the concrete curbing, lost control, and spun into the barrier.
1993: Series points leader Nigel Mansell started from the pole position. At the start, Paul Tracy from the outside of the front row, clipped Mansell's car, breaking the front wing, and forcing Mansell to the pits for repairs. Tracy took the lead, and pulled out to a 21-second advantage. On lap 21, however, he locked up the brakes attempting to lap the car of Scott Pruett, and slid off the track head-on into a tire barrier. Later in the race, Emerson Fittipaldi battled with Scott Goodyear and Al Unser Jr. for the race lead. On lap 31, Unser tried to pass Fittipaldi for the lead in the esses, but ran out of room and slid off into the grass. Unser veered back onto the pavement, clipping Goodyear in the right rear. Unser's nosecone broke off, sending him to the pits and out of contention for the win. Fittipaldi became the third driver to win at Mid-Ohio in consecutive seasons, and the second in a row to do so. Nigel Mansell charged from two laps down to come home 12th.
1994: Beginning in 1994, the race was moved to mid-August. On lap 53, Paul Tracy was leading, just ahead of Al Unser Jr., when Teo Fabi spun out in the Keyhole. A local yellow was put out as a safety truck was dispatched to tow Fabi out of the sandtrap. Tracy came upon the car of Robby Gordon coming out of turn one. In the keyhole, Gordon went too hot into the corner, and the back end nearly came around. The car slid high out of the groove, and he avoided contact with the safety truck. Tracy locked up the brakes, and ducked underneath Gordon to get by. Moments later, CART officials put out the black flag and issued Tracy a stop-and-go penalty for passing under the yellow. The penalty cost Tracy the lead. Despite the controversial penalty, Penske teammates Unser, Tracy, and Emerson Fittipaldi swept the podium, finishing 1-2-3.
1995: After an up-and-down day, Al Unser Jr. was victorious, becoming the third driver in a row to win back-to-back races at Mid-Ohio (and fourth overall). During the pace lap, Unser was forced to pit with a punctured tire. He pitted out of sequence with the leaders, which necessitated a late-race pit stop for a splash of fuel. Unser inherited the lead after Michael Andretti blew an engine with four laps to go.
1996: Ganassi teammates Alex Zanardi and Jimmy Vasser finished 1st-2nd, with Zanardi leading 79 of the 83 laps. Zanardi held a comfortable lead most of the race, but two late yellows bunched the field for Vasser. Zanardi was able to withstand the two late restarts. Two crashes on the final lap took out four cars. Greg Moore made contact with André Ribeiro in the keyhole, while Al Unser Jr. tangled with Parker Johnstone at the end of the backstretch. Unser, who entered the race second in points, was running 10th, but fell out of the points.
1997: Alex Zanardi became the fourth driver in a row to win consecutive races at Mid-Ohio, and the fifth overall. Zanardi took the lead for the first time on lap 19 after polesitter Bryan Herta blew a tire. Zanardi pulled out to a large lead over Greg Moore. Late in the race, the Ganassi team determined that Zanardi was one lap short of making the distance on fuel. The team encouraged Zanardi to speed up and put some distance between himself and second place. On lap 70, he had pulled out to a 30-second lead when a yellow came out. He ducked into the pits for a splash-and-go stop for fuel, and came out still holding the lead. Zanardi cruised to the win, and Moore finished second 4.8 seconds behind. Bobby Rahal charged from 16th starting position to finish third.
1998: Much of the attention for the day focused on Bobby Rahal, who was making his final start at Mid-Ohio before his retirement at the end of the season. Rahal would finish a strong third. In a race full of crashes, Adrián Fernández led the final 26 laps, holding off teammate Scott Pruett for the victory. A crash on the first lap took out Bryan Herta, Dario Franchitti, and Jimmy Vasser. Greg Moore, who led 23 laps, dropped out after contact in the pits damaged his suspension. The most serious crash of the day occurred on lap 58. P. J. Jones ran over a piece of debris from JJ Lehto's car, locking up his steering at the end of the backstretch. Michael Andretti and Mark Blundell came upon the scene, and Andretti, attempting to pass, touched wheels with Jones. Andretti's car was sent barrel-rolling off the end of the backstretch at 190 mph, landing upright in a sand trap. Later in the race, Alex Zanardi was fined $50,000 for contact with Hélio Castroneves.
1999: Juan Pablo Montoya started 8th, and after a fast pit stop on lap 30, came out in third place. Trailing race leader Dario Franchitti by 17 seconds, Montoya began charging and over the next twenty laps, closed to within two seconds of the lead. Franchitti made his second pit stop a few laps early due to a punctured tire, handing the lead to Paul Tracy. The lead was short-lived, as Montoya passed Tracy one lap later. On a restart with 18 laps to go, Montoya was able to get a jump, and set a stunning pace over the final stint. Montoya cruised to victory by a margin of 10.9 seconds over Tracy. Franchitti came home third.
2000: Penske Racing teammates Hélio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran dominated the weekend. The duo swept the front row in qualifying, and led all 83 laps en route to a 1-2 finish. At the start, de Ferran took the lead from the pole position, and led the first 28 laps. He made his first pit stop on lap 29, handing the lead to Castroneves. One lap later, Castroneves pitted, and with a faster stop came out ahead of de Ferran. Castroneves led the final 55 laps to win.
2001: For the second consecutive year, Hélio Castroneves and Gil de Ferran finished 1-2 for Penske. In a near-repeat of the 2000 race, de Ferran started from the pole position, and led until the first round of pit stops. On lap 29, de Ferran pitted, but was mired in traffic after he exited the pit area. Castroneves pitted one lap later, and with a clear track maintained the lead after his stop. Moments later, Rahal teammates Kenny Bräck and Max Papis tangled in the Esses dropping both from contention. Early contenders Jimmy Vasser and Dario Franchitti both dropped out, while Michael Andretti blew his engine back on lap 6. Castroneves led 44 of the final 55 laps to win, and became the sixth different driver to win at Mid-Ohio in consecutive seasons.
2002: Patrick Carpentier started from the pole position and led 89 of the 92 laps on his way to victory. Cristiano da Matta was in close pursuit of Carpentier much of the race, and closed to within a car length on lap 70. Going down the backstretch, da Matta tucked in behind, and ducked low looking to make a pass for the lead going into turn 5. Carpentier turned in, and da Matta's car got caught in dirty air, locked the rear brakes, and spun into the gravel trap.
2003: The final CART series race at Mid-Ohio was won by Paul Tracy. Tracy won a Indy/Champ car race at Mid-Ohio for the first time in eleven tries, and it was his first win on the course since an Indy Lights victory in 1990. Tracy led 69 of the 92 laps, and finished 0.51 seconds ahead of second place Patrick Carpentier.
2009: Scott Dixon earns his 20th Indy Racing League IndyCar Series victory, making him the most successful driver in series history.
2013: Charlie Kimball led a race-high 46 laps, and earned his first victory in Indy car competition. In a race that went caution-free, Kimball set an all-time Mid-Ohio record with an average speed of 117.825 mph.
2014: Scott Dixon won his record fifth Mid-Ohio Indy car race.
2015: Hometown favorite Graham Rahal won the race, thirty years after his father Bobby Rahal won at Mid-Ohio. On lap 66, Rahal made his final pit stop, just as the yellow came out for a controversial spin by Sage Karam at the end of the backstretch. Rahal led the rest of the way, holding off Justin Wilson on a restart with 6 laps to go.
NOTE: The 2012 broadcast aired on ABC, but featured NBCSN’s announcing team. This was due to scheduling conflicts with the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
