Race summaries Honda Indy 200

1 race summaries

1.1 cart ppg indy car world series
1.2 cart fedex championship series
1.3 indy racing league / indycar series

race summaries
cart ppg indy car world series

1980: indy cars visited mid-ohio first time in 1980, under usac/cart crl banner. brothers al , bobby unser started on front row, both dropped out mechanical problems. rick mears took lead first time on lap 13, johnny rutherford close behind in second. 2 cars battled lead on many laps, mears holding off rutherford s challenges. late in race, rutherford made final pit stop, leaving mears in lead 20 seconds. mears, however, suffering heat, caused him spin out in turn 12. mears lost lap, handing lead rutherford in chaparral 2k. moments later, mears tangled spinning car of rick muther, , out of race. johnny rutherford cruised victory on final 19 laps, beating gordon johncock 23.07 seconds. 7 cars running @ finish.
1983: indy cars returned mid-ohio second time, part of cart ppg indy car world series. polesitter , hometown favorite bobby rahal led first 18 laps, forced pit fuel pickup problem. teo fabi assumed lead on lap 27, , never relinquished it. contenders john paul jr. , al unser jr. both fell wayside, while second place mario andretti never able mount strong challenge on fabi. fabi stretched out 45-second lead @ 1 point, , made final pit stop without losing lead. fabi won 25 seconds on andretti. despite 2 unscheduled pit stops, bobby rahal still managed come home in third.
1984: race moved labor day weekend beginning in 1984. on hot, 90° day, mario andretti dominated race, leading 76 of 84 laps. lapped second place bobby rahal, finished 37.9 seconds behind. hot conditions took toll on field, numerous drivers, including andretti, complaining of exhaustion , heat-related fatigue. no driver able mount sort of challenge win, , andretti relinquished lead during pit stops. rahal gave chase 14 laps go, , third place danny sullivan more lap down, allowing andretti cruise victory.


bobby rahal celebrates victory in 1985 race.



1985: hometown favorite bobby rahal won pole position new track record (114.791 mph), , led 83 of 84 laps, en route dominating victory. rahal s first indy car win @ mid-ohio, in third attempt. mario andretti running second on 1 lap go when blew tire down backstretch , skidded halt in grass. andretti dropped seventh @ finish, while danny sullivan came home in second place.
1986: bobby rahal victorious again, winning 1 of more exciting races far @ mid-ohio. mario andretti started pole position , led first 12 laps until dropped out exhaust problems. danny sullivan led 60 of next 61 laps, rahal close behind. 2 cars battled lead of day, sullivan able hold off rahal. coming out of keyhole 9 laps go, sullivan s car shockingly began sputter , rahal blew take lead on backstretch. sullivan pitted fuel, , wound third. rahal held 7 second lead on roberto guerrero, evaporated when rahal became mired in traffic. guerrero right on bumper of rahal 6 laps go @ start/finish line. leaders exited turn one, josele garza touched wheels randy lewis behind them. garza s car flipped guardrail, catapulted crossover bridge, , tumbled onto track near turn one. garza suffered broken leg, not critically injured in horrendous crash. race finished under caution, rahal becoming first back-to-back winner @ mid-ohio.
1987: bobby rahal looking win third-consecutive indy car race @ mid-ohio - , fifth race overall (he had won in iroc , imsa) - 11 laps go, collision took away chance victory. rahal led 66 laps, , ahead half lap when working through traffic on lap 74. rahal tangled lapped car of rick miaskiewicz, forcing him pit punctured tire. roberto guerrero blew limping car of rahal take lead, , pulled away victory. rahal climbed second, , avoided major blow when michael andretti - closest competitor in points championship - blew engine in closing laps. 4 days later, guerrero injured during tire test @ indianapolis. struck in head tire, leaving him in coma, , sidelined remainder of season.
1988: race started in rain, danny sullivan on pole. on lap 3, michael andretti tapped sullivan @ end of backstretch, sending 2 cars, along al unser jr., spinning grass. andretti dropped out, unser , sullivan able continue. emerson fittipaldi started 7th, lead lap 7. fittipaldi led 62 laps, stretching out 31-second margin @ 1 point. after final sequence of pit stops, fittipaldi took lead on lap 70, , won first race @ mid-ohio.
1989: teo fabi started pole position , won race, first , victory porsche indy car program. fabi took lead @ start, , led 45 of first 47 laps, al unser jr. in pursuit. unser caught , passed fabi lead on lap 48. after second round of pit stops, fabi in lead pulling out sizable margin. fabi s crew, however, had not been able fill car fuel on second stop, , fabi forced make third splash-and-go pit stop make finish. light fuel load, fabi pulled out 21-second advantage, allowing him pit fuel 9 laps go , still hold lead. fabi became second two-time winner @ mid-ohio, , final indy car race held on original 2.4-mile layout.
1990: during offseason, new straightaway segment paved bypass chicane (turns 2-3), , track layout measured 2.25 miles. heavy rain in morning made damp track @ start. michael andretti led first 45 laps. during first scheduled pit stop, andretti s crew insisted stay on wet tires, while father mario andretti switched slicks. 2 laps later, michael andretti slid off-course in keyhole, allowing mario take lead. michael dropped third, eddie cheever second. on lap 57, michael tried pass cheever second @ end of backstretch, lost control , clipped cheever s tire. cheever s tire punctured, , michael s front wing damaged. moments later, downpour put race under caution, , entire field pitted wets. when green came out, michael reeled in father mario, , took lead on lap 71. michael andretti led rest of way , cruised victory, mario finishing second.
1991: michael andretti dominated race, leading 88 of 89 laps, , held on crucial victory, second-consecutive win @ mid-ohio. andretti started pole , led of day ease, giving lead during pit stop. late in race, tires started go away. on lap 66, emerson fittipaldi passed bobby rahal second place , began charging catch andretti. fittipaldi closed within 1 second 5 laps go. andretti , fittipaldi encountered lapped traffic on lap 86, , andretti able cleanly. fittipaldi, however, got caught behind slower cars , not by. andretti held on win race, taking points lead result. critical win helped andretti on way winning 1991 cart championship.
1992: michael andretti led 50 of first 51 laps, ahead of penske teammates emerson fittipaldi , paul tracy, in close pursuit. andretti, going 3 in row @ mid-ohio, however, dropped out low oil pressure. fittipaldi took on lead , won race, tracy coming home second. hometown favorite bobby rahal, two-time mid-ohio winner, , series points leader going race, had embarrassing crash in turn 1 on third lap. battling poor handling, hit concrete curbing, lost control, , spun barrier.
1993: series points leader nigel mansell started pole position. @ start, paul tracy outside of front row, clipped mansell s car, breaking front wing, , forcing mansell pits repairs. tracy took lead, , pulled out 21-second advantage. on lap 21, however, locked brakes attempting lap car of scott pruett, , slid off track head-on tire barrier. later in race, emerson fittipaldi battled scott goodyear , al unser jr. race lead. on lap 31, unser tried pass fittipaldi lead in esses, ran out of room , slid off grass. unser veered onto pavement, clipping goodyear in right rear. unser s nosecone broke off, sending him pits , out of contention win. fittipaldi became third driver win @ mid-ohio in consecutive seasons, , second in row so. nigel mansell charged 2 laps down come home 12th.
1994: beginning in 1994, race moved mid-august. on lap 53, paul tracy leading, ahead of al unser jr., when teo fabi spun out in keyhole. local yellow put out safety truck dispatched tow fabi out of sandtrap. tracy came upon car of robby gordon coming out of turn one. in keyhole, gordon went hot corner, , end came around. car slid high out of groove, , avoided contact safety truck. tracy locked brakes, , ducked underneath gordon by. moments later, cart officials put out black flag , issued tracy stop-and-go penalty passing under yellow. penalty cost tracy lead. despite controversial penalty, penske teammates unser, tracy, , emerson fittipaldi swept podium, finishing 1-2-3.
1995: after up-and-down day, al unser jr. victorious, becoming third driver in row win back-to-back races @ mid-ohio (and fourth overall). during pace lap, unser forced pit punctured tire. pitted out of sequence leaders, necessitated late-race pit stop splash of fuel. unser inherited lead after michael andretti blew engine 4 laps go.
1996: ganassi teammates alex zanardi , jimmy vasser finished 1st-2nd, zanardi leading 79 of 83 laps. zanardi held comfortable lead of race, 2 late yellows bunched field vasser. zanardi able withstand 2 late restarts. 2 crashes on final lap took out 4 cars. greg moore made contact andré ribeiro in keyhole, while al unser jr. tangled parker johnstone @ end of backstretch. unser, entered race second in points, running 10th, fell out of points.
1997: alex zanardi became fourth driver in row win consecutive races @ mid-ohio, , fifth overall. zanardi took lead first time on lap 19 after polesitter bryan herta blew tire. zanardi pulled out large lead on greg moore. late in race, ganassi team determined zanardi 1 lap short of making distance on fuel. team encouraged zanardi speed , put distance between himself , second place. on lap 70, had pulled out 30-second lead when yellow came out. ducked pits splash-and-go stop fuel, , came out still holding lead. zanardi cruised win, , moore finished second 4.8 seconds behind. bobby rahal charged 16th starting position finish third.

cart fedex championship series

1998: of attention day focused on bobby rahal, making final start @ mid-ohio before retirement @ end of season. rahal finish strong third. in race full of crashes, adrián fernández led final 26 laps, holding off teammate scott pruett victory. crash on first lap took out bryan herta, dario franchitti, , jimmy vasser. greg moore, led 23 laps, dropped out after contact in pits damaged suspension. serious crash of day occurred on lap 58. p. j. jones ran on piece of debris jj lehto s car, locking steering @ end of backstretch. michael andretti , mark blundell came upon scene, , andretti, attempting pass, touched wheels jones. andretti s car sent barrel-rolling off end of backstretch @ 190 mph, landing upright in sand trap. later in race, alex zanardi fined $50,000 contact hélio castroneves.
1999: juan pablo montoya started 8th, , after fast pit stop on lap 30, came out in third place. trailing race leader dario franchitti 17 seconds, montoya began charging , on next twenty laps, closed within 2 seconds of lead. franchitti made second pit stop few laps due punctured tire, handing lead paul tracy. lead short-lived, montoya passed tracy 1 lap later. on restart 18 laps go, montoya able jump, , set stunning pace on final stint. montoya cruised victory margin of 10.9 seconds on tracy. franchitti came home third.
2000: penske racing teammates hélio castroneves , gil de ferran dominated weekend. duo swept front row in qualifying, , led 83 laps en route 1-2 finish. @ start, de ferran took lead pole position, , led first 28 laps. made first pit stop on lap 29, handing lead castroneves. 1 lap later, castroneves pitted, , faster stop came out ahead of de ferran. castroneves led final 55 laps win.
2001: second consecutive year, hélio castroneves , gil de ferran finished 1-2 penske. in near-repeat of 2000 race, de ferran started pole position, , led until first round of pit stops. on lap 29, de ferran pitted, mired in traffic after exited pit area. castroneves pitted 1 lap later, , clear track maintained lead after stop. moments later, rahal teammates kenny bräck , max papis tangled in esses dropping both contention. contenders jimmy vasser , dario franchitti both dropped out, while michael andretti blew engine on lap 6. castroneves led 44 of final 55 laps win, , became sixth different driver win @ mid-ohio in consecutive seasons.
2002: patrick carpentier started pole position , led 89 of 92 laps on way victory. cristiano da matta in close pursuit of carpentier of race, , closed within car length on lap 70. going down backstretch, da matta tucked in behind, , ducked low looking make pass lead going turn 5. carpentier turned in, , da matta s car got caught in dirty air, locked rear brakes, , spun gravel trap.
2003: final cart series race @ mid-ohio won paul tracy. tracy won indy/champ car race @ mid-ohio first time in eleven tries, , first win on course since indy lights victory in 1990. tracy led 69 of 92 laps, , finished 0.51 seconds ahead of second place patrick carpentier.

indy racing league / indycar series

2009: scott dixon earns 20th indy racing league indycar series victory, making him successful driver in series history.
2013: charlie kimball led race-high 46 laps, , earned first victory in indy car competition. in race went caution-free, kimball set all-time mid-ohio record average speed of 117.825 mph.
2014: scott dixon won record fifth mid-ohio indy car race.
2015: hometown favorite graham rahal won race, thirty years after father bobby rahal won @ mid-ohio. on lap 66, rahal made final pit stop, yellow came out controversial spin sage karam @ end of backstretch. rahal led rest of way, holding off justin wilson on restart 6 laps go.




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