Latest news with #MidOhio
Forbes
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
IndyCar Legend Bobby Rahal Will Be Honored At Mid-Ohio IndyCar Race
Driver Bobby Rahal when he was honored before the 1998 CART Miller Lite 200 at Mid-Ohio with his ... More family, including young Graham Rahal (blue shirt in the middle). He will be honored once again on Sunday, July 6, 2025. Mandatory Credit: Robert Laberge /Allsport One of the legendary names in racing history at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Bobby Rahal, will be honored at the July 6 Honda Indy 500 at Mid-Ohio on the 40th anniversary of his first win at the historic track. Rahal is the 1985 and 1986 IndyCar race winner at the legendary Ohio track and will serve as the honorary grand marshal of The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport on Sunday, July 6. As grand marshal, Rahal will announce the most famous words in racing, "Drivers, start your engines" as well as participate in pre-race ceremonies for the 90-lap NTT IndyCar Series race at Mid-Ohio. The race will broadcast globally with live coverage nationally starting at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time on FOX. Rahal's Ohio Roots Rahal was born in Medina, Ohio, and later a Dublin, Ohio, then New Albany, Ohio resident, Rahal's connection to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course runs deep and is long-standing. In addition to his two IndyCar wins at the track, the three-time IndyCar Series champion finished on the podium a remarkable eight of his 16 career starts on his home circuit including in his last two races in 1997 and 1998. Rahal has also won at Mid-Ohio as a team owner in 2015 with his son Graham Rahal taking the checkered flag at The Honda Indy 200 for Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing shop was once located in nearby Hilliard, Ohio in the same building which formerly housed Truesports Racing. Rahal drove for Truesports when entering the Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) series in 1982 and won the Indianapolis 500 with the Jim Trueman-owned team in 1986. The multiple motorsports hall of fame inductee is in a very select group of individuals who have won the Indianapolis 500 both as a driver and as an owner/entrant (2004 and 2020 as an owner). 'It's a great honor to be the grand marshal for The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio. Mid-Ohio played an important role in my personal and professional life," Rahal said. "I went to the first ever race there with my father in 1962 and made annual trips there after that, sometimes twice a year. 'I got my first win at Mid-Ohio in my SCCA class in 1974, won both IROC races I competed in there, won the Lumberman's race and of course the two INDYCAR races in 1985 and 1986.' But Rahal's connection with Mid-Ohio was deeper at personal. The owner of Mid-Ohio was Jim Trueman, who was also Rahal's team owner. 'Being by (Jim) Trueman's side when he bought the track in 1980 and winning the IMSA race with him in 1983 as well as winning the IndyCar races there and seeing Graham win there in 2015 are some of my greatest memories at one of my favorite tracks,' Rahal said. 'It was a privilege to drive on such a great circuit all those years.' Bobby Rahal in 1982. (Photo by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images) Additionally, Jun Jayaraman, senior vice president, Manufacturing Management Center of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America (HDMA), will be this year's honorary starter, waving the green flag to start the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race. Paul Dentinger, senior vice president, Purchasing & Supply Chain Center of HDMA, will be the trophy presenter to the podium finishers for post-race ceremonies. 'We are honored to celebrate Bobby Rahal's many racing accomplishments and his tremendous legacy at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course by naming him this year's grand marshal. He's a true motorsports icon from the Buckeye State,' said Craig Rust, president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. 'Thank you to Paul Dentinger and Jun Jayaraman for also joining us to serve in these honorary positions. Mr. Jayaraman, Mr. Dentinger and the thousands of associates from the nearby manufacturing and R&D facilities joining us next weekend will make this another memorable Honda gathering.' The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport on July 4-6 marks the 42nd running of Ohio's biggest racing event. The NTT IndyCar Series headlines the weekend of nine races across five different racing series. The full development ladder of the sport's rising stars will be on display with INDY NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire, USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire and USF Juniors Presented by Continental Tire all competing on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course. The event will also feature its annual off-track Fourth of July celebrations. On Saturday, July 5, campers are encouraged to decorate their sites in red, white and blue as part of the Camping with Honda tradition. Honda-powered NTT IndyCar Series drivers will begin to tour the campsites in the late afternoon after the IndyCar qualifying session, followed by a fireworks display just after dusk. The Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is a comprehensive motorsports facility in Lexington, Ohio, that includes 380 acres and features a permanent road-racing circuit with two primary race track configurations: 2.4-mile, 15-turn or 2.258-mile, 13-turn layout. It is located 60 miles north of Columbus and 75 miles south of Cleveland near Mansfield. The natural terrain road course is commonly referred to as the 'Most Competitive in the U.S.' and annually hosts a diversity of locally, regionally and nationally sanctioned race events for amateur, club and professional drivers and riders. It is also home to The Mid-Ohio School, featuring over 20 driving and riding courses, for teenagers to professional racers using Honda vehicles. Opened in 1962, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course has been owned and operated by Green Savoree Mid-Ohio, LLC since 2011, just the raceway's third private ownership group in its history. And Bobby Rahal will have reason to celebrate with his latest honor at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Graham Rahal in the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Indy car during the Honda Indy 200 on July 3, 2022 at ... More the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. Photo by Graham Stokes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Fox News
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Fox News
INDYCAR Power Rankings: Who Joins Alex Palou In Moving Up?
Alex Palou is back on top. No surprise after his sixth victory of the season Sunday at Road America. And the driver who finished second to him, Felix Rosenqvist, is back in these power rankings. He and David Malukas are now on the list. Off the list? All the Penske drivers. Hard to fathom but they just have not had the results in recent weeks. They've had speed. It would be no surprise to see any of them win a race. But their recent results have to be frustrating. They've got no top 10s in the last two races. Here are the power rankings after back-to-back race weekends. The series has an off-week coming up, before four consecutive weeks of racing at Mid-Ohio, Iowa, Toronto and Laguna Seca. Dropped out: Will Power (Last Week: 6), Scott McLaughlin (LW: 10) On the verge: Scott McLaughlin, Josef Newgarden, Will Power 10. Colton Herta (LW: 8) Herta was 16th at Road America and just did not have a good weekend. Yes, Power was ahead of him on the list previously and finished a couple of spots ahead of him on Sunday, but Herta has earned more points than Power over the last month, keeping Herta on the list. 9. David Malukas (LW: NR) A seventh-place finish was his second top 10 in the last four races with the other finishes in the top 15. The A.J. Foyt Racing driver is grinding out good finishes, despite having some adversity in races. 8. Marcus Armstrong (LW: 9) Armstrong was a solid fifth at Road America, giving him three consecutive top-10 finishes. The Meyer Shank Racing driver has five top 10s in the nine races this year. 7. Christian Lundgaard (LW: 5) Lundgaard, at one point, was the fastest car on his tire strategy. But his day went south with a spin while racing Herta at Road America. The Arrow McLaren driver had to settle for 24th. 6. Felix Rosenqvist (LW: NR) After finishes of 21st and 16th in the previous two races, Rosenqvist earned his fourth top five of the year with a second-place finish at Road America. The Meyer Shank driver hopes that he will get back some of the momentum he had earlier in the year. 5. Santino Ferrucci (LW: 7) Ferrucci earned his fourth consecutive top-five finish with a third at Road America, giving the A.J. Foyt Racing driver a second, a third and two fifths in his last four starts. 4. Pato O'Ward (LW: 3) A forgettable weekend pretty much for O'Ward, as he finished 17th at Road America. Expect the Arrow McLaren driver to be better at Mid-Ohio. He won there last year. 3. Scott Dixon (LW: 4) Dixon had speed but not the strategy, as he had to pit from the lead with a couple laps remaining to finish ninth. The Chip Ganassi Racing driver could use some luck. 2. Kyle Kirkwood (LW: 1) Kirkwood didn't have the speed to keep pace with the leaders but made the most of his strategy and finished fourth. The Andretti driver was coming off back-to-back wins and has five top fives this year. 1. Alex Palou (LW: 2) Palou was fast all weekend and ended up having the victorious strategy at Road America. With six wins this year, it makes you wonder if this is a battle for second. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
Fox News
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Fox News
INDYCAR Power Rankings: There's a new No. 1 and his name is Kyle
Alex Palou still has a dominating lead in the INDYCAR point standings, but with Kyle Kirkwood capturing the last two races, there's a new driver on top of this power rankings list. Kirkwood earned his first career oval victory Sunday at World Wide Technology Raceway (commonly known as Gateway). That followed his win on the streets of Detroit. With three wins this year, Kirkwood has shown the growth needed to be a major factor in the series. If not for a penalty at Indianapolis, he'd be just 51 points (instead of 75) behind Palou. Here are this week's power rankings heading into back-to-back races on permanent road courses at Road America and Mid-Ohio. Dropped out: Josef Newgarden (Last Week: 9) On the verge: David Malukas, Josef Newgarden, Felix Rosenqvist 10. Scott McLaughlin (LW: 7) McLaughlin's day ended 44 laps before the finish when he broke something in the left rear. The Team Penske driver had started second on the grid. He continues to have speed. He led 51 laps Sunday night. But he's not having the finishes he would like. 9. Marcus Armstrong (LW: Not Ranked) Armstrong finished ninth at Gateway, his third top 10 in the last four races. For the young Meyer Shank Racing driver, that type of consistency is key. 8. Colton Herta (LW: 6) Herta couldn't follow up his third-place run at Detroit with a solid finish. He placed 17th at Gateway, while Kirkwood — an Andretti teammate — won the race. 7. Santino Ferrucci (LW: 10) Ferrucci placed fifth at Gateway for his third consecutive top-five finish. The AJ Foyt Racing driver has moved up to 11th in the standings and would be eighth without the penalty for a driver's compartment weight violation in Detroit. 6. Will Power (LW: 5) Power blew a tire and hit the wall early in the race at Gateway, ending a promising event where he had won the pole — the 71st of his career and the series record. The Penske driver fell to seventh in the standings. 5. Christian Lundgaard (LW: 4) Lundgaard finished 14th, the last driver on the lead lap at Gateway. The Arrow McLaren driver started 14th, too. 4. Scott Dixon (LW: 8) Dixon finished fourth at Gateway, as he led 43 laps with a fast car and solid fuel strategy. The Ganassi driver is fifth in the series standings. 3. Pato O'Ward (LW: 3) O'Ward ran among the leaders the entire race and finished second. The Arrow McLaren driver might have been a tick off the fastest cars but made the right moves to secure the runner-up finish. 2. Alex Palou (LW: 1) Palou started ninth and finished eighth on what is arguably his worst track on the circuit. Plus, considering the points position he is in, he just needed a respectable finish. The Ganassi driver did just that. 1. Kyle Kirkwood (LW: 2) Who says Kirkwood can't win on ovals? Kirkwood won for the first time on an oval, showing his versatility. The Andretti driver continues to be the biggest threat to Palou for the championship. Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR and INDYCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.
