Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Souvenir Program

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DEAR INDYCAR FANS

Welcome to The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid, a long-standing, fan-favorite race on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule. INDYCAR is committed to delivering a comprehensive fan experience through outstanding entertainment and thrilling competition as our drivers take on all obstacles presented by Mid-Ohio’s famed 2.258-mile road course.

Whether this is your first INDYCAR race weekend or you have been attending this race for years, we are excited for you to witness the spectacle of the sport. A weekend at Mid-Ohio is a special event, so we urge you to take in as much as possible and enjoy it all.

You’ll see close competition on the track from our elite driver lineup as they compete for the most challenging championship in motorsports, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. It’s unpredictable and you won’t know the winner until the checkered flag falls.

But the series is on the path to being one of the most sustainable racing series in the world. Our partners at Shell have created a 100% Renewable Race Fuel – which debuted earlier this season – and Ohio-based Firestone has a tire made from rubble produced by the sustainable desert shrub guayule as the alternate tire at street circuits.

You should find that the NTT INDYCAR SERIES offers some of the most daring stars in the sport, including reigning series champion Will Power and Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, young stars like Alex Palou, Pato O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay and Colton Herta and record-chasing legends in the making such as Scott Dixon and four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves.

While in this beautiful location, we invite you to download the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA on your smartphone to get behind-the-scenes driver features, live timing and scoring, in-car cameras and more information to help you follow the action. Also, follow the NTT INDYCAR SERIES online at INDYCAR. com, on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok (@INDYCAR), and keep track of future INDYCAR SERIES stars racing in INDY NXT by Firestone at indynxt.com or on Facebook, Twitter and TikTok (@indynxt)

Thank you for your continued support. INDYCAR appreciates your attendance this weekend. We are glad you can experience the speed, action and excitement that defines the series.

Enjoy the weekend!

Mark Miles President and CEO, Penske Entertainment Parent company of INDYCAR and Indianapolis Motor Speedway

We are proud to again host Ohio’s largest motorsports event and have put together another great weekend of racing for everyone! We hope you enjoy all the support series as well, including INDY NXT by Firestone, USF Pro 2000 Championships Presented by Cooper Tires, USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama. All of this will be headlined by the 40th edition of The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES race on Sunday afternoon!

We’d like to extend a special thank you to American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and its Honda brand for its long-standing, continued support of this event as title sponsor and supporter of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Without them, this weekend would not be the success that it is. Our association with Honda now spanning 30 seasons is unprecedented, and we truly appreciate our partnership.

We’d also like to welcome the thousands of associates from Honda’s Ohio manufacturing, supplier and R&D facilities to celebrate Fourth of July weekend, and of course, cheer on the Honda-powered teams and drivers. We’re glad you’re here with us!

Please consider joining us again next weekend for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 event. We hope that you have a memorable weekend and thank you for supporting Mid-Ohio!

CRAIG E. RUST President, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course

On behalf of our entire team at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, it is my absolute pleasure to welcome you to The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid this Fourth of July weekend!

YOUWANTHOT? TAKEALEXPALOU’S TEMPERATURE

2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Palou is one pit road incident from effectively being undefeated since May.

By

Barnes/INDYCAR.com

Joey

• Photos by Karl Zemlin/INDYCAR Photography

He went undefeated in June, taking the Sonsio Grand Prix at Road America on June 18 and the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear on June -- from the pole, no less – and he would have had a terrific chance to win the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge had Rinus VeeKay not spun into him on pit road on Lap 94.

That he fought back from being 28th following an extra pit stop to finish fourth might just be what helps him win a second season title.

Palou also won the GMR Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and earned the pole for the “500.” He is riding a streak of seven consecutive top-five finishes and has built a lead of 74 points – more than a full race -- through the season’s first eight events.

“We got the win at the GMR, got the pole at Indy, got the pole here and the win (in Detroit),” Palou said. “Obviously, we’re (on) a roll.”

Next on the schedule is the Honda Indy 200 on July 2 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, where Palou finished second last year and third in 2021. In other words, Palou might not cool for a while, and by then it might be too late for the competition.

“The next couple of races are really good for us,” he said. “We’ll try and keep it going.”

Interestingly, Palou doesn’t think his season got off to a good start, and he bases that on an eighth-place finish in the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg presented by RP Funding. Yet even with that factored in, his average starting position (3.5) and average finishing position (3.5) are less than half of what he posted in his title-winning season and significantly better than the INDYCAR SERIES champions over the past decade have finished.

Perhaps Palou’s dominance shouldn’t come as a surprise based on how he finished last season. Remember that crushing blow he delivered at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca? He led more than 70 percent of the laps that day and finished more than 30 seconds ahead of the field. He’s been strong ever since.

“I’ve had fast cars every weekend,” Palou said. “Yeah, couldn’t ask for more now.”

Palou will take a 74-point lead over Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson into Mid-Ohio, and that advantage is the largest of Palou’s career. In his championship-winning season, Palou never led by more than 42 points and finished 38 points ahead of Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden.

Obviously, there are miles still to travel this season in pursuit of the Astor Challenge Cup, but to borrow a phrase from Yankees great Yogi Berra, it could be getting late early.

Palou isn’t ready to talk championship just yet, but it will be increasingly difficult to avoid the subject if his hot streak continues.

“Honestly, there’s a lot of races to go,” he said. “We got the lead (three) races ago, now suddenly we have this amazing lead.

“On the same way that we go up, there’s somebody that can go up, as well, and we can go down. That’s INDYCAR. That’s the high level of competition that we have there. There’s a lot."

“I think in 15 weeks we can have 10 race weekends. It’s going to be tough to keep the energy up for everybody. But having that lead, it’s going to help us. Hopefully we can keep it going and getting bigger.”

“On the same way that we go up, there’s somebody that can go up, as well, and we can go down. That’s INDYCAR. That’s the high level of competition that we have there. There’s a lot."

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KIRKWOOD RETURNSTOHIS “HOMETRACK”

For Honda driver Kyle Kirkwood of Andretti Autosport, the best place to be on Fourth of July Weekend is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the Honda Indy 200.

By

It’s a red-white-and-blue celebration for the NTT IndyCar Series and a great way to kick off the Independence Day holiday. It means camping out, bonfires with friends, firing up the grill and enjoying some fireworks, both on and off the race course.

“It’s a perfect place for that weekend,” Kirkwood said. “If that track doesn’t scream ‘America’, I don’t know what does. It falls on the Fourth of July Weekend. I couldn’t ask for a better place to spend my Fourth of July Weekend than at Mid-Ohio.”

He also considers the famed Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course as his home track, even though he is from Jupiter, Florida.

It’s 1,133 miles from his hometown

of Jupiter, Florida, to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. But to 24-yearold Kirkwood, Mid-Ohio Sports Car course is his “home track”, and he intends to be the hometown hero in the Honda Indy 200.

“I pretty much consider Mid-Ohio as my home track, even though it’s the furthest thing from my home track that you might expect,” Kirkwood explained. “I’ve got so much time there – I probably have double the number of laps around Mid-Ohio as any other circuit that I’ve ever been to – and I’ve had my most success there.

“Those are the main reasons I consider it my home track.”

Throughout Kirkwood’s career, from the very beginning in 2016, he

has competed in every series that makes up the steps of the IndyCar ladder system. The Honda driver hopes to use that familiarity and experience to his benefit in his second IndyCar Series race at Mid-Ohio, his first with Andretti Autosport.

“What I like most about it is there are a couple of high-speed corners like in Turn 1 and Turn 11 that are super enjoyable, the most fun we have

on our calendar,” Kirkwood explained. “The track has so much character with the up-and-down sections through Turns 4 and 5 and the entire back section through Turn 9.

“One [other] thing that is cool about it, though, given that it is the amount of people that show up for that event. There are some die-hard fans that really love that place and are out there every single year, year

Bruce Martin, Speed Sport • Photos by INDYCAR Media

after year and we get a massive turnout. They show up for that weekend and drivers love that. We love driving around there. For one lap around any track in IndyCar, that would be the place that I would choose to do it.”

It's also important for a Honda driver to do well at Mid-Ohio because many of the fans that attend that race work at the many Honda facilities located throughout central Ohio.

“There are some die-hard fans that really love that place and are out there every single year, year after year and we get a massive turnout. They show up for that weekend and drivers love that. We love driving around there.”

“I can imagine [Honda associates] have their whole heart in what they do and what they do turns out for us,” Kirkwood said proudly. “We are very appreciative of them, and they are very proud of us. There is a massive mutual respect between the guys and ladies that work at the plant and us drivers. It’s cool to represent them at such a historic event for them in their home state and home area.

“I’ve been a Honda guy since my karting days. I raced a Honda shifter in 2012, raced Honda shifters all the way through my karting career; then moved into a Honda-powered F1600 car in 2016, moved into a Honda-powered F4 car, then a Honda-powered F3 car and ultimately did the Road to Indy ladder system up to IndyCar. “I’ve represented Honda at Mid-Ohio quite a bit!”

Kirkwood understands the importance of performing well at a Honda race. He scored his first career NTT IndyCar Series victory in the April 16 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, just down I-405 from the American Honda Motor Car Company headquarters in Torrance, California and Honda Performance Development in Santa Clarita.

“That was a little taste, but hopefully we can do it again at a track [Mid-Ohio] where it means everything to Honda.”

It was obvious to NTT IndyCar Series team owner Michael Andretti early in Kirkwood’s racing career that he was a potential star of the future.

“Yeah, he's the real deal,” Andretti said. “I’m happy for him. He's been a pleasure on the team. We're really excited, really happy for the results.

The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach victory was Kirkwood’s first IndyCar Series win in just his 20th career start, and his first at Andretti Autosport in just his third start for the team.

This is an exciting time in the NTT IndyCar Series, with a tremendous influx of young talent and intriguing personalities. Kirkwood believes this is the perfect time for him to become a star in IndyCar.

“The trajectory [IndyCar] is on right now is massive,” Kirkwood said

of the series. “It’s going straight up. The coolest thing in the world right now seems to be motorsports. Day to day, walking around normal streets, you see people wearing more racing clothes and motorsports in general.

“I couldn’t be happier to be in this era of IndyCar. With Penske Corporation putting so much effort into what they have done with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, to what they have done with the series, the efforts the

teams are putting in, the efforts the sponsors are putting in across the entire grid has been amazing.

“It has been perceived extremely well by the public and people are getting more and more fond of it. That is showing in the TV numbers and showing in the attendance rates where we have some very, very high attendance this year. I couldn’t ask for a better era, especially when it comes to safety, too.

“I had a massive wreck at the Indy 500, and I walked away from it unscathed. Five or eight years ago, I probably couldn’t say that I would have.”

Kirkwood is coming back home to the track where he has the most experience and hopes to start his Fourth of July celebration in victory lane at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio.

“That was a little taste, but hopefully we can do it again at a track [Mid-Ohio] where it means everything to Honda.”

Excellence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you must earn every day. Honda put this philosophy to the test in March 2023, with Marcus Ericsson commanding a Honda-powered Indy car at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. A grueling 1.8-mile, 14-turn circuit composed of long straights, heavy braking zones, and tight corners, it was a true test of endurance in the face of adversity. Many drivers had fallen victim to the challenges the track posed in seasons past, but Ericsson had been preparing for this moment from the start.

Ericsson’s journey started with a burning passion—ignited at age 9, as his father watched him race karts. As the fire grew, Ericsson graduated to Formula 3,™ known by many as an important step in the development of racing greatness . By 20, he was competing in the GP2 Series, where each team is mandated to use the same engine, chassis, and tire supplier to reflect true driver ability. His hunger to push the limits then pushed him even further, leading to his entry in Formula 1® to participate in some of the world’s biggest races, like Monaco and Suzuka. Finally, at age 24, he took his skills to the NTT INDYCAR® SERIES, which would prove to be a turning point.

The Honda engineers who built the HI8TT Series engine powering Ericsson’s charge were equally prepared. This 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 is largely defined by its power output, reaching up to 12,000 rpm and 700 bhp. Specifically designed for a track like St. Petersburg and its long frontstretch, the engine is optimized by high-octane E85 fuel, and also offers twin EFS turbos for a boost in speed before quick esses leading back to the runway. Years of research, development, and innovative thinking went into the machine, a testament to the unwavering drive that existed even beyond the driver of it.

With a first-place finish at stake, Ericsson dodged collisions and conquered corners to close the gap between him and first place. This was everything he had been working toward. Before he knew it, he was leading the pack for the first time in 97 laps, and never looked back. Now a winner in the first INDYCAR® race of 2023, he embraced thunderous applause from his team and fans in the grandstands. In a day overflowing with drama, Ericsson had put everything on the line —just as he always had—and his dedication had been rewarded.

THEDOOR ISOPEN USF2000PRESENTED BYCOOPERTIRES PREVIEW

It was widely anticipated prior to the new USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires season that it would be hard to match the level of excitement that unfolded in 2022. An intense three-way battle waged throughout the 18-race campaign and was decided only at the last gasp, when preseason favorite Michael d’Orlando edged out Myles Rowe in a dramatic series finale at Portland International Raceway. Rowe’s Pabst Racing team-

mate Jace Denmark also had been in the thick of the contest until faltering at the final hurdle.

All three protagonists have now graduated onto the next level of the USF Pro Championships ladder, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires. So, the door has been left wide open for a new rising star to scoop the champion’s scholarship prize, valued at $433,200, to continue their career progression in 2024.

Unusually, the top 11 finishers from last year have all moved on to pastures new, which has opened the door to a new crop of youngsters keen to establish their credentials at an early stage in their career. And the level of intensity remains undiminished.

Ten of the 18 races are now in the books prior to this weekend’s Discount Tire Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, and

By Jeremy Shaw • Photos by Gavin Baker/Road to Indy

Simon Sikes has finished on the podium previously at Mid-Ohio.

the top two contenders, Australian rookie Lochie Hughes (Jay Howard Driver Development) and Simon Sikes (Pabst Racing), from Augusta, Ga., are separated by just three points.

Hughes, who won six times en route to winning the 2022 F4 United States Championship powered by Honda, currently has four wins to the three of Sikes, who is contesting his first full season after a couple of previous attempts were truncated due to budgetary constraints. But Sikes, who finished on the podium at MidOhio in all three races in 2021, once again has underlined his capabilities by accumulating four pole positions and six fastest race laps.

The other three race wins have been shared by teenagers Nikita Johnson, from Gulfport, Fla., VRD Racing teammate Sam Corry, from Cornelius, N.C., and Mac Clark

(DEForce Racing), from Milton, Ont., Canada. Clark, who beat Johnson and Corry to last year’s inaugural USF Juniors Presented by Cooper Tires championship made a somewhat circumspect start to this season but has since emerged as a regular contender, as evidenced by his first win at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park oval and both a pole position and fastest race lap most recently at Road America.

Others to watch this weekend will include Evagoras Papasavvas (Jay Howard Driver Development), Jorge Garciarce (DEForce Racing), Chase Gardner (Exclusive Autosport) and Pabst Racing teammates Max Garcia and Jacob Douglas.

Papasavvas, from Loveland, Ohio, will have plenty of support as he chases his first win, while Douglas is the top returning driver after

placing 12th in 2022. Formerly a front-runner in karting and Formula Ford in his native New Zealand, Douglas made solid progress during his rookie season of USF2000, which included three top-five finishes, including one at Mid-Ohio, and two weeks ago recorded his maiden podium finish at Road America after joining forces for the first time with Pabst Racing.

Lochie Hughes holds a slender points lead for former USF2000 champion Jay Howard’s team.

Nikita Johnson claimed a couple of USF2000 poles on the Indianapolis road course.

PICKA WINNER

USFPRO2000PRESENTEDBY COOPERTIRESPREVIEW

The premier driver development program in North America has a fresh look for the 2023 season. Under the hood, so to speak, not much has changed. Uniquely in the world of auto racing, each step on the ladder still offers a scholarship to its champion to ensure graduation to the next level. And the overall goal for every young driver remains a seat at the top table – a ride in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

But outwardly, one year after INDYCAR took over as promoter of the top rung on the ladder, INDY NXT, the next steps have been rebranded under the umbrella of the USF Pro Championships Presented by Cooper Tires.

The uppermost of these, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Cooper Tires, has

just reached the halfway point in its season, with nine of the 18 races in the books. It is shaping up to be perhaps the most competitive year of all time. In addition to attracting the largest fields since 2012, it is jam-packed with talent. Already there have been seven different winners and no fewer than eight different pole-winners representing five different teams.

Most of the leading contenders from 2022 have stepped up to INDY NXT, including series champion Louis Foster, who ultimately claimed a scholarship valued at over $614,000 to advance his career. And there is a long list of contenders seeking to follow in his footsteps.

Prior to this weekend’s Cooper Tires Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, Pabst

Racing with Force Indy’s Myles Rowe, from Brooklyn, N.Y., has opened up a relatively comfortable 48-point advantage over his nearest pursuer, fellow rookie Francesco Pizzi (TJ Speed Motorsports), from Rome Italy.

But a slightly smaller margin, 46 points, separates Pizzi from last year’s USF2000 Presented by Cooper Tires champion, Michael d’Orlando (Turn 3 Motorsport), from Hartsdale, N.Y., who currently lies 11th in the standings. So, the Discount Tire Driver Advancement Scholarship, valued at $664,500 to ensure graduation to INDY NXT in 2024, is still very much up for grabs.

Both Pizzi and current third-place point scorer Kiko Porto (DEForce Racing), from Recife, Brazil, the 2021

By Jeremy Shaw • Photos by Gavin Baker/Road to Indy

Lirim Zendeli leads a closely matched field at Road America.

USF2000 champion and a USF Pro 2000 winner last year at Mid-Ohio, are still seeking their first win of the season, but they have been impressively consistent.

Sweden’s Joel Granfors, who is enjoying his first taste of North American competition after finishing second in last year’s GB3 Championship, and Exclusive Autosport teammate Salvador de Alba, from Guadalajara, Mexico, twice a race winner in 2022, hold down fourth and fifth in the championship standings. Each has one win to his name.

Next up are Ireland’s Jonathan Browne (Turn 3 Motorsport), USF2000 graduate Jace Denmark (Pabst Racing) and fellow Scottsdale, Ariz., resident Reece Ushijima (Jay Howard Driver Development), whose prior

experience has been gained outside of the United States. All are still seeking their first win, although Browne claimed his first podium finish two weeks ago at Road America.

German-based Albanian Lirim Zendeli (TJ Speed Motorsports) skipped the only oval race of the season at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in May, but a wellearned maiden victory at Road America has elevated him inside the top 10 point scorers. He currently lies ninth ahead of series veteran Jack William Miller (Miller Vinatieri Motorsports), from Carmel, Ind., who took pole at IRP, and d’Orlando, who has endured all manner of misfortune but did finally score a long overdue first win last time out at Road America.

Myles Rowe holds the championship lead with three wins to his name.

Zendeli scored a breakthrough win for himself and the TJ Motorsports team at Road America.

NTT INDYCARSERIES HONDAINDY200ATMID-OHIO

CAR DRIVER HOMETOWN CAR NAME TEAM ENGINE

cars use fourth-generation NTT INDYCAR SERIES chassis (Dallara IR12) with universal IR-18 aerodynamic bodywork, Chevrolet or Honda engines and Firestone tires. (R) - Denotes Rookie of the Year candidate // Correct as of 6/21/2023 and subject to change

COOPER TIRES GRAND PRIX OF MID-OHIO

DISCOUNT TIRE GRAND PRIX OF MID-OHIO

INDY NXT BY FIRESTONE GRAND PRIX AT MID-OHIO

DIFFERENCES SPOTTHE

Can you spot the 10 differences in these two images?

ALTERED

*Map Not To Scale

Bridge REMOVED. No crossing access.

Bridge OPEN. Walk over access.

Friday, June 30

Saturday, July 1

Sunday, July 2

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