Ohio’s largest annual motorsports event features the NTT INDYCAR SERIES for the 40th time
LEXINGTON, Ohio (June 30, 2023) - A spectacular Fourth of July weekend featuring a fireworks display, camping activities and nine total races begins today at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course during The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid, June 30 - July 2.
The stars and cars of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will race for the 40th time on the legendary 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course in Lexington, Ohio. Points leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing heads to Mid-Ohio as one of the favorites. Palou, pilot of the No. 10 American Legion Honda, has won three of the past four INDYCAR races and leads second place in the standings by 74 points after eight rounds of the 17-race season. This weekend the former series champion will try for his win at Mid-Ohio after finishing second in The Honda Indy 200 last year and third-place in 2021.
“I like (Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course),” said Palou. “It’s a really short track and really tight. You cannot really breathe a lot, but it’s amazing. It just feels very, very nice. We’ve had good cars the last couple of years, so hopefully we can try to improve a little bit more and get one step higher than we did last year.”
The field will also feature two entries from Pataskala, Ohio-based Meyer Shank Racing (MSR). Helio Castroneves, a 4-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and two-time INDYCAR race winner at Mid-Ohio (2000, 2001), and Simon Pagenaud, 2019 Indy 500 winner and 2016 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio winner, will aim to produce another strong performance for MSR on its home track. Last year both veteran drivers secured top-10 finishes with Castroneves placing eighth and Pagenaud finishing 10th.
“We have a big following at this event, obviously, being in Ohio. It’s a home event for the team, and it’s a track I do very well at in general,” said Pagenaud. “It’s quite technical. There are a lot of elevation changes, and you have to be inches precise, which I love doing. Like I said, it’s a track I’ve done very well at in the past, so I’m hoping we can get another top 10.”
In addition to Castroneves and Pagenaud, the starting grid will consist of many past Mid-Ohio winners including 6-time winner Scott Dixon, 2022 winner Scott McLaughlin and New Albany, Ohio native and local favorite Graham Rahal who took the checkered flag in 2015.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES will take the green flag on Sunday, July 2, at 1:53 p.m. ET to cap off a jam-packed schedule. Fans will also see action from INDY NXT by Firestone, the top two USF Championship Presented by Cooper Tires open-wheel development series and the Porsche Sprint Challenge North America by Yokohama.
The weekend features a lot more than just the on-track action from the five different racing series for fans; it is a full Fourth of July celebration. On Saturday, July 1, fans and campers can enjoy a spectacular fireworks display after sunset. Additionally, 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 starting around 5:30 p.m. ET on Saturday to meet fans and check out the campsite decor.
Special guests will take part in honorary roles for pre-race festivities as the celebration continues leading up to the 80-lap NTT INDYCAR SERIES on Sunday, July 2. Finalists on the most recent season of NBC’s “The Voice,” the singing sisters of Sorellé from Lexington, Ohio, are set to sing the national anthem and serve as grand marshals giving the command for drivers to start their engines. Then, Paul Dentinger, senior vice president of Honda Development & Manufacturing of America, will perform honorary starter duties by waving the green flag as the field of 27 cars speed toward the start line.
Weekend tickets offer the best value when attending an event at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Children 12 and under are admitted free. For The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2023 Accord Hybrid, Weekend Grandstand seats are $95 (includes general admission), and Weekend General Admission is $85. Daily tickets and Pit and Paddock Passes are also available. Tickets are $10 additional when purchased at the gate. All the ticket options and pricing are posted online at midohio.com. Follow the event on social media with #Honda200.
About Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course:
A comprehensive motorsports facility in Lexington, Ohio, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course sits on 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. 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.
For more information, visit midohio.com, ‘like’ its Facebook page @MidOhioSportsCarCourse or follow updates on Twitter @Mid_Ohio and Instagram @officialmidohio.
