Honda IndyCar Milwaukee Talking Points
ABC Supply Wisconsin 250 Presented by the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers
The Milwaukee Mile
5 p.m. EDT Sunday, July 12, 2015
NBC Sports Network
IndyCar Radio Network Broadcast and Live Stream
COMPETITION
* Honda has a long record of success at The Milwaukee Mile, the oldest racing facility in North America. Honda drivers have won nine times in 19 races at “The Mile” since the company entered Indy car competition in 1994, more than any other manufacturer.
* Honda-powered winners at The Milwaukee Mile include Jimmy Vasser (1998), Paul Tracy (1999 and 2002), Dario Franchitti (2004 and 2011), Tony Kanaan (2006-07), Ryan Briscoe (2008) and Scott Dixon (2009).
* Milwaukee is the first of two consecutive short-oval races in 2015, with Iowa Speedway following on July 18. Last year at Iowa, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Josef Newgarden used late-race pit stops to fit fresh tires, then sped through the field in the final laps for a 1-2 Honda finish.
* After finishing first (Graham Rahal) and third (Marco Andretti) two weeks ago at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California, Honda trails rival Chevrolet by 187 points (1,108-921) in the battle for the IndyCar Series Manufacturers’ Championship. This includes bonus points [for engines achieving mileage goals] and penalties [for engine failures and early change-outs].
* Honda’s Rahal comes to Milwaukee in contention for the IndyCar Series Drivers’ Championship. In addition to his win at Auto Club Speedway, Rahal finished second at the Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis and Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama; and third in the second of two races at Detroit. The Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver finished fifth at the Indianapolis 500 and currently stands fourth in the 2015 championship standings with 334 points, best among Honda-powered drivers.
* Marco Andretti, seventh in the drivers’ championship with 308 points, is the only Verizon IndyCar Series driver who has completed every race lap of the 2015 season.
* Bryan Herta Autosport’s Gabby Chaves continues to lead the IndyCar Series Rookie of the Year standings with 178 points, 16th in the overall drivers’ championship. The Herta organization previously took Jack Hawksworth to series Rookie of the Year honors in 2014.
* Drivers and teams using Honda engines have won 214 Indy car races and 10 Indianapolis 500s, both during years of multi-manufacturer competition (1994-2005, 2012-15); and during Honda’s tenure as single engine supplier to the series (2006-11).
* In 22 years, Honda Performance Development, the racing arm of the American Honda Motor Co., Inc., has grown from just a handful of staffers to approximately 150 associates; and from a simple engine-rebuilding facility to a complete motorsports Research & Development organization, engaged in programs ranging from pinnacle racing series including the Verizon IndyCar Series, Pirelli World Challenge, TUDOR United SportsCar Championship and FIA World Endurance Championship; to grassroots and entry-level categories including karting, Quarter Midgets and Formula F competition.
MARKETING
* On Friday, July 10, from 4-6 p.m., Andretti Autosport driver Marco Andretti and A.J. Foyt Racing’s Jack Hawksworth will be making a personal appearance at David Hobbs Honda in suburban Glendale, Wisconsin.
* Michael Drews, from Edgewater, Florida, is the latest winner of Honda’s Fastest Seat in Sports sweepstakes. He will lead the field prior to the race start Sunday in the two-seat Honda IndyCar at The Milwaukee Mile, driven by racing veteran Martin Plowman. For more information on how you can receive the ride of a lifetime in Honda’s Fastest Seat in Sports, go to www.shophonda.com.
* In addition to the Honda Display in the IndyCar Series Fan Village, the Metro Milwaukee Honda Dealers, presenting sponsor for this weekend’s Milwaukee IndyFest, will also have a display in the infield midway.
HONDA RACING/HPD VIDEOS
* Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda Verizon IndyCar Series race at The Milwaukee Mile are being posted on the “Honda Racing/HPD” YouTube channel.
* Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, the video packages can be found in the 2015 HPD Trackside Video Playlist at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV