Dual in Detroit
Race 1, 3:30 p.m. EDT Saturday, June 3
Race 2, 3:30 p.m. EDT Sunday, June 4
ABC
IndyCar Radio Network Broadcast and Live Stream

COMPETITION

* Honda comes to Detroit after winning – and claiming four of the top-five finishing positions – at last weekend’s 101st running of the Indianapolis 500. Veteran Takuma Sato drove his Andretti Autosport Honda to victory after a thrilling battle in the final laps with Helio Castroneves and fellow Honda drivers Ed Jones and Max Chilton.

* In a standout performance from a 22-year-old Indy rookie, Jones took his Dale Coyne Racing Honda to third at the checkers, best of the four rookies in the contest, despite his car receiving damage due to debris from an early-race crash involving pole-sitter Scott Dixon and Jay Howard.

* In just his second “500”, Chilton led a race-high 50 laps – one-quarter of the race – en route to a fourth-place finish in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.

* Sunday’s victory was Honda’s 12th Indy triumph in the last 14 years. In 17 appearances in the Indianapolis 500, Honda already has more wins at Indianapolis than any other major automobile manufacturer.

* Drivers and teams using Honda engines have won 222 Indy car races, both during years of multi-manufacturer competition (2004-05, 2012- ); and during Honda’s tenure as single engine supplier to the series (2006-11). Last year at Indianapolis, Alexander Rossi made history for Honda, winning the 100th Indianapolis 500 as a rookie.

* Sato’s victory on Sunday was the third of the season for Honda in the Verizon IndyCar Series. The 2017 season opened with victories by Honda’s Sebastien Bourdais the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in March, and by James Hinchcliffe at the Grand Prix of Long Beach in April. Honda drivers finished 1-3-4-5 (Bourdais, Scott Dixon, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Sato) at St. Petersburg and 1-2-4 (Hinchcliffe, Bourdais, Dixon) in Long Beach.

* Since its founding in 1993, Honda Performance Development (HPD), the racing arm of the American Honda Motor Co., Inc., has grown from just a handful of staffers to approximately 150 associates; and from an engine-rebuilding facility, focused on a single racing series, to a complete motorsports Research & Development organization. HPD is currently engaged in programs ranging from the Verizon IndyCar Series, Pirelli World Challenge and IMSA WeatherTech Championship to grassroots and entry-level categories including karting, Quarter Midgets and the new SCCA Formula 4 Championship.
HONDA AT DETROIT

* After a three-year absence, Indy cars returned to the streets of Belle Isle Park in downtown Detroit in 2012 and Honda’s Scott Dixon swept the double header race weekend for Target Chip Ganassi Racing, including a 1-2-3 Honda sweep in Sunday’s finale. Dixon’s teammate, Dario Franchitti, was second followed by Simon Pagenaud in a Sam Schmidt Motorsports Honda.

* Honda again swept the results in 2013, with Mike Conway winning for Dale Coyne Racing on Saturday; while Pagenaud headed a 1-2-3-4-5 finish for Honda on Sunday. James Jakes, Conway, Dixon and Franchitti rounded out the top five for Honda.

* In 2015, Carlos Munoz prevailed in changing weather conditions to win Saturday’s race, with Marco Andretti making it a 1-2- result for Honda and Andretti Autosport.
HONDA RACING/HPD VIDEOS

* Video recaps from this weekend’s Honda racing activities in Detroit, including both Verizon IndyCar Series races and Saturday’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship event, are being posted on the “Honda Racing/HPD” YouTube channel.

* Produced by the Carolinas Production Group, the video packages can be found in the 2017 HPD Trackside Video Playlist at: https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV