Honda PR

Honda Racing Indy car message points for Laguna Seca

Posted on by Diane Swintal

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA

3 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 11

NBC and NBC Peacock

IndyCar Radio Network and SiriusXM

Honda at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

  • Honda comes to this weekend’s 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with two of its drivers in contention for the series championship. 
  • Scott Dixon, a two-time winner this year and six-time series champion, comes to the classic central California road course third in the drivers’ title standings, 20 points away from a record-tying seventh title.  His Chip Ganassi Racing Honda teammate, Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson, is fourth, 39 points out of the lead.
  • In the contest for series Rookie of the Year honors, the coveted award will go to one of two Honda drivers.  Rahal Letterman Lanigan driver Christian Lundgaard leads with 293 points heading to Laguna Seca.  But fellow Honda racer David Malukas is only five points back, driving for Dale Coyne Racing with HMD.
  • Indy car racing returned to the Monterey Peninsula in 2019, in a race won by Honda-powered rookie Colton Herta.  Herta led 83 of 90 laps en route to his third win of the season and series Rookie of the Year honors.
  • After a one-year absence in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Honda clinched its 10th overall, and fourth consecutive, NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship at the 2021 Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.
  • The Honda one-two-three result was again led by Andretti Autosport’s Herta, winning from pole for the second consecutive time – just as he did in the series’ last visit to Laguna Seca in 2019. Herta would lead all but four laps in the 95-lap event. 
  • Eventual series champion Alex Palou finished second with Romain Grosjean third.  Graham Rahal finished just off the podium in fourth position, completing a Honda sweep of the top-four positions of the day. 
  • Honda teams and drivers also took part in nine Championship Auto Racing Teams [CART] events from 1994-2002, winning three times.
  • Honda’s first win at Laguna Seca came in 1996 with the famous pass in the “Corkscrew” corner by Alex Zanardi on future Honda IndyCar driver/team owner Bryan Herta.  Zanardi’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Jimmy Vasser, claimed the win in 1997.  Helio Castroneves led a 1-2-3 Honda sweep at Laguna Seca in 2000, with his Penske Racing teammate Gil de Ferran, second, and Dario Franchitti rounding out the top three for Team Green.

Where to Watch

  • Television coverage of Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey starts at 3 p.m. EDT on NBC.  Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on NBC Peacock, the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).

Honda Racing social media content and video links from this weekend’s activities from Laguna Seca can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD).  Additional features and long-form videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV)