Honda Racing INDYCAR message points for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA
3 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 10
NBC and NBC Peacock
IndyCar Radio Network and SiriusXM
Honda at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
- Honda comes to this weekend’s 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season finale at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca with two of its drivers having clinched the top two positions in the Drivers’ Championship; and leading a tight battle in the Manufacturers’ Championship.
- Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou clinched the Drivers’ Championship with his victory last weekend in Portland; his fifth victory of the 2023 season. This is Palou’s second drivers’ title, with his first coming in 2021.
- Palou’s teammate Scott Dixon, a two-time winner this season and six-time former series champion, clinched second in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship with his third-place finish last weekend.
- A third Ganassi Honda driver, Marcus Armstrong leads the contest for series Rookie of the Year honors. Armstrong comes to Monterey with a 26-point lead over Augustin Canapino in the chase for the coveted award.
- Indy car racing returned to the Monterey Peninsula after decade-long absence 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 with a 1-2-3 sweep led by Herta, with fellow Honda drivers Palou and Romain Grosjean rounding out the podium.
- Palou dominated last year’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, leading 67 of the 95 laps for the victory.
- 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 another 1-2-3 Honda sweep at Laguna Seca in 2000.
Manufacturer Competition
- After winning eight of the 10 most recent 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES events, Honda continues to lead the Manufacturers’ Championship standings, with 11 victories and 11 poles in 16 races this season.
- Honda comes to Portland with a 16-point Manufacturers’ Championship advantage (1,362-1,346) over rival Chevrolet. Honda is seeking its fifth NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in the last six years.
- With five wins this season, Chip Ganassi Racing driver and 2021 series champion Alex Palou clinched his second Drivers’ Championship with his victory last Sunday at the Bitnile.com Grand Prix of Portland.
- Palou’s other wins this season include the GMR Grand Prix of Indianapolis in May; and a three-in-a-row streak that started at the Grand Prix of Detroit, then continued through Road America and the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, Presented by the Accord Hybrid.
- In clinching second in the championship, Scott Dixon has a pair of wins: the Gallagher Grand Prix on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway; and at the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 on the World Wide Technology Raceway oval.
- Other Honda-powered winners this season include Kyle Kirkwood at Nashville and at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach; Marcus Ericsson, at the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg; and Christian Lundgaard at the Honda Indy Toronto.
Where to Watch
- Television coverage of Sunday’s season-engine Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey starts at 2:30 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 can be found on:
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