Honda drivers have won two of the three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at Portland International Raceway since the series returned to the Rose City in 2018 (there was no race in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic).
In 2018, Takuma Sato led a Honda sweep of the top three finishing positions, with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Sebastien Bourdais rounding out the victory podium for the manufacturer. Honda went on to win the first of four consecutive INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championships in 2018.
Last year, eventual series champion Alex Palou led a Honda sweep of the first four finishing positions. Fellow Honda drivers Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon and Jack Harvey completed the top four at the checkers.
Honda teams and drivers also took part in eight Championship Auto Racing Team [CART] events from 1995-2002, winning four.
Honda’s first Portland win came in 1996, via a 1-2 finish for Alex Zanardi and Gil de Ferran. Zanardi won again with Chip Ganassi Racing in 1998. Honda drivers swept the 1999 podium in Portland, with de Ferran winning, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya in second and Dario Franchitti, third. De Ferran repeated as race winner in 2000.
Honda’s Indy car win total of 281 in 25 years of North American open-wheel racing – including 15 Indianapolis 500 victories since 2003 – is unmatched by any other manufacturer in the same period.
Where to Watch
Television coverage of Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland 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).
Malukas Stars For Honda Under the Lights in St. Louis
David Malukas charges to second-place finish for Honda and Dale Coyne Racing with HMD at World Wide Technology Raceway
260-lap event runs to full distance following two-hour rain delay
Chip Ganassi Racing trio remain in championship hunt going into final two races of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES
MADISON, Ill. (Aug. 20, 2022) – Rookie David Malukas starred for Honda tonight in a rain-interrupted Bommarito Automotive Group 500, charging from eighth to second in the closing laps to lead the Honda effort and record his first podium finish in NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition.
Malukas, who was the best rookie finisher at the Indianapolis 500 [16th] and has three previous top-10 results this year, was the quickest car on track once then race resumed after a rain delay of two hours, 15 minutes. Restarting in eighth, he worked his way to third as the race neared the finish, then caught and passed Scott McLaughlin for second place on the final lap.
His Dale Coyne Racing teammate, Takuma Sato, rounded out the top five for Honda; while the Chip Ganassi Racing trio of Marcus Ericsson, Scott Dixon and Alex Palou remain in the thick of the drivers’ championship battle after finishing seventh through ninth, respectively, tonight.
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 HondaRace Results
2nd David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
19th Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
20th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
24th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
25th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
R – Rookie
NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings [unofficial, after 15 of 17 races]
1. Will Power, Team Penske 482 [1 win]
2. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske 479 [5 wins]
3. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 468 [2 wins]
4. Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 465 [1 win]
Quotes
David Malukas(#18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda) finished second, career-best INDYCAR result: “Whew, that was really good! Wow! We knew the car was going to be good and it was just getting better and better. And, from the practice yesterday that was around the same time [as tonight’s race], we knew that the cooler the track got, the better our car was compared to the others. So, this whole red flag deal [during the rain delay], I was just like ‘Please, please let it go green again!’ And when it went green, I knew that the car was just amazing. I’m not gonna lie though, being up in the front against [Will] Power and Pato [O’Ward], they know how to defend, they know how to block lines, it was really tough to get around them. All in all, the team did such a good job. They deserve it. What a good race!”
Takuma Sato(#51 Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda) finished fifth: “This place has always brought us excitement and here we are again! I think it was a fantastic race for the spectators. I was pleased to bring home a top five for Honda, but we needed just a little bit more help. There were some guys a few laps down that didn’t let me go, and I think that cost me a place or two. But, nevertheless, I’m thankful for HPD and a great result for all of us.”
Matt Niles (Principal Engineer and LPL, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race: “David Malukas was certainly the star of the show tonight. He’s shown a lot of promise throughout his rookie season in INDYCAR, but tonight he drove the high line here like a veteran. What a great result, congratulations to David and the entire Dale Coyne Racing with HMD organization. No one likes to lose, but we leave here with several drivers in contention for the drivers’ title with two races remaining, and everyone at HPD will be giving it their all in these final events. Finally, thanks to all the fans who stuck it out through tonight’s rain delay. I’m glad we were able to give them an exciting finish, and you could hear their cheers over everything else.”
Fast Facts
This weekend’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 was the 14th Indy car race to be held in the St. Louis area, and the seventh at the repaved and updated 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway oval. The 260-lap event is the fifth and final oval race of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
In 2018, a second-place finish for Alexander Rossi and third for Scott Dixon was enough for Honda to clinch the 2018 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, the first in an ongoing streak of four consecutive manufacturers’ titles for the company.
One year later, Takuma Sato won a thrilling night race, besting Ed Carpenter in a tense closing-lap battle. Honda went on to win a second consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship that season.
Dixon scored his 50th career win in 2020 at World Wide Technology Raceway, in the opening race of a double-header weekend. He went on to claim his sixth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship at the end of the season; with Honda winning a third consecutive Manufacturers’ title. Earlier this month, Dixon recorded his 53rd career victory in Nashville, moving him to sole possession of second on the all-time Indy car winners list.
Next
After a run of seven races through July and August, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES now takes one
week off before concluding with a two-race swing to the US West Coast, starting with the Sept. 4 Grand Prix of Portland in Portland, Oregon and then concluding the 2022 season on Sunday, September 11, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
Front-Row Start for Ericsson, Honda at World Wide Technology Raceway
Marcus Ericsson completes career-best INDYCAR qualifying run, will start on the outside of the front row in Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500
Teammates and championship contenders Alex Palou and Scott Dixon qualify fifth and sixth for Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing
Devlin DeFrancesco leads rookie field with 10th-place qualifying run
MADISON, Ill. (Aug. 19, 2022) – In the best qualifying performance of his nearly four-year NTT INDYCAR SERIES career, Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson qualified second today for the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway and will start on the outside of the front row in the 260-lap twilight contest.
Third in the Drivers’ Championship standings, just 12 points out of first, Ericsson heads a Chip Ganassi Honda effort that saw teammates Alex Palou and Scott Dixon qualifying fifth and sixth, respectively. Dixon is currently second in the championship standings, just six points out of first with three races remaining; while defending champion Palou is fifth, 33 points back.
Takuma Sato, winner of the 2019 race here, will start eighth for Dale Coyne Racing, while Devlin DeFrancesco led the rookie contingent with a 10th-place qualifying effort as Andretti Autosport Hondas qualified ninth through 12th. In all, Honda drivers posted 11 of the top 15 qualifying speeds in the 25-car starting field.
Bommarito Automotive Group 500 HondaQualifying Results
13th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
14th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
15th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
17th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
18th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
19th Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
21st Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
R – Rookie
* qualified 9th, but will start 18th due to a penalty for an “unapproved engine change”
Quotes
Marcus Ericsson(#8 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) will start second, career-best INDYCAR start: “I’m feeling great! The #8 Bryant Heating & Cooling Honda was really good out there, the team has done a really good job all day really. We rolled off really strong in practice; then we tuned on it for qualifying and we did a really good run. It’s my best-ever qualifying result in my Indy car career so I’m happy about that! Of course, it would be nice to be on pole, but we’ll try again and I think we’ll have a really strong package in the race tomorrow.”
Alex Palou(#10 Chip Ganassi Honda) will start fifth: “I’m super happy. This is my [career] best oval qualifying that isn’t the Indy 500. Starting top five is always a good place, and we [Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing] have three cars in the top six to try and fight for a race win tomorrow. First of all, though, I need to finish the race. We didn’t finish the race last year and then I need to try and get as many points as possible. We’re in the championship fight and maybe it’s not my best place to gain points on the leaders, but starting up front we can make it happen tomorrow!”
Fast Facts
This weekend’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 will mark the 14th Indy car race to be held in the St. Louis area, and the seventh at the repaved and updated 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway oval. The 260-lap event is the fifth and final oval race of the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season.
World Wide Technology Raceway has been the scene of several significant Honda Racing INDYCAR milestones since it returned to the series schedule in 2017.
In 2018, a second-place finish for Alexander Rossi and third for Scott Dixon was enough for Honda to clinch the 2018 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, the first in an ongoing streak of four consecutive manufacturers’ titles for the company.
One year later, Takuma Sato won a thrilling night race, besting Ed Carpenter in a tense closing-lap battle. Honda went on to win a second consecutive Manufacturers’ Championship that season.
Dixon scored his 50th career win in 2020 at World Wide Technology Raceway, in the opening race of a double-header weekend. He went on to claim his sixth NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship at the end of the season; with Honda winning a third consecutive Manufacturers’ title. Earlier this month, Dixon recorded his 53rd career victory in Nashville, moving him to sole possession of second on the all-time Indy car winners list.
Where to Watch
Television coverage of Saturday’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500 starts at 6 p.m. EDT on the USA Network. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available on NBC Peacock, the INDYCAR Radio Network, and SiriusXM INDYCAR Nation (Channel 160).
Scott Dixon vaults into championship contention with victory at Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville
Late charge sees defending champion Alex Palou finish third
Dixon’s 53rd career win moves him to second on the all-time victory list
Despite early race contact that left his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda without a large portion of its downforce-producing floor – and an additional four pit stops to repair the damage – Scott Dixon went on to win today’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in downtown Nashville, and jump to second in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship, just six points behind leader Will Power with three races remaining.
Key to Dixon’s 53rd career Indy car victory today was pitting just prior to a Lap 51 full-course caution, enabled him to move to second place, then take over the lead when Josef Newgarden made his final stop of the day. The win also moves Dixon to sole possession of second in career Indy car victories, ahead of Mario Andretti and behind only the legendary A.J. Foyt with 67.
For a third consecutive race weekend, Rahal Letterman Lanigan rookie Christian Lundgaard looked to be in contention for a podium finish, until a flurry of late-race cautions and restarts saw him bumped down the order to eighth. In his place, defending series champion Alex Palou put on a late race charge that saw him go from fifth to third at the finish.
Involved in separate incidents in the opening laps, Andretti Autosport teammates Alexander Rossi and Colton Herta clawed their way from the rear of the field – and one lap down to the leaders – to finish fourth and fifth, respectively.
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Race Results
1st Scott Dixon
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
3rd Alex Palou
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
4th Alexander Rossi
Andretti Autosport Honda
5th Colton Herta
Andretti Autosport Honda
8th Christian Lundgaard-R
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
9th Jack Harvey
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
10th Simon Pagenaud
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
13th Helio Castroneves
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
14th Marcus Ericsson
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
16th Romain Grosjean
Andretti Autosport Honda
18th Jimmie Johnson
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
19th David Malukas-R
Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
21st Takuma Sato
Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
22nd Devlin DeFrancesco-R
Andretti Autosport Honda
23rd Graham Rahal
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
R – Rookie
Quotes
Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Race winner, his second victory of 2022 and 53rd career Indy car win: “That was a brutal race. We were involved in a crash just after the start that broke the wheel and took the underwing out of the car. We had to take a bunch of front wing out to try and get it at least a little bit balanced, and the steering was all bent. Just kudos to the team and Honda. Our strategy was right-on, but we still did almost 50 laps on that last set of tires. We didn’t take tires on that last stop [that enabled him to exit the pits in second] so I knew some of those cars [behind him in the closing laps] would be coming fast. But it feels special, very special, to get this [53rd] race win here in Nashville. This is cool.”
Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Finished third: “The NTT Data Honda was awesome, and the team did an amazing job with our pit stops and strategies, so I’m happy, and congratulations to Scott [Dixon] for his win. This was good for our championship [effort], but we still need to push hard. We got one step closer today closing to within 33 points of the championship lead], but there still is a long way to go. I’m a bit lucky today that the contact I had with [Will] Power didn’t do any more damage [than a cracked/bent front wing] and I need apologize to him. I didn’t realize he was in trouble and slowing so much [when they made contact]. But yeah, overall, I have to be very happy with today’s result.”
Wayne Gross (Manager of Trackside Support, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda win in Nashville: “It was another wild race here in Nashville, which looks like might become the norm here, with a lot of attrition. Congratulations to Scott Dixon, now second on the all-time IndyCar winners list, the entire Chip Ganassi Racing organization for all their efforts. In a lot of ways, this race was a repeat of last year, with the winner encountering a major problem early in the race, but never giving up, making multiple pit stops to repair the car as much as possible. Then Scott [Dixon] putting in a champions-caliber drive, now just six points out of the championship lead. It was a similar race for Colton [Herta] and Alexander [Rossi], netting them fourth and fifth. A great day for Honda and everyone at HPD.”
Fast Facts
Honda drivers and Chip Ganassi Racing have now won both Big Machine Music City Grands Prix in Nashville.
In the inaugural race last year, Honda drivers and teams dominated the results sheet, as Marcus Ericsson recovered from an opening lap contact and brief “flight” to head a Honda sweep of the first seven finishing positions, and eight of the top 10. Today’s winner, Scott Dixon, finished second and James Hincliffe third to complete the Honda sweep.
Previously, INDYCAR and the Indy Racing League conducted eight races on the 1.33- mile Nashville Super Speedway oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, from 2001-2008. Honda drivers and teams won five of the six races the manufacturer contested, from 2003-08.
Next
After a run of five races on four consecutive weekends, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES now takes a one-week break before resuming August 20-21 for the final oval race of the 2022 season, the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway, just outside downtown St. Louis, Mo.
Romain Grosjean qualifies his Andretti Autosport Honda second for Sunday’s Big Machine Music Grand Prix
Christian Lundgaard continues run of strong qualifying efforts, will start third
Defending series champion Alex Palou qualifies fourth
In his best qualifying performance of 2022, Romain Grosjean advanced through all three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES “knockout” qualifying today in his Andretti Autosport Honda, and will start on the outside front row – second – in Sunday’s second annual Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on the downtown Nashville temporary street circuit.
For the second consecutive race weekend, Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Christian Lundgaard also advanced to the final, “Firestone Fast Six” qualifying round, and will start third, his career best INDYCAR start and best among the rookies in the field. Defending series champion Alex Palou will start fourth in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda as the top 10 all posted times within a second of the 1:14.555 pole time.
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Honda Qualifying Results
2nd Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda
3rd Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
4th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
7th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
Quotes Romain Grosjean (#28 Andretti Autosport Honda) will start second: “I think this is a very good result for all of us on the #28 car. We’ve worked very hard to get the car working the way I wanted it to be. I knew from the opening practice that we were headed in the right direction, and every change we made on the car was in the right direction, thanks to my engineer Olivier [Boisson], Honda and everyone on the team, who have been working just as hard. Now we have to continue on and finish the job tomorrow.”
Christian Lundgaard (#30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) will start third: “I think the rain [prior to qualifying] actually helped us. It just cooled everything down from earlier in the day. It definitely helped stabilize our car under braking. I think it was a very exciting qualifying. And we’re making progress as a team, which is the most important thing. I’ve always liked street circuits, but after Toronto [where he started 10th and finished 8th] and today I’m starting to like them even more!”
Fast Facts
Honda drivers and teams dominated the results sheets of last year’s inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, as Marcus Ericsson recovered from an opening lap contact and brief “flight” to head a Honda sweep of the first seven finishing positions, and eight of the top 10.
Scott Dixon made it a Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing 1-2 result last year in Nashville, with James Hinchcliffe running third to complete the podium sweep for the manufacturer. Honda drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Ed Jones, and eventual series champion Alex Palou completed the top seven for Honda, with Helio Castroneves finishing ninth.
Previously, INDYCAR and the Indy Racing League conducted eight races on the 1.33-mile Nashville Super Speedway oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, from 2001-2008. Honda drivers and teams won five of the six races the manufacturer contested, from 2003-08.
Where to Watch Television coverage of Sunday’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix 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).
Posted by Steve Wittich on Wednesday, August 3rd 2022
Source: Manufacturer PR
Big Machine Music City Grand Prix Nashville, TN 3 p.m. EDT Saturday, August 7 NBC and NBC Peacock IndyCar Radio Network and SiriusXM
Honda at Nashville
Honda drivers and teams dominated the results sheets of last year’s inaugural Big Machine Music City Grand Prix, as Marcus Ericsson recovered from an opening lap contact and brief “flight” to head a Honda sweep of the first seven finishing positions, and eight of the top 10.
Scott Dixon made it a Honda and Chip Ganassi Racing 1-2 result last year in Nashville, with James Hinchcliffe running third to complete the podium sweep for the manufacturer. Honda drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay, Graham Rahal, Ed Jones, and eventual series champion Alex Palou completed the top seven for Honda, with Helio Castroneves finishing ninth.
Previously, INDYCAR and the Indy Racing League conducted eight races on the 1.33-mile Nashville Super Speedway oval in Lebanon, Tennessee, from 2001-2008. Honda drivers and teams won five of the six races the manufacturer contested, from 2003-08.
Honda-powered winners at Nashville Speedway include Tony Kanaan in his 2003 championship season; and his Andretti Green Racing teammate Dario Franchitti in 2004. Scott Dixon won three consecutive races on the Nashville oval, from 2006-08, in his Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
Honda’s Indy car win total of 280 in 25 years of North American open-wheel racing – including 15 Indianapolis 500 victories since 2003 – is unmatched by any other manufacturer in the same period.
This past Saturday, Alexander Rossi led a 1-2 Honda result in the Gallagher Grand Prix on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to record Honda’s 280th NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory; with current rookie points leader Christian Lundgaard finishing second in his best result to-date.
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 more than 150 associates; and from an engine-rebuilding facility, focused on a single racing series, to a complete motorsports Research & Development organization, engaged in programs ranging from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to grassroots and entry-level categories including karting, Quarter Midgets, club racing, Formula 4 and Formula Regional Americas.
Where to Watch
Television coverage of Sunday’s Big Machine Music City Grand Prix 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).
Rossi Win Completes Honda Sweep of Indianapolis in 2022
Alexander Rossi leads a Honda 1-2 result at the Gallagher Grand Prix
Christian Lundgaard finishes second in best run of his rookie season
Today’s Honda win completes a sweep of all three NTT INDYCAR SERIES races this year at the Indianpolis Motor Speedway
SPEEDWAY, Ind. (July 30, 2022) – Alexander Rossi dominated the second half of today’s Gallagher Grand Prix on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as the Andretti Autosport driver headed a 1-2 finish for Honda and completed a sweep of NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at the famed “Brickyard” in 2022. Rossi led a race-high 44 laps in the 85-lap contest to record his first win of 2022, and his eighth career victory.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard completed the 1-2 Honda result today, his best result in his rookie Indy car season. Teammate Graham Rahal finish seventh in another strong outing. Colton Herta led 17 laps, setting up a possible 1-2-3 finish for Honda, but dropped out after 42 laps with an apparent transmission/driveline issue. Scott Dixon gained a dozen positions in the race to finish eighth, taking him to fourth in the series championship standings.
Gallagher Grand Prix Honda Race Results
1st Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
2nd Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
7th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
8th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
10th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
11th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
14th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
25th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda [did not finish – fuel]
R – Rookie
Quotes
Alexander Rossi(#27 Andretti Autosport Honda) race winner: “It’s been an amazing weekend, right from Practice 1, the car performance was there. Everything we had going for us, from the balance to the Honda power and driveability, we knew we had a car to win. It was just a matter of us going out there and doing it. I’m so thankful for the continual belief I’ve received from the whole Andretti Autosport organization this year, just an incredible weekend for us.”
Christian Lundgaard (#30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) Finished second, best INDYCAR result in his rookie season: “Honda one-two! It really should have been a one-two-three, but this feels amazing. It’s just awesome to be up here, to be on the podium at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! I think the team just deserves every bit of this achievement and this performance. I’m just super happy for the team. For me, as a driver, of course I’m happy with this podium, but I think the team just deserves it so much after all their hard work. I’m just incredibly pleased.”
Wayne Gross (Manager of Trackside Support, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda victory on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course: “Congratulations to everyone at HPD, Andretti Autosport and of course Alexander Rossi. With Colton [Herta] and Alex, we won both Indy road course races here this year, plus the 500 with Marcus [Ericsson]. This has been a pretty special place for us this year! Thanks to everyone involved, and let’s keep pushing through the final quarter of the season.”
Fast Facts
Today’s results complete a sweep for Honda at NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2022.
Honda’s Colton Herta began the streak in May, as the Andretti Autosport driver bested the field despite constantly changing weather conditions and a wet/dry/wet track to win the GMR Grand Prix on May 14.
One week later, Dixon claimed pole for the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500, and his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Marcus Ericsson scored Honda’s 15th victory in the Memorial Day Weekend classic.
Next
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES now heads to the temporary street circuit Big Machine Music City Grand Prix in Nashville, Tennessee, and the conclusion of a run of five races on four consecutive race weekends.
Front-Row Start for Rossi, Honda at the Gallagher Grand Prix
Andretti Autosport’s Alexander Rossi will start second in Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Christian Lundgaard advances to final qualifying for the first time, will start sixth
SPEEDWAY, Ind. (July 29, 2022) – Alexander Rossi led the way for Honda today in qualifying for Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix on the road course at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and will start on the front row, second in his Andretti Autosport Honda.
Rahal Letterman Lanigan’s Christian Lundgaard also advanced through all three rounds of NTT INDYCAR SERIES “knockout” qualifying, and will start sixth, best among the rookies in the field. Other Honda drivers to advance out of first round qualifying today on the 2.439-mile Indy road course include defending series champion Alex Palou, who will start seventh; Colton Herta in ninth; rookie David Malukas in 11th and Simon Pagenaud, 12th.
Gallagher Grand Prix Honda Qualifying Results 2nd Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda 6th Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 7th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 9th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda 11th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda 12th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda 13th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 14th Devlin DeFrancesco-R Andretti Autosport Honda 16th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda 17th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda 18th Takuma Sato Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda 20th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 22nd Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda 23rd Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 25th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda R – Rookie
Quotes Alexander Rossi (#27 Andretti Autosport Honda) will start second: “It’s far and away our best qualifying result we’ve had here as a team, so I’m thankful to all the guys for the effort. We had a really good test here and I’m just really glad that that translated to our pace for the race weekend. Grateful to have Honda power behind me and it should be a good race tomorrow.”
Christian Lundgaard (#30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) will start sixth: “This place is my new home. As it was my first appearance last year, there’s just some sort of magic with me and this track. I’m hoping I don’t get food poisoning this year for sure! I don’t want to replicate that from last year! At our May race [earlier this year], I think we had a better race car than we ended up showing, I think our race car was quite good. But I think as a team we perform well here and we have to figure out why that is. But, it’s great to be in the fast six!”
Fast Facts
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Gallagher Grand Prix, the second race of the 2022 season to be held on the 2.439-mile infield road course at IMS.
Honda-powered Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson returns to IMS leading the Drivers’ Championship with 403 points to 395 for his closest rival, Will Power.
Other Honda drivers in the top 10 coming to Indianapolis include Ericsson’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and six-time series champion, Scott Dixon, fourth with 369 points; defending series champion Alex Palou, sixth with 359 points; Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta, eighth with 278 points; and Alexander Rossi, 10th with 265 points.
Honda’s most recent win on the IMS road course came in May, as Colton Herta bested the field despite constantly changing weather conditions and a wet/dry/wet track to win the GMR Grand Prix on May 14.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course, Speedway, IN
12p.m. EDT Saturday, July 30
NBC and NBC Peacock
IndyCar Radio Network and SiriusXM
Honda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend for the Gallagher Grand Prix, the second race of the 2022 season to be held on the 2.439-mile infield road course at IMS.
Honda-powered Indianapolis 500 winner Marcus Ericsson returns to IMS leading the Drivers’ Championship with 403 points to 395 for his closest rival, Will Power.
Other Honda drivers in the top 10 coming to Indianapolis Ericsson’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate and six-time series champion Scott Dixon, fourth with 369 points; defending series champion Alex Palou, sixth with 359 points; Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta, eighth with 278 points; and Alexander Rossi, 10th with 265 points.
Honda’s Indy car win total of 279 in 25 years of North American open-wheel racing – including 15 Indianapolis 500 victories since 2003 – is unmatched by any other manufacturer in the same period.
Honda’s most recent win on the IMS road course came in May, as Colton Herta bested the field despite constantly changing weather conditions and a wet/dry/wet track to win the GMR Grand Prix on May 14.
In 2020, Scott Dixon and Graham Rahal scored a 1-2 finish for Honda, with Colton Herta finishing fourth. Honda drivers went on to win the Indianapolis 500 in both 2020 (Takuma Sato, his second ‘500’ victory) and 2021 (Helio Castroneves, for his record-tying fourth win at the Brickyard).
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 more than 150 associates; and from an engine-rebuilding facility, focused on a single racing series, to a complete motorsports Research & Development organization, engaged in
programs ranging from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship to grassroots and entry-level categories including karting, Quarter Midgets, club racing, Formula 4 and Formula Regional Americas.
Where to Watch
Television coverage of Saturday’s Gallagher Grand Prix starts at 12 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).
Scott Dixon finishes fourth in his 300th consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES start
First top-five result for Jimmie Johnson; Marcus Ericsson maintains Drivers’ Championship lead with sixth-place run
David Malukas scores eighth-place finish, closes on rookie points lead
The Chip Ganassi Racing team led the way for Honda in the second race of the HyVee INDYCAR doubleheader race weekend at Iowa Speedway, with Scott Dixon, Jimmie Johnson and Marcus Ericsson finishing fourth, fifth and sixth respectively in Sunday’s 300-lap closing event.
Dixon was the biggest mover of the day, climbing from eighteenth on the grid to fourth at the line, and moving himself into third place in the championship fight. Teammate Ericsson maintains his drivers’ title lead with his sixth-place finish, eight points ahead of Will Power.
Including the Ganassi crew, Honda claimed six of the top ten positions: eighth for David Malukas for Dale Coyne Racing with HMD—the highest finishing rookie—ninth for Andretti Autosport’s Romain Grosjean and 10th for Malukas’ Dale Coyne Racing teammate, Takuma Sato, in his Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda.
Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 Honda Race Results
4th Scott Dixon
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
5th Jimmie Johnson
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
6th Marcus Ericsson
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
8th David Malukas-R
Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
9th Romain Grosjean
Andretti Autosport Honda
10th Takuma Sato
Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
12th Colton Herta
Andretti Autosport Honda
13th Alex Palou
Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
14th Graham Rahal
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
15th Devlin DeFrancesco-R
Andretti Autosport Honda
18th Alexander Rossi
Andretti Autosport Honda
20th Jack Harvey
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
21st Helio Castroneves
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
23rd Simon Pagenaud
Meyer Shank Racing Honda
26th Christian Lundgaard-R
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda [did not finish – mechanical]
R – Rookie
Quotes
Scott Dixon (#9 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished fourth: “It was a little frustrating on the restarts, as our chassis was bottoming out. I tried to attack on the last [restart] for a podium, but couldn’t pull it off. But the long runs were really good for us all weekend long, our Honda was strong as always, and that paid dividends today with just the couple of cautions we had in the race. I had a lot of fun racing my fellow ‘Kiwi’ [Scott McLaughlin] trying to get that podium finish, but fourth is good [championship] points, a great day for the entire Chip Ganassi team.”
Jimmie Johnson (#48 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) finished fifth, his first top-five result in NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition: “This is a really special day for me, and for everyone who’s been with me on this journey in Indy car. It took me a little while to get my best finish, but today was just a fun race today. We’ve had tons of support all the way from my teammates and the entire Chip Ganassi Racing organization. I raced my teammates with the most respect I possibly could, and this is the first time I felt like I could fight for position with them. It was just an awesome day.”
David Malukas (#18 Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda) finished eighth, top rookie finisher: “What a joy of a race that was! Although today’s race was 50 laps longer than Saturday, it felt much shorter. Every lap was either a pass, or setting up for a pass. It was just chaos from start to finish, and we just kept working our way forward. The Penske’s and McLaren’s were on rails, but other than them, no one else could pass us. I had an amazing battle with my teammate Takuma [Sato] at the end, Neither of us made it easy, but it was a lot of fun and he pushed me to the end.”
David Salters (President and Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race at Iowa Speedway: “First and foremost, we wish all the best for Josef Newgarden. It certainly was a hard hit and we hope to see him back in the cockpit next weekend. Regarding today’s race, the results speak for themselves, it seems we have pretty significant chassis work to do on short ovals. Credit where it’s due, it was a masterclass from Team Penske and Josef for most of the weekend. We have a lot to learn and improve as a collective group, simple as that. Well done to Chip Ganassi Racing for making the best of things and bringing home some solid results for their team and for us at Honda.”
Fast Facts
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES continued a hectic run of five races over a four-week period this Saturday and Sunday at Iowa Speedway with a doubleheader race weekend, the only two-race weekend on the 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule.
With a lap distance of just 0.89 miles, the banked Iowa Speedway oval is the shortest circuit on the 2020 schedule. Saturday’s HY-VEEDeals.com 250 was a 250-lap event; while today’s HY-VEE Salute To Farmers 300 will ran for 300 laps.
Next
With the completion of this weekend’s pair of races at Iowa Speedway, the NTT INDYCAR Series continues its mid-season run of consecutive race weekends with a return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course for the July 30 Gallagher Grand Prix, part on the “Brickyard” weekend with NASCAR in Indianapolis.
