Podium Performance for Palou, Honda Power in St. Pete

• Reigning series champion Alex Palou notches second-place finish in 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg
• Honda drivers, teams claim three of top five finishing positions
• Uncharacteristically trouble-free race on the city streets

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 27, 2022) – Defending series champion Alex Palou got his title defense off to a good start in 2022, taking second place in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in his #10 Honda-powered Chip Ganassi Racing machine.

Finishing just half a second behind race winner Scott McLaughlin, Palou’s pivotal moment came during the first round of pit stops. Starting tenth following a practice crash, the #10 crew pitted under caution—due to a crash by rookie David Malukas—and Palou’s crew was able to jump several cars and get the champ out in a net-podium position. The incident would end up being the only caution during the typically-chaotic street race.

Honda also powered Andretti Autosport drivers Colton Herta—the 2021 St. Pete race winner—and Romain Grosjean to top five finishes to kick off the 2022 season, and claimed 11 of the top 15 finishing positions in the field.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Qualifying Results

• 2^nd Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 4^th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
• 5^th Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda
• 7^th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 8^th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 9^th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 10^th Takuma Sato Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
• 11^th Christian Lundgaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 13^th Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 14^th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 15^th Simon Pagenaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 20^th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
• 22^nd Devlin DeFrancesco-R Andretti Autosport Honda
• 23^rd Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 26^th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 1 of 17 rounds)

Chevrolet 91 points

Honda 72 points

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings (unofficial, after 1 of 17 rounds)

1. Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske 54 points

2. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 41

3. Will Power, Team Penske 36

4. Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport Honda 32

5. Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport Honda 30

Quotes

Alex Palou (#10 Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Started 10^th, finished second: “First of all, Scott [McLaughlin, race winner] did an amazing job. Congratulations to him on his first win. Super happy with the #10 NTT Data Honda car, it was really good today. If you look at how the result we got today, compared to how [poorly] we started the weekend, I think the entire Chip Ganassi team did an incredible job in coming back and scoring our first podium [finish] of the year. We came up a little short there at the end, but we were close, we were very close. If this is one of our worst races this year, I will be really, really pleased.”

Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) Started third, finished fourth: “We had a good car and a clean race, and that’s how we wanted to start off the year. We passed [Rinus] VeeKay there at the end to finish fourth, so I’m happy about how the day went. For sure we had a small problem early on [the car failed to take a full load of fuel at the first pit stop] that later prevented us from finishing higher up, but overall, happy with our performance throughout the weekend and with the power from our Honda engine.”

David Salters (President and Technical Director, Honda Performance Development) on today’s race: “It was great to see such a huge crowd on hand to open the 2022 INDYCAR season, and hats off to Alex [Palou] and Chip Ganassi Racing. That was a champions’ drive to bring the car through the field as they did. Unfortunately, we came up a little short at the end, but that’s racing and we know what we need to do. On to Texas.”

Fast Facts

• Honda-powered drivers have won 10 of the 18 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at St. Petersburg since the event was revived for the 2005 season. The late Dan Wheldon led a Honda and Andretti Green Racing sweep of the top four positions in the inaugural 2005 event; while Colton Herta dominated in 2021 for Honda and Andretti Autosport.
• Other Honda winners on the streets of St. Petersburg include local resident Sebastian Bourdais in 2017-18; Helio Castroneves in 2006 and ’07; Graham Rahal in 2008; Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe and Will Power in 2009 and ’10, respectively; and Dario Franchitti in 2011.
• Ten race wins in 2021 brought Honda the company’s 10^th INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, and fourth consecutive title, a record for the company. Honda-powered Alex Palou scored three of those wins to claim his first INDYCAR Drivers’ Championship.

Next

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES next heads to the high banks of Texas Motor Speedway for the first oval race of 2022, the EXPEL 375, Sunday, March 20, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg 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).

Defending race winner Colton Herta leads the way for Honda In St. Petersburg GP Qualifying

• Defending St. Pete winner Colton Herta looks to repeat from the second row starting position
• Romain Grosjean, Simon Pagenaud both make ‘Firestone Fast Six’ in first race weekend with new Honda teams
• Honda claims six of top 10 qualifying positions Sunday’s 2022 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season opener

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (February 26, 2022) – Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta is once again leading the charge for Honda on the streets of St. Petersburg, Florida, qualifying third today for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in the #26 Honda-powered Andretti Autosport machine.

Andretti Autosport’s newest driver, Romain Grosjean, also represented the team in the ‘Firestone Fast Six’ in the #28 Honda, qualifying fifth. Also making his debut with a new team for 2022, Simon Pagenaud, notched a sixth place starting position for Meyer Shank Racing.

Honda-powered drivers claimed six of the top 10 starting positions, with Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson and reigning champion Alex Palou qualifying seventh, eighth and 10^th respectively.

Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg Honda Qualifying Results

• 3^rd Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
• 5^th Romain Grosjean Andretti Autosport Honda
• 6^th Simon Pageaud Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 7^th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 8^th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 10^th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 11^th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 13^th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
• 15^th Christian Lundegaard-R Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 17^th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 18^th Devlin DeFrancesco-R Andretti Autosport Honda
• 22^nd Takuma Sato Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
• 23^rd Jack Harvey Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 24^th David Malukas-R Dale Coyne Racing with HMD Honda
• 26^th Jimmie Johnson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes

Colton Herta (#26 Andretti Autosport Honda) defending race winner, will start third: ““I knew we had a good race car for here, and we got through the first two [qualifying] stages nice and clean, but couldn’t get the perfectly clean lap we needed in the ‘Fast Six’ [final qualifying round] at the end. We’re in a good [starting] position, I can’t wait to get the season going tomorrow.”

Romain Grosjean (#28 Andretti Autosport Honda) Qualified fourth: “Qualifying was okay. We still have a bit more speed we can get out of the car to get it to my liking, but the car was really good, very smooth to drive. I know Andretti has got a brilliant car on all the street courses. With Olivier [Boisson, his engineer] last year, we had a really good car on road courses. Ovals, I know Andretti has got a good car, as well. I think with all of us working together, we can get something good. I’m happy that I’ve got really fast teammates. That’s going to push me to get better.”

Simon Pagenaud (#60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda) will start sixth: “So far, it has been a great weekend with the Meyer Shank Racing Honda. Working with the team has been a lot of fun. We’ve made progress every session. In qualifying, we were missing a little bit of front grip to nail that perfect lap. But overall super excited to be in the fast six in our first race. I’m excited and there is more to come. We have a really good race car and that makes me happy for tomorrow.”

Fast Facts

• Honda-powered drivers have won 10 of the 17 NTT INDYCAR SERIES races at St. Petersburg since the event was revived for the 2005 season. The late Dan Wheldon led a Honda and Andretti Green Racing sweep of the top four positions in the inaugural 2005 event; while Colton Herta dominated in 2021 for Honda and Andretti Autosport.
• Other Honda winners on the streets of St. Petersburg include local resident Sebastian Bourdais in 2017-18; Helio Castroneves in 2006 and ’07; Graham Rahal in 2008; Team Penske’s Ryan Briscoe and Will Power in 2009 and ’10, respectively; and Dario Franchitti in 2011.
• Ten race wins in 2021 brought Honda the company’s 10^th INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, and fourth consecutive title, a record for the company. Honda-powered Alex Palou scored three of those wins to claim his first INDYCAR Drivers’ Championship.

Where to Watch Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg

Live NBC television coverage of Sunday’s 100-lap Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg starts at 12 p.m. EDT. Complete, flag-to-flag race coverage also will be available NBC Peacock Premium, SiriusXM IndyCar Nation (Channel 160) and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from St. Petersburg can be found on Instagram (www.instagram.com/hondaracing_hpd), Twitter (twitter.com/HondaRacing_HPD) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/HondaRacingHPD). Additional feature videos can be found on the Honda Racing/HPD YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/HondaRacingHPDTV).

• Honda wins its 10th, and fourth consecutive, Manufacturers’ Championship
• Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou claims Drivers’ Championship with fourth-place finish at season-ending Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach
• Colton Herta completes winning weekend for Honda with Long Beach victory

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Sept. 26, 2021) – Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou clinched the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship with a fourth-place finish today at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Palou became the 10^th Honda-powered driver to win an Indy car title, and the championship was the 18^th for Honda since it entered North American open-wheel racing in 1994.

Needing only an 11^th-place or better result to secure the title, Palou kept his nose clean on the unforgiving downtown streets that make up the temporary Long Beach street circuit, but continued to run in the lead pack through most of the 85-lap contest to give team owner Chip Ganassi his 14^th Indy car title.

Honda also powered today’s race winner, as Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta led 43 of the 85-laps to notch his third victory of 2021, and the first at his ‘home’ Long Beach circuit.

Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach Honda Race Results

• 1^st Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
• 3^rd Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 4^th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 6^th Alexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
• 7^th Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 9^th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 12^th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
• 14^th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
• 16^th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 17^th Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 20^th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 22^nd Oliver Askew Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 23^rd Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
• 24^th Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
• 28^th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Manufacturers’ Championship

Honda 1,401 points [Honda’s 10 title, 4^th consecutive]

Chevrolet 1,238

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Drivers’ Championship Standings

• 1. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 549 points [3 wins]
• 2. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske 511 [2 wins]
• 3. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP 487 [2 wins]
• 4. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 481 [1 win]

Quotes

Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport Honda) Race winner, his third win of 2021 and sixth career Indy car victory: “It feels amazing [to win the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach]. We brought a great car here, and [this race] has been on the ‘bucket list’ for so long for me, I’m at a loss for words. It took a lot of work [to get from 14^th to Victory Circle] and it’s such a big race for Honda and Acura, so happy to have a win here for them, too. What a way to cap off the year!”

Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPION; his first Indy car championship and the 18^th for a Honda-powered driver. Palou’s title comes 25 years after Jimmy Vasser won Honda’s first Indy car drivers’ title – also with a fourth-place finish, at Laguna Seca in 1996: “Oh my gosh man, what a race today, and what a year. This team is amazing. I don’t know what else to say. I’m super proud to be part of Chip Ganassi Racing, Honda, and all our partners. Yeah, I’m super happy. I can’t thank enough everyone who made this possible, [team owner] Chip Ganassi especially. This is one dream for me completed. Now let’s get another one!”

David Salters (President, Honda Performance Development) on winning both the 2021 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ and Drivers’ Championships: “To paraphrase the iconic lyrics of David Byrne and the Talking Heads: 

You may find yourself in a brilliant HPD with 230 smart Honda men and women who live the dream of Honda and Acura racing in the US.

You may yourself in an awesome part of the world called Santa Clarita, California, and Brownsburg, Indiana.

You may find yourself working for the coolest, funkiest racing company that is Honda

You may find yourself in a beautiful Acura Long Beach Grand prix, which is a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife.

You may ask yourself ‘how did we get here?’

The answer is: the dedication of the men and women of HPD who start with a clean sheet of paper and design powertrains and chassis, simulate, manufacture, assemble, develop and test, develop aerodynamics and vehicle dynamics simulation and simulators, electrical hardware, software and control systems, use advanced data analytics, and develop and analyze advanced materials.

Team HPD, we salute you for the four consecutive Indy car manufactures titles; Helio Castroneves your fourth Indy 500 victory; and Alex Palou, we salute your first Indy car Drivers’ Championship. 

Thank you to our brilliant Honda racing teams.

This is once in a lifetime.”

Fast Facts

Both Herta and Honda Performance Development call the northern Los Angeles suburb of Santa Clarita home, and the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach as our home race.

This is the 10^th INDYCAR victory from 16 races for Honda this season.

Palou is the 10^th different Honda driver to win an Indy car title, and the championship is the 18^th for Honda since the company entered Indy car competition in 1995. Tittle winners include Jimmy Vasser (1996); Alex Zanardi (1997-98); Juan Pablo Montoya (1999); Gil de Ferran (2000-01); Tony Kanaan (2004); Dan Wheldon (2005); Sam Hornish Jr. (2006); Dario Franchitti (2007, 2009-11); Scott Dixon (2008, 2013, 2018, 2020)

Next

Today’s race concludes Honda’s championship-winning 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES. The 2022 season gets underway February 27, with a return to the Florida Gulf Coast for the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach 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).

Herta Takes Honda to the Pole at Laguna Seca

• Colton Herta, Alexander Rossi make up an all-Andretti Autosport Honda front row for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey
• Championship leader Alex Palou qualifies fourth, Oliver Askew to start fifth
• Honda drivers, teams take four of top six in qualifying

MONTEREY, Calif. (Sept. 18, 2021) – For the second consecutive weekend, Honda drivers and teams dominated qualifying today at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, sweeping the front row and claiming eight of the top 12 starting positions for Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey.

Honda drivers previously swept the top three positions in qualifying for last Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland, with championship points leader Alex Palou going on to score his third NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory of the season.

In today’s qualifying action, Colton Herta claimed his second consecutive Laguna Seca pole, and the seventh of his Indy car career, with teammate Alexander Rossi completing an Andretti Autosport Honda sweep of the front row. Palou will start tomorrow’s penultimate race of the 2021 season from fourth for Chip Ganassi Racing, with Oliver Askew qualifying an impressive fifth in just his second race with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing.

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey Honda Qualifying Results

• 1^st Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
• 2^ndAlexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
• 4^th Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 5^th Oliver Askew Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 7^th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 8^th Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 11^th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
• 12^th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 13^th Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
• 14^th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
• 19^th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
• 20^th Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 22^nd Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 23^rd Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 25^th Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes

Colton Herta (Andretti Autosport Honda) Pole qualifier, third pole of 2021, seventh career Indy car pole “We have a great car, to be honest. It’s awesome to be powered by Honda. What an amazing track, I love this place. You have to drive right to 100% at this track, especially in the final [qualifying] round when you’re on used tires on a track that typically uses up tires quickly. Tire [wear] will also be critical here tomorrow, we need to learn how long we can make the tires last before the big ‘fall off’ in times takes place.”

Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Championship points leader, qualified fourth: “It was an interesting session, I would say. We lacked a bit of pace in [the first round of qualifying], but we made it up in the fast 12 [second round]. We were really really strong, and I was looking forward to the fast six [final round qualifying]. But, unfortunately, we didn’t have the pace today to fight for pole position on the used ‘reds’ [soft compound Firestone tires]. Starting fourth tomorrow, the second row, is always good and we know we have a really strong race car. So, yeah, looking forward to it. Three [expected pit] stops, should be an exciting race, and hopefully we can overtake three guys!”

Oliver Askew (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) Qualified fifth, tied his career-best Indy car starting position: “Fantastic qualifying today for the Hy-Vee #45 guys from Rahal Letterman Lanigan. I felt really good in the car, and the car complemented me as well. When you get it right around here, it feels really good. When you get it wrong, not so much—but today we got it right. It was a really enjoyable session and I’m looking forward to starting in the top five tomorrow. I know I have a really good pit crew, we had one of the best times on pit road in [his first race at] Portland and hopefully we can capitalize on that. Looking for a clean race tomorrow and hopefully we can move forward!”

Fast Facts

This is the sixth pole for Honda this season, and the second consecutive front-row lockout for the manufacturer.

Honda teams and drivers have won eight of 14 races to date this season, and currently holds a 95-point lead in the Manufacturers’ Championship (2,110-1,115) over rival Chevrolet with two races remaining. The company is seeking it’s 10^th Manufacturers’ title, and fourth consecutive trophy.

In a strong all-round qualifying showing for the manufacturer, Honda drivers claimed eight of top 12 grid positions after the first round of INDYCAR “knockout” qualifying, with four Honda’s advancing to the “Fast Six” final round and then sweeping the front row for tomorrow’s 95-lap race.

Where to Watch Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

Live network television coverage Sunday’s penultimate race in the 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES 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 on SiriusXM satellite radio.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from WeatherTech Raceway 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).

Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA

3 p.m. EDT Sunday, September 19

NBC and NBC Peacock

IndyCar Radio Network and SiriusXM

Honda at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

• This weekend’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey marks the return of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca after a one-year absence, as last year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• 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.
• Honda teams and drivers also took part in nine Championship Auto Racing Teams [CART] events from 1994-2002, winning three.
• 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.

Manufacturer Competition

• Powering the top four finishers at last week’s Grand Prix of Portland, Honda increased its lead in the 2021 INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship to 95 points over rival Chevrolet (1,210-1,115). Honda drivers and teams have posted eight victories from 14 races this season. The company is seeking its fourth consecutive NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship in 2021.
• In addition to Helio Castroneves’ historic win at the Indianapolis 500 in May, Honda race winners this year include championship contender Alex Palou in Portland last weekend, at Road America and at the season-opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Marcus Ericsson won in Nashville and at the first race of the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader weekend; while defending and six-time champion Scott Dixon won Texas Race; and Colton Herta claimed the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.
• Seven wins in 2020 brought Honda the company’s ninth INDYCAR Manufacturers’ Championship, and third consecutive title, with Honda driver Dixon prevailing to win his sixth Drivers’ Championship. Dixon’s championship total is highest among active drivers in the series, and second all-time behind only A.J. Foyt’s seven titles.
• Honda’s Indy car win total of 260 in 25 years of North American open-wheel racing – including 14 Indianapolis 500 victories since 2003 – is unmatched by any other manufacturer in the same period.

Where to Watch

• Television coverage from the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey on NBC Peacock begins with the opening practice Saturday at 1:45 p.m. EDT, and continues through qualifying at 5 p.m. EDT.
• Live network television coverage Sunday’s 95-lap race 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 carried by SiriusXM satellite radio.
• Honda Racing social media content and video links from WeatherTech Raceway 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).

• Alex Palou claims his third win of 2021 at the Grand Prix of Portland, reclaims Drivers’ Championship points lead
• Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon complete Honda podium sweep
• Acura also wins on Sunday, claiming victory at Laguna Seca IMSA event

PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 12, 2021) – Alex Palou led a Honda sweep of the top four finishing positions Sunday at the Grand Prix of Portland, as Honda drivers and teams dominated the finishing order, despite being delayed by a multi-car crash in the opening moments of today’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES event at Portland International Raceway.

Palou, second-finishing Alexander Rossi, third-place Scott Dixon and Jack Harvey, who rounded out the top four, were all caught up in a multi-car incident seconds after the green flag for today’s 110-lap race, when Felix Rosenqvist overshot the entry to the first turn and tagged Dixon’s left-rear tire, scattering nearly half the 27-car starting field.

All four quickly resumed, but now were in the back half of the field for the restart, leading to the thrilling comeback drives that ensued. Behind the lead four, Honda drivers claimed eight of the top-10 finishing positions with Marcus Ericsson, Colton Herta and Graham Rahal finishing seventh, eighth and 10^th, respectively.

In addition to Honda’s Indy car win in Portland, Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor took their Acura ARX-05 prototype to the overall victory today in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship endurance sports car race in Monterey, California.

Grand Prix of Portland Honda Race Results

• 1^st Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 2^ndAlexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
• 3^rd Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 4^th Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 7^th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 8^th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
• 10^th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 11^th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
• 12^th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 15^th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda
• 20^th Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 22^nd Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
• 23^rd Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 24^th Oliver Askew Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda [did not finish – mechanical]
• 27^th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda [did not finish – contact]

R – Rookie

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Manufacturers’ Championship (unofficial, after 14 of 16 rounds)

Honda 1,210 points

Chevrolet 1,115

NTT INDYCAR SERIES Drivers’ Championship Standings

2. Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 477 points [3 wins]

1. Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP 451 [2 wins]

3. Josef Newgarden, Team Penske 443 [2 wins]

4. Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing Honda 428 [1 win]

Quotes

Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Race winner, his third career INDYCAR win and third win of 2021, regains Drivers’ Championship points lead with two races remaining: “I need to see a replay [of the multi-car accident just after the race start], but we kept our head down. We knew the race was really long, and our strategy was amazing. HPD gave us the power we needed, and I’m super proud of our partners, and our team. The whole team was amazing today: the strategy, the pit stops, everything. With all the bad luck we had [at the start], we still won. I’m proud about that.”

Alexander Rossi (Andretti Autosport Honda) Started second, finished second: “It wasn’t a win, which is always the goal, but a podium is still a good reward for the team. It’s been a frustrating year. Speed has never been the issue, but we haven’t been getting the results and getting it done. But I think we definitely have had the performance coming back from our summer [three-week] break. Today was a good boost, and we still have two more to go.”

Wayne Gross (Manager, Trackside Support, Honda Performance Development) on today’s Honda win in Portland: “Today’s result was a great rebound for both Alex [Palou} and HPD after our disappointment two weeks ago in St. Louis [when Palou and Dixon were eliminated in a mid-race crash]. Eight of the top 10 today are Hondas, and we’re looking forward to extending our lead at Laguna Seca with the goal of winning our fourth manufacturers’ title. Congratulations to Alex and everyone at Chip Ganassi Racing, and thanks as always to all the hard-working men and women at HPD.”

Fast Facts

• Today’s win by Alex Palou is the third for him this season, and came in his 28^th INDYCAR start. The win propels Palou from second in the Drivers’ Championship by 10 points into the lead by a 25-point margin (477-451). Palou also becomes the first driver to win three races this season.
• It is the eighth win of the season for Honda, including the Indianapolis 500, and sees the manufacturer increase its points lead in the battle for the Manufacturers’ Championship by 70 to 105 over Chevrolet (1,210 to 1,115).
• This win marks the 260^th win for Honda in Indy car competition, and the 119^th for Chip Ganassi Racing.

Next

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES now continues its three-race swing to conclude the 2021 season, moving down the Pacific for next Sunday’s Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey, at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from Portland 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).

Palou Takes Honda to the Pole in Portland

• Alex Palou claims his career-first INDYCAR pole in qualifying for the Grand Prix of Portland
• Alexander Rossi, Scott Dixon complete Honda sweep of top three starting positions
• Honda drivers, teams take five of top six in qualifying

PORTLAND, Ore. (Sept. 11, 2021) – In the first half of a Saturday afternoon qualifying sweep for Honda and Acura, championship contender Alex Palou led a 1-2-3 NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifying effort for Honda at the Grand Prix of Portland. Further down the Pacific coast in Monterey, California, Filipe Albuquerque led a 1-2 Acura lockout of the front row for Sunday’s Monterey Sports Car Championship round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

The pole was the first for Palou in his second season of INDYCAR competition, and the fifth for Honda in 2021. Since winning the season-opening Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama, Palou has either led or run second in the championship points standings, and is currently second, nine points out of first, with three races remaining.

In his best qualifying performance of the season, Alexander Rossi will start his Honda Dallara from the outside of the front row, second, for Andretti Autosport. Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate, defending and six-time series champion Scott Dixon, completed the 1-2-3 qualifying sweep for Honda in Portland. Graham Rahal and Colton Herta also advanced to the final “fast six” qualifying round, as Honda drivers and teams claimed five of the top six qualifying positions for Sunday’s 110-lap race.

Grand Prix of Portland Honda Qualifying Results

• 1^st Alex Palou Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 2^ndAlexander Rossi Andretti Autosport Honda
• 3^rd Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 5^th Graham Rahal Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 6^th Colton Herta Andretti Autosport Honda
• 8^th Ed Jones Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan Honda
• 9^th Oliver Askew Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 10^th Marcus Ericsson Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 13^th James Hinchcliffe Andretti Autosport Honda
• 17^th Helio Castroneves Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 20^th Jack Harvey Meyer Shank Racing Honda
• 21^st Romain Grosjean-R Dale Coyne Racing with RWR Honda
• 23^rd Jimmie Johnson-R Chip Ganassi Racing Honda
• 24^th Takuma Sato Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda
• 25^th Ryan Hunter-Reay Andretti Autosport Honda

R – Rookie

Quotes

Alex Palou (Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) Pole qualifier, his first career pole in NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition: “It’s amazing [to be on the pole], I’m super happy. My first pole in INDYCAR, it’s the best start to the weekend we could possibly have. The #10 PNC Bank Honda was really good. We’re starting from the best position, and we have a really fast car, I can’t wait for tomorrow’s race. We’re fully laser focused for these final three races and to bring the championship home.”

Oliver Askew (Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda) Qualified ninth in his Honda debut with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing: “It’s fantastic to be back in an Indy car and running with the Rahal Letterman Lanigan organization. I also had a lot of help from HPD getting on the simulator, they moved their schedule around so I get run on the sim prior to coming here. I feel pretty good about qualifying in the top 10 [ninth], and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.”

Fast Facts

This weekend’s Grand Prix of Portland marks the return of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES to the 1.967-mile PIR road course after a one-year absence, as last year’s event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a strong all-round qualifying showing for the manufacturers, Honda drivers claimed eight of top 12 grid positions after the first round of INDYCAR “knockout” qualifying, with five Honda’s advancing to the “Fast Six” final round and then sweeping the top-three starting positions for tomorrow’s 110-lap race.

Where to Watch Sunday’s Grand Prix of Portland

Live network television coverage Sunday’s 110-lap race from Portland International Raceway 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 carried by SiriusXM satellite radio.

Honda Racing social media content and video links from this weekend 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).