Preview – 2018 Honda Indy 200
By Dylan Reynolds, The Open Wheel
The INDYCAR season continues this weekend with the Verizon IndyCar Series Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio and the Indy Lights Cooper Tires Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Powered by Mazda at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The Open Wheel will be on-site covering the action all weekend so stay tuned to this site and our Twitter page @openwh33l for all of the latest news.
Photo by Parker Hall/The Open Wheel
Weekend Schedule – Entry List – Spotter Guide – Circuit Map – Tickets
Indy Lights Preview: Cooper Tires Mid-Ohio Grand Prix Powered by Mazda (Entry List), Race 1 – Saturday, July 28, 2018 3:05PM (ET) & Race 2 – Sunday, July 29, 2018 1:05PM (ET) – Santiago Urrutia and Nico Jamin won Race 1 and Race 2 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Urrutia finished second in Race 2 last year and swept both races in 2016 making him the favorite this weekend. Colton Herta started on the front row in each race last year and went on to finish P2 and P6. Another Andretti car won last year in Jamin so Patricio O’Ward should have the speed again this weekend. However, after his win at Toronto I expect Urrutia to once again dominate at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course and sweep both races this weekend. My pick to win: Santi Urrutia (x2)
Verizon IndyCar Series Preview: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, Sunday, July 29, 2018 3:00PM (ET) CNBC – Previous driver experience shows five former winners at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the field in Scott Dixon (5), Charlie Kimball (1), Josef Newgarden (1), Simon Pagenaud (1), and Graham Rahal (1). The active Top 5 in laps led at Mid-Ohio are Dixon (223), Power (104), Newgarden (78), Kimball (46), and Sebastien Bourdais (38). The last two winners at Mid-Ohio are Team Penske’s Newgarden and Pagenaud. Looking at the box scores from 2017 and 2016, Power, Rahal, and Pagenaud are have each finished in the Top 5 in each of the last two years. If that’s expanded to the Top 10, they’re joined by Newgarden, Sato, and Daly. Daly is back with Harding Racing this weekend after debuting for the team at Toronto. Pietro Fittipaldi returns to the Verizon IndyCar Series in the Dale Coyne Racing No. 19 after breaking both legs at Spa in May. My pick to win: Will Power – Power has done everything EXCEPT win this race. He’s been on the pole three times and finished second four times. He has six Top 5’s in nine starts. He’s been feast or famine on race day this year and he’s due for a big race day on Sunday.
My fantasy.indycar.com picks: Will Power, Robert Wickens, Graham Rahal, & Conor Daly – You know my thoughts on Power. Wickens topped the test last week and continues to run strong everywhere he goes. Rahal has four Top 5 finishes in his last four starts in this race including a win in 2015. Daly has a solid history at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in the past, tested with Harding at the circuit last week, and should have decent value at $14.