The next stop for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, the unofficial home of Graham Rahal, who was born and raised not far from the facility where his father often won races. Rahal also happens to be a former race winner at this 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course.
So, yeah, Rahal feels a special connection. But he’s not the only one.
Scott Dixon has dominated Mid-Ohio races in this series like no other driver. He has won six of the 19 races held in this iteration of the sport. He also has finished second and third once each and netted a pair of poles. When it comes to this series, Dixon is the undisputed king of Mid-Ohio.
SEE: Mid-Ohio Event Details
Reigning series champion Alex Palou has recently staked a fitting claim to this track, as well, winning the 2023 race and standing on the podium in each of the four races in which he has driven for Chip Ganassi Racing. It’s fair to say he, too, feels right at home at Mid-Ohio.
Want other series drivers who are particularly fond of this place? Try Pato O’Ward, who won last year’s race and added a pole in 2022, along with Josef Newgarden (two wins and a pole) and one-time winners Alexander Rossi (one pole), Will Power (five poles), Colton Herta (two poles) and Scott McLaughlin. They all love racing on this track.
Give all of this, it’s not a surprise that Mid-Ohio lays claim to a surprising fact: Eight different drivers have won the past eight races, and each of them will compete in this weekend’s Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport.
Add in a few other drivers who have had podium finishes at this track – Marcus Ericsson and Felix Rosenqvist come to mind – and it’s easy to see why nearly half of this weekend’s field will be optimistic when the green flag drops Sunday shortly after 1 p.m. ET (FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
The competition has been just as strong among teams at this track north of Columbus, with Chip Ganassi Racing and Team Penske sharing the record for most wins (12 each). Arrow McLaren earned its first Mid-Ohio win last year. Andretti Global and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing also have won races in recent years.
Palou brings a 93-point series lead over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood into this event, and it could be another opportunity to tighten his grip before the schedule turns to a pair of oval races at Iowa Speedway (July 12-13). At Mid-Ohio, Palou’s average finish with Chip Ganassi’s team is 2.0; Kirkwood’s average finish in two races with Andretti Global is 12.5.
O’Ward could use a productive weekend to close his wide gap to Palou. He stands 111 points in arrears with eight races left this season.
Again, O’Ward might consider this a good track for him, but so does Palou. So does Dixon, Newgarden, Rossi, Power, Herta, McLaughlin, Ericsson, Rosenqvist and of course Rahal. You get the idea. There will be many eager for this annual return to Mid-Ohio.
The action begins Friday with the weekend’s first practice at 4:30 p.m. (FS2, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).