By: Spencer Neff
July 5, 2024

The first race of July will usher in a new era for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. At the 2.258-mile, 13-turn Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, the 27-car field will have their 2.2-liter V6 engines equipped with hybrid systems (more info on the development and usage of the system below, courtesy of INDYCAR).

Sunday’s 80-lap race will be the third consecutive on a permanent road course.

Two weeks ago, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou won the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. Now holding a 23-point lead over Team Penske’s Will Power, Palou returns to a track where he won and has finished on the podium in the last three races.

CGR and Penske’s domination of the series is no exception at Mid-Ohio. Since the first of 18 races under INDYCAR sanctioning in 2007, the organizations combined for 15 wins.

During USAC/CART/ChampCar sanctioning (1980, 1983-2007), they won nine of 22 events, all spanning from 1992 to 2001.

Sunday’s race will also be the series debut for Toby Sowery. The 2019 Indy Lights (now INDY NXT by Firestone) Portland winner will drive the No. 51 Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing entry.

The Cambridge, England native finished second during the fi9nal race of a doubleheader the series ran at Mid-Ohio in 2019.

“Racing in the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is an exciting challenge for anyone, and I’m extremely fortunate to be given this opportunity by Dale (Coyne),” Sowery said in the June 26 announcement .

“This race adds to an already incredible season for me filled with two amazing programs in IMSA and Fanatec GT World Challenge.

“Dale Coyne has been fundamental to INDYCAR in giving drivers opportunities to prove themselves, and I am eager for this challenge. It’ll be a difficult step to make having only one day in the car over a year ago, as well as adapting to the hybrid system, but I’m up for it.”

“I’ve been following Toby’s career for quite some time now,” Team Owner Dale Coyne added in the release.

“He’s shown that he can quickly adapt to whatever car he is driving and has a successful track record to prove it. We realize coming into the weekend at Mid-Ohio with no prior testing of the car in its hybrid form might be a steep learning curve, but we’re confident he will get up to speed quickly, and we look forward to seeing what he can do.”

Sowery will race alongside fellow Brit Jack Harvey, who continues his efforts in the No. 18 entry.

Fast Facts

Pit Assignments

Spotter Guide

Race weekend: Friday, July 5-Sunday, July 7 Track: Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, a 13-turn, a 2.258-mile permanent road course in Lexington, Ohio Race distance: NTT INDYCAR SERIES The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid: 80 laps / 180.64 miles INDY NXT by Firestone-INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio: 35 laps / 79.03 miles / 55 minutes Push to Pass parameters: NTT INDYCAR SERIES 200 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 20 seconds per activation INDY NXT by Firestone 150 seconds of total time with a maximum time of 15 seconds per activation Hybrid energy deployment parameters:NTT INDYCAR SERIES Unlimited activation with a maximum deployment of 280 kilojoules (kj) per lap. Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES Six sets primary, four sets alternate to be used during the event weekend. Teams must use one set of primary and one new set of alternate tires unless wet conditions are declared. One additional set is available for the weekend’s first session to teams fielding a rookie driver. INDY NXT by Firestone Three new sets to be used during the event weekend. Two carryover sets from the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca event may be used during pre-qualifying practice sessions Friday and Saturday. X: @Mid_Ohio, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #Honda200, #INDYCAR Instagram: @officialmidohio, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR Threads: @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT Facebook: @MidOhioSportsCarCourse, @INDYCAR, @INDYNXT, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR TikTok: @INDYCAR, #FirestoneGP, #INDYCAR YouTube: @INDYCAR Event website: www.midohio.com INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com INDY NXT by Firestone website: www.indynxt.com 2023 race winners:NTT INDYCAR SERIES Alex Palou (No. 10 The American Legion Honda)INDY NXT by FirestoneLouis Foster (No. 26 Andretti Autosport) 2023 NTT P1 Award winner: Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda) 1:06.3096, 122.589 mph 2023 INDY NXT by Firestone pole winner: Christian Rasmussen (No. 6 HMD Motorsports), 1:11.4998, 113.690 mph Qualifying lap record:NTT INDYCAR SERIESSimon Pagenaud, 1:03.8700, 127.271 mph, July 30, 2016 INDY NXT by FirestoneOliver Askew, 1:10.8079, 114.801 mph, July 27, 2019 NBC Sports race telecast: The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid, 1:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 7, NBC (live). Kevin Lee is the play-by-play announcer for NBC Sports’ coverage of the The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Georgia Henneberry and Charlie Kimball are the pit reporters. Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC Sports’ race telecast of The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio will be streamed on Peacock, with practice and qualifying being shown on INDYCAR LIVE. INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers. Michael Young, Alex Wollf and DJ Clark are the pit reporters. The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid race (1 p.m. ET Sunday), INDY NXT Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio (11:10 a.m. ET Sunday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 218, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. At-track schedule (all times local): FRIDAY, JULY 5  2:05-2:55 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 1, INDYCAR Live 3:20-4:35 p.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1, Peacock SATURDAY, JULY 6 9:40-10:25 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Practice 2, INDYCAR Live 10:50-11:50 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2 (45 minutes of green flag or 60 total minutes), Peacock 2:05-2:35 p.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Two groups, 12 minutes each), INDYCAR Live 3-4:30 p.m. – Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Three rounds of knockout qualifying), Peacock SUNDAY, JULY 7 10:25-10:55 a.m. – NTT INDYCAR SERIES Final Practice, Peacock 11:20 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio command to start engines 11:25 a.m. – INDY NXT by Firestone Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio (35 laps/55 minutes), Peacock 1:05 p.m. – Driver introductions 1:46 p.m. – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid command to start engines 1:53 p.m. – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the 2025 Civic Hybrid (80 laps/180.64 miles), NBC (live)