By: Spencer Neff
July 20, 2025

2025 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Results

After starting 10th on what he considered to be his worst track on the schedule, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward took advantage of an early caution and savy tire strategy to win Sunday’s Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.

It is O’Ward’s ninth career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory and second of 2025.

O’Ward ties Kenny Brack, Scott Sharp and Colton Herta in all-time victories (47th on the list). He is the lone Chevrolet driver to win in 2025, both coming in the last three races over two weekends (Iowa Race 1).

Before Sunday, O’Ward’s previous best finish on the 1.786-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place circuit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was eighth. He led 30 laps on the day, including the last 29. Arrow McLaren’s previous best finish in Toronto was third, most recently in 2018 with Robert Wickens.

Finishing second to O’Ward, Rinus VeeKay of Dale Coyne Racing earns his first podium since Barber in 2022 and DCR’s first podium since Gateway (WWTR) in 2023 (David Malukas) and first on a street circuit since their 2018 victory in St. Petersburg with Sebastien Bourdais.

VeeKay was the best Honda following O’Ward’s Chevrolet.

After starting 13th, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Kyffin Simpson improved a race-high ten spots for his first career podium in third. Pole sitter Colton Herta led a 4-5-6 finish among his Andretti Global team.

Despite starting in second and leading the most laps (37), Simpson’s teammate and points leader Alex Palou finished 12th. With four races to go in the 17-race season, Palou’s lead in the points is 99 to O”Ward.

PREMA Racing’s Callum Ilott earned an eighth-place finish, but for the fledgling team during their first INDYCAR season.

Improving from his 20th starting position, teammate Robert Shwartzman finished 16th, best among the rookie trio and the only driver of them who completed all 90 laps. He is tied with Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Louis Foster in Rookie of the Year standings (Shwartzman’s ninth-place at Iowa Race 2 is tie-breaker as best finish).

Race Recap

After crashing in the morning warmup, A.J. Foyt Racing would not run the No. 14 entry with Santino Ferrucci.

Ferrucci was seen, cleared to drive and released by the INDYCAR Medical Team but was seen icing his left hand following the accident.

At the start, Kyle Kirkwood moved up to third behind Herta and Armstrong but was forced to yield the there spots after Race Control deemed he was out of line.

Shortly after pitting for a switch to the primary Firestone tires following the mandate two laps on alternates, the left-rear on Scott McLaughlin’s car fell off. The Team Penske driver hit the wall in Turn 2 and his day was over before Lap 3 was completed.

Nine more drivers would opt for primary tires during the ensuing caution as Palou would take over the lead.

On Lap 12, Christian Rasmussen crashed in Turn 5 after contact from Team Penske’s Will Power. Rasmussen continued on, albeit two laps down. Palou continued to lead when Rasmussen’s Ed Carpenter Racing teammate Alexander Rossi smacked the wall exiting Turn 11 on Lap 30, prompting another caution.

O’Ward made it to pit lane before the yellow, while Palou and Dixon opted to stay out. Kirkwood spun entering pit lane but recovered and would finish sixth.

During the Lap 37 restart, Foster and Jacob Abel made contact in Turn 1. Abel would collide with Josef Newgarden, resulting in Newgarden getting his Team Penske machine stuck underneath Abel’s Dale Coyne Racing entry.

Toronto native Devlin DeFrancesco was also involved but his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry continued on, as did PREMA Racing’s Clallum Ilott and Nolan Siegel.

Palou and Dixon continued to stretch their lead until Laps 42 and 43, when VeeKay took over the top spot. O’Ward followed until the final round of pit stops began on Lap 58.

On Lap 64, O’Ward retook the lead and never looked back. On Lap 88, a nagging front wing gave in and sent Felix Rosenqvist spinning in Turn 10.

The Meyer Shank Racing driver collided with Arrow McLaren’s Nolan Siegel. From there, the race would end under caution.

It was the fifth caution for 20 of the 90-laps in the final race on a temporary street course in 2025. The average speed of the race was 88.972 mph with six lead changes among five drivers.

Up Next

The NTT INDYCAR SERIES heads west for the penultimate race on a permanent road course in 2025: The Java House Grand Prix of Monterey from the 2.3-mile, 11-turn WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Salinas, California.

Opening Practice is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET (FS2) on Friday, July 25. Second practice is set for 11:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 26 (FS1) with qualifying at 2:30 p.m. ET (FS1).

The final warmup is slated for 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 27, while the 95-lap race is set for a 3:00 p.m. ET broadcast (FOX) with a 3:22 p.m. scheduled green flag time. Stay with IndyCar1909 and our social media platforms for the latest on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES.

Header Image By Joe Skibisnki/INDYCAR