IndyCar: Honda Indy Toronto a great opportunity for Sage Karam

By Asher Fair | Jul 3, 2019

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MAY 24: Sage Karam of the United States, driver of the #24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Chevrolet drives during Carb Day for the 103rd Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 24, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

Sage Karam is set to make his first non-Indianapolis 500 IndyCar start in nearly four years in the Honda Indy Toronto next Sunday.

With rookie Patricio O’Ward competing in the Japanese Super Formula Championship, Sage Karam is set to drive for Carlin and compete in the Honda Indy Toronto next Sunday, July 14, marking his first IndyCar start outside of the Indianapolis 500 in nearly four years.

The last time Karam competed in an IndyCar race other than the Indy 500 was back in August of 2015 when he drove for Chip Ganassi Racing at Pocono Raceway. In fact, the 2015 season is the only season throughout his IndyCar career during which he has competed in more than the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”.

But now the 24-year-old Nazareth, Pennsylvania native has a great opportunity, and with new primary sponsor self-storage company SmartStop Self Storage on board as well, to prove that he deserves more than an annual one-off entry in America’s premier open-wheel racing series.

Karam is set to drive the #31 Chevrolet in this 85-lap race around the 11-turn, 1.786-mile (2.874-kilometer) temporary street circuit on the streets of Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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With Carlin having been the overall slowest team on the grid since they arrived in IndyCar ahead of last season, perhaps the most important aspect of this race for Karam will be how he performs against teammate Max Chilton.

What is even more notable about this than it would be if somebody such as Conor Daly, who, by the way, matched Chilton’s top finish in 24 races at Carlin in his first start for the team, landed this ride instead is the fact that it was Chilton who replaced Karam at Chip Ganassi Racing after the 2015 season, bringing an end to what was his lone career IndyCar ride that was not an Indy 500 one-off entry.

While Karam competed in 12 of the 16 races on the 2015 schedule, the Honda Indy Toronto is one of the four races that he missed. He has not competed at Exhibition Place since his 2013 Indy Lights championship-winning season, when he finished in sixth place. In two races there in the 2012 Star Mazda Championship season, he finished in 21st and third, respectively.

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How will Sage Karam perform in his first non-Indianapolis 500 IndyCar start in nearly four years in next Sunday’s Honda Indy Toronto? Will he do enough to warrant a return to the series in the near future in a race or races other than the Indy 500? Tune in to NBC Sports Network at 3:00 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 14 for the live broadcast of this race from Exhibition Place.