IndyCar: Will Mid-Ohio see 7th different winner in last 7 years?

By Asher Fair | Jul 24, 2019

LEXINGTON, OH - AUGUST 05: (L-R) Second place finisher, Will Power of Australia, driver of the #12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, winner, Scott Dixon of New Zealand, driver of the #9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda and third place, Simon Pagenaud of France, driver of the #77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda pose with their trophies during the Honda Indy 200 at Mid Ohio on August 5, 2012 in Lexington, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) /

Six different drivers have won the Honda Indy 200 in the last six IndyCar seasons. Will the race feature a seventh different winner in the last seven seasons this year?

Entering the 2019 IndyCar season, three races featured different winners in at least the last six seasons. One of these races, the Honda Indy 200, at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is scheduled to take place this Sunday, July 28.

Six different drivers have won this 90-lap race around the 13-turn, 2.258-mile (3.634-kilometer) Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course natural terrain road course in Lexington, Ohio in the last six seasons.

You have to go all the back to the 2012 season before reaching the most recent driver to win the race twice. Scott Dixon won this race to become a four-time Honda Indy 200 winner, as he also won the race in the 2007, 2009 and 2011 seasons. He went on to win the race for a fifth time in the 2014 season.

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As a result, from the 2013 season through the 2018 season, no driver has won this race more than once.

Charlie Kimball started the race in fifth place in the 2013 season, and he went on to lead 46 laps. He held off Simon Pagenaud by 5.533 seconds in second to earn his first career IndyCar victory.

After starting in dead last (22nd) place, Dixon used an alternate pit strategy to become a five-time Honda Indy 200 winner in the 2014 season. He managed to lead 45 laps, and he held off Sebastien Bourdais by 5.386 seconds in second. Shortly after the race ended, he ran out of fuel.

The 2015 season’s race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course was one for the ages, primarily due to its controversial impact on the championship. Additionally, none of the podium finishers started in the top 12. Race winner Graham Rahal, who started the race in 13th place, won it by 3.405 seconds over the late Justin Wilson in second after leading 23 laps.

Juan Pablo Montoya appeared slated to win the race prior to his pit strategy going awry due to an untimely caution flag period brought out by Sage Karam’s spin that played to the advantage of Montoya’s championship rivals, Rahal and Dixon, with Dixon being one of Karam’s teammates. Dixon ended up winning the championship, in large part thanks to this caution flag period.

Simon Pagenaud and teammate Will Power battled wheel to wheel for the lead late in the race in the 2016 season after Mikhail Aleshin, who had dominated the race, was knocked out of contention due to an accident in the pits. Pagenaud led 23 laps and won the race by 4.162 seconds over Power in second place after starting from the pole position.

Josef Newgarden dominated the race in the 2017 season after starting in second place. He led 73 laps and won it by 5.156 seconds over Power, who he passed by making an ultra-aggressive move.

Alexander Rossi dominated the race in the 2018 season after starting from the pole position. He led 66 laps and only failed to lead due to the alternate pit strategies of second and third place finishers Robert Wickens and Will Power, respectively. He won the race by 12.829 seconds over Wickens.

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Will this year’s Honda Indy 200, which is the 13th of 17 races on the 2019 IndyCar schedule, feature a seventh different winner in the last seven seasons? Tune in to NBC at 4:00 p.m. ET this Sunday, July 28 for the live broadcast of this race to find out.