Andretti INDYCAR and INDY NXT Gear Up for Fourth of July Weekend Showdown at Mid-Ohio
After a solid road course showing last round at Road America, complete with a fourth-place INDYCAR finish and a double INDY NXT podium, Andretti looks to keep the momentum going as the team heads to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the holiday weekend. The 2.258-mile, 13-turn natural-terrain circuit has it all: elevation changes, high-speed and flowing corners, tight technical sections, a narrow 40-foot racing ribbon and a tricky pit lane entry. With the team’s strong history on the historic road course, fans won’t want to miss any of the action, whether they are at the track or watching on FOX and FS1.
Race Details
| INDYCAR Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course |
| Round | 10/17 |
| Track Type | Road Course |
| Turns | 13 |
| Laps | 90 Laps |
| Track Length | 2.258 Miles |
| INDY NXT Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio – Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course |
| Round | 8/14 |
| Track Type | Road Course |
| Turns | 13 |
| Laps | 35 Laps |
| Track Length | 2.258 Miles |
Notes
INDYCAR
- Throughout Andretti INDYCAR’s 19 appearances at the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, the team has secured two wins (Rossi – 2018, Herta – 2020 Race 2), finished on the podium 11 times – including a podium sweep in 2020, collected 22 top-five finishes and has led 233 laps.
Colton Herta
- Colton Herta returns to the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio for the eighth time this weekend looking to build on his past success at the Ohio circuit where he has one win (2020 – Race 2), two pole positions (2020 – Race 2, 2023), four top-10 finishes and has led 99 laps.
- During last year’s race, Herta started from the second row and ran consistently in the top four, but despite his efforts to move the Gainbridge Honda further up the field, he couldn’t find the speed to secure a podium finish.
Kyle Kirkwood
- Sporting a special, Honda-inspired livery this weekend, Kyle Kirkwood returns to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for the fourth time.
- The Florida native started last year’s race from 14th and gained six positions to finish eighth, marking Kirkwood’s best result at the track and his first top-10 at Mid-Ohio.
- Prior to his INDYCAR debut at the track, Kirkwood made history after becoming the first driver to earn the Road to Indy’s Triple Crown when he secured the 2021 INDY NXT by Firestone Championship at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
Marcus Ericsson
- Marcus Ericsson returns to Mid-Ohio for his eighth career start on the road course and will run a special FOX INDYCAR livery on the No. 28 Honda throughout the holiday race weekend.
- The Swede has recorded four top-10 finishes at Mid-Ohio, including a second-place finish in 2021.
- Last year’s race saw Ericsson earn his third career top-five finish at the track after taking the checkered in fifth, the same position he started the race.
| NTT INDYCAR SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS |
| Driver Championship Standings |
| Colton Herta | 184 points | 10th |
| Kyle Kirkwood | 293 points | 2nd |
| Marcus Ericsson | 123 points | 21st |
INDY NXT
- Following an Andretti INDY NXT double-podium finish by Dennis Hauger and Lochie Hughes at Road America two weeks ago, the team will continue road course racing this weekend as they travel to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Previously, the team has scored 11 wins (Matos – 2008 R1, Plowman – 2010, Jamin – 2017 R2, O’Ward – 2018 R1 & 2, Askew – 2019 R1 & 2, Kirkwood – 2021 R1 & 2, McElrea – 2022, Foster – 2023), 10 pole positions (Matos – 2008 R1, Plowman – 2010, Herta – 2017 R2, O’Ward – 2018 R1 & 2, Askew – 2019 R1 & 2, Kirkwood – 2021 R1, Frost – 2021 R2, McElrea – 2022), 43 top-five finishes and 392 laps led at the Lexington, OH road course.
Lochie Hughes
- Coming off an impressive third-place finish at Road America, Lochie Hughes will now make his INDY NXT debut at Mid-Ohio this weekend.
- While this will be his first time racing at Mid-Ohio in INDY NXT, Hughes gained experience on the road course last year in USF Pro 2000, where he earned a top-five finish in Race 1 and a top-10 finish in Race 2 of the doubleheader weekend.
- In his four road course starts this season, the Australian driver has collected one win, two poles and three podium finishes.
Salvador de Alba
- Salvador de Alba will make his second INDY NXT appearance at Mid-Ohio this weekend.
- Last year, during a three-wide battle on Lap 9 of the race, a competitor made contact with de Alba, causing front left tire and front wing damage to his car. De Alba was able to pit for repairs and return to the field to finish the race, but took the checkered in P16 a lap down.
- While competing in USF Pro 2000, de Alba competed in two doubleheader weekends where he collected one podium (2022 – R1), two additional top-five finishes (2023 – R2 and 2022 – R2) and one additional top-10 finish (2023 – R1).
Dennis Hauger
- After scoring a pole, podium finish and leading 15 laps recently at Road America, Dennis Hauger will take on the Grand Prix at Mid-Ohio race weekend for the first time in his career.
- In addition to his standout performance at Road America, Hauger has started from the pole position at every other road course this season, collected two wins and led a total of 65 laps.
James Roe
- This weekend, James Roe will make his fourth appearance at Mid-Ohio to compete on the Midwestern road course. His best result at this track was in 2022 and 2023, where he finished the day in P12 both times.
- At last year’s event, Roe was forced to pit for front wing damage on Lap 9 after making contact with another car, and although he rejoined the field to finish the race, he completed the day one lap down.
Seb Murray
- Andretti Cape driver Seb Murray will make his Mid-Ohio debut this weekend. In addition to being awarded the Jostens’ Biggest Mover Award at the last road course race a couple of weeks ago at Road America, Murray also scored the best road course result of his INDY NXT career, taking the checkered in P11.
Ricardo Escotto
- Ricardo Escotto will make his first start in INDY NXT at Mid-Ohio this weekend. Road courses have been kind to Escotto, who recorded his INDY NXT career-best result this year at Barber Motorsports Park in ninth place.
- While competing in USF Pro 2000, Escotto never finished outside of the top 10 at Mid-Ohio in either of the doubleheader weekends that he competed at the track (2023 and 2024), with his best result being fifth place in Race 2 in 2024.
| INDY NXT CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS |
| Andretti INDY NXT Driver Championship Standings |
| Lochie Hughes | 289 points | 2nd |
| Salvador de Alba | 191 points | 6th |
| Dennis Hauger | 317 points | 1st |
| James Roe | 105 points | 15th |
| Andretti Cape INDY NXT Driver Championship Standings |
| Seb Murray | 128 points | 9th |
| Ricardo Escotto | 116 points | 14th |
Team Quotes
Colton Herta
No. 26 Gainbridge Honda
“I’m looking forward to getting back to Mid-Ohio. It’s a track where I’ve had success, and I’m hoping to build on that this weekend in the Gainbridge Honda. The fans always show up in a big way over the Fourth of July weekend, and the energy they bring makes Mid-Ohio one of my favorites of the season.”
Kyle Kirkwood
No. 27 Andretti Global Honda
“Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite road courses on the calendar. It’s a place I always look forward to coming back to. I’ve had a lot of success there, working my way up the Road to Indy ladder and finishing in the top 10 last year. Having Honda not only as the title sponsor of the race, but also as the primary partner on the car, makes it even more special. I’m proud to represent them on the No. 27 Andretti Global this weekend and am excited to get back on track.”
Marcus Ericsson
No. 28 FOX INDYCAR Honda
“Mid-Ohio is a tricky road course with a lot of elevation changes and corners that really connect to each other. As a driver, you really need to read the track and think a step ahead as you’re driving. There’s always a great atmosphere at Mid-Ohio with lots of fans, and that energy makes it a fun place to race. I’m looking forward to getting back to racing and carrying the FOX colors this weekend.”
Rob Edwards
Chief Operating Officer
“Bring on July — five races in four weeks across the country on a variety of challenging circuits. We kick off the month by celebrating the July 4th weekend at Mid-Ohio, which has become a tradition over the past few years. The track is fun for drivers, crews and fans alike, and this year’s changes to Turn 4 will add an extra challenge. Mid-Ohio is a special one for our partners at Honda and their associates, and we’re counting on Colton, Kyle and Marcus to keep the Honda win streak alive.”
Lochie Hughes
No. 26 McGinley Clinic/USF Pro Championship Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
“Mid-Ohio is a fun track. Qualifying is key around here since it’s almost impossible to overtake. So, we’re going to need a strong starting spot for a good weekend. It’s also Fourth of July weekend, so that’s going to be pretty cool for fans, and it usually gets a strong turnout of people at the track. I’m looking forward to getting to it.”
Salvador de Alba
No. 27 Grupo Indi Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
“Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite tracks because it was the first track I raced on in America. So, it’s special to me. It should also be in good condition this year since it was recently resurfaced. That will have taken the bump on the last corner away, which was actually something unique about that track, but now, it will be way faster and have more grip. I’m just thrilled to go and race there again.”
Dennis Hauger
No. 28 Nammo Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
“Mid-Ohio is a track that I’ve been excited about getting the opportunity to race on this season. I’ve practiced this track on the simulator, and it always looks really cool on there, so I’m excited to actually try it out in real life. So, we’ll plan to give it all we got out there and aim for a good results weekend.”
James Roe
No. 29 Topcon Dallara
Andretti INDY NXT
“I’m excited for this weekend at Mid-Ohio. It’s a very technical track and hard to pass here, so there’s a big emphasis on qualifying. We look forward to making the most of the weekend and building off Andretti’s previous success here.”
Seb Murray
No. 2 Dream Racing Dubai Dallara
Andretti Cape INDY NXT
“I’m looking forward to getting to Mid-Ohio after the last race at Road America. I enjoy the back-to-back road courses since it’s what I’m more familiar with. I’ve never been to this track before, though, so it will be good to get some experience at this one with the No. 2 team.”
Ricardo Escotto
No. 3 Frank’s Red Hot Dallara
Andretti Cape INDY NXT
“We’re coming back to Mid-Ohio after a bit of a break following Road America. We’ve had a difficult past couple of races, but we’ve got the right mindset, and we’re working together as a team to reset and move forward. So, we’re hoping for a great weekend in Ohio.”
Don Lambert
Team Manager
“Mid-Ohio has been a successful track for Andretti INDY NXT over the years, so we are pushing our drivers to keep the momentum going. It’s always fun to go racing over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, and the team is looking forward to it.”
