Practice Shots: Unpredictability Is Predictable at Mid-Ohio
The most challenging stretch of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES began Friday with the first day of on-track activity at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Before this month ends, teams will have competed in five races at four venues in three different parts of North America (the Midwest, Canada and the West Coast).
Here are three observations about the first practice of The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport, plus other notes of interest: This is Alex Palou's track until proven otherwise. In four starts with Chip Ganassi Racing on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course, the Spaniard has finished third, second, first and second for an average finish of 2.0. The series points leader was third on Friday's speed chart, which should be concerning to those trying to cut into his commanding 93-point standings lead. Palou has a series-leading six race wins this season, and he and Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood, who delivered Friday's fastest lap, are the only race winners this season. Palou doesn't have to qualify up front Saturday to win Sunday. His average starting position here with CGR is only 4.75. Mid-Ohio has always been a roller-coaster ride for drivers. Friday, it sent several off track. Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian slid off twice, the first time well wide of Turn 1. Later, he went rear-first off Turn 6. Rookie Jacob Abel of Dale Coyne Racing spun at the exit of Turn 1. Arrow McLaren's Nolan Siegel (Turn 12), AJ Foyt Racing's David Malukas (Turn 9), Team Penske's Scott McLaughlin (Turn 4) and Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward (Turn 4) also went off the road. Malukas mentioned a slick track. Maybe that was it. The track was resurfaced two years ago. Turn 4 is one of the track's signature corners and one of the best places to pass. But for safety reasons, the profile of the corner has been modified since last year's NTT INDYCAR SERES race. Previously, there was a big drop-off into the gravel trap, an area affectionately known as 'China Beach.' But that drop-off contributed to the dramatic flips of Michael Andretti (1998) and Simon Pagenaud (2023), among other rough rides. The transition from track to gravel is now about the same level, and the rest of Turn 4 has been flattened out, which removes the ramp effect that previously existed.
So Many Winners (Poles and Race)
There are many reasons why drivers love competing at Mid-Ohio, and one is the success so many of them have experienced.
There are nine drivers in this NTT INDYCAR SERIES field who have won series races here – the most by any venue on this year's calendar. Certainly, eight different winners in the past eight years are the most of any venue on the schedule.
Qualifying has been similarly competitive in recent years. Different drivers have won the NTT P1 Award each of the past four years – Josef Newgarden (2021), O'Ward (2022), Herta (2023) and Palou (2024).
In all, seven drivers racing this weekend have won NTT P1 Awards at this track, led by Will Power and his five poles. Scott Dixon and Alexander Rossi are the other former Mid-Ohio pole winners.
Qualifying for Sunday's The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport is at 2:30 p.m. ET Saturday (FS1, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network).
Odds and Ends A year certainly can fly by fast. Last year at this event, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES raced with hybrid technology for the first time. O'Ward won the race. Last month, World Wide Technology Raceway became the first track to experience the series' hybrid technology a second time as the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 presented by Axalta and Valvoline moved forward in this year's schedule by two months. Marcus Ericsson has a different engineer for the first time as an Andretti Global driver. Dave Seyffert has been tabbed to finish out the season with the No. 28 FOX INDYCAR Honda, replacing Olivier Boisson. Seyffert was an assistant engineer with Meyer Shank Racing when Helio Castroneves won the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in 2021. He also stepped in for Jeremy Milless on Kirkwood's car last month at World Wide Technology Raceway, and the combination won the race. Ericsson should be optimistic about his chances this weekend. He has finished in the top six of four of the past five races at Mid-Ohio. He finished second to Newgarden in 2021 and was fifth a year ago. Felix Rosenqvist's No. 60 SiriusXM Honda is carrying a special livery this weekend, highlighting legendary English hard rock singer Ozzy Osbourne. Ed Carpenter Racing's Christian Rasmussen will start Sunday's race six positions beyond where he qualifies due to serving a penalty for an unapproved engine change following last week's team test at Iowa Speedway.
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16 minutes ago
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Will Power Confronts Alex Palou after Mid-Ohio Practice
"You just [expletive] my whole session." Will Power yelled at Alex Palou after practice Saturday morning at Mid-Ohio, but it appears to be over the frustration that has mounted throughout the weekend while drivers tried to get a good, clean lap in practice. As drivers manage their tires on the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, backing off and going slower on a lap is not rare. Power and Colton Herta talked about it yesterday when asked about what was the most difficult part of the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course. Will Power spoke with FOX Sports on the broadcast prior to qualifying about the issue. "[He] spent four laps just going slow, so I had to keep backing up, backing up, backing up, which was frustrating," Power said. "And then I came in and made a change, went out on a money lap [and they] sent him out of the pit again right in front of me and he didn't move." "He just kept going, and I had to back up again. He didn't have anyone in front of him and I had clear behind me. He could have just backed off, which I always do for him and anyone else." Power said Palou told him sorry because he knew what the issue was and Power acknowledged that Palou might have been just doing what he was instructed. "It's frustrating for everyone to get a lap because these tracks are small and so many cars," Power said. Palou said he knew why Power was coming towards him and joked that Power "gave me some compliments" and added that he understood the frustration. "Everybody is complaining about traffic, and we're all angry that we don't get clear laps," Palou said. "Maybe he thought we did something personal to him. For sure, that was not the intention. … I was always a second or two seconds in front of him. "He was just having to back off," Palou added. "I never tried to defend or anything. He was a little bit upset, and that's OK." Power's irritation was reiterated earlier in the weekend. "[The biggest challenge] is probably people backing off, simply," Power said Friday afternoon after the first practice. "It's incredible." Colton Herta, sitting next to him, added that if it happens early in the lap, then it ruins the entire lap. "You just don't really get laps," Herta said. "So you're kind of guessing the last half of the track, where to put it and how much speed to roll when you get the [softer tire] reds on." "It definitely disrupts the flow of your work progress for sure," Herta added. That's what it appeared Power was mad about when he confronted Palou after practice. Power is known as one of the more emotional drivers, often laying it out there but also getting over things relatively quickly. It has been a vexing season for Power. The Team Penske driver is seventh in the standings and only has one podium finish (the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May). Palou is having an incredible season, as the Ganassi driver has six wins and a 93-point lead in the standings.
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24 minutes ago
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Chicago Cubs looking at in-house options for now with starter Jameson Taillon likely out for a month
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33 minutes ago
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Paddock Buzz: Will Power Beefs About Alex Palou's Traffic Manners
INDYCAR Chip Ganassi Racing's Alex Palou was the fastest NTT INDYCAR SERIES qualifier Saturday at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, but he also drew the ire of Team Penske's Will Power. Power thought three-time and defending series champion Palou should have been more polite to him during the morning practice. To make his point, Power, a two-time series champion, six times directed one of the big curse words at Palou, and he pointed his finger at the Spaniard at least that many times. Later, Power argued that it was as much the fault of Palou's strategist Barry Wanser for sending Palou into his path, but he was just as angry that Palou didn't yield the track to his No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. 'I went out on new tires, and he came out a lap later in front of me and then stayed there,' Power told FS1. '(He) then spent four laps just going slow, so I had to keep backing up, backing up, backing up, which was frustrating. 'Then, I came in (to the pits), made a change, went out, (was) on a money lap (and CGR) sent him out of the pits again right in front of me – and he didn't move. He just kept going, and I had to back off again.' Power noted that not only did Palou didn't have traffic ahead of him on the 13-turn, 2.258-mile road course, no cars were behind him. One resolution would have been for Power to slow down to give himself a gap to Palou, but he didn't choose that path. 'He could have backed off, which I always do for him and anyone else if I'm in that position,' Power said. Palou said he anticipated what Power wanted to say to him – and likely how he was going to say it – as he approached him on pit lane after the session. 'Yeah, I knew, I knew,' Palou said. 'Look, I think if you look at (either) practice, everybody is complaining about traffic, and we're all angry that we don't get clear laps. But maybe he thought we did something personal to him. For sure, that was not the intention. 'I don't know if you saw, but I was always like a second or two seconds in front of him. He was just having to back off. I never tried to defend or anything. I think he was just a little upset, and that's OK. 'But, yeah, I knew what he was coming (to discuss) – I just didn't want to start to get into an argument. Yeah, it happens. It wasn't my first time with him, so it's good.' Power, Teammates Fail To Advance Power's day didn't get any better in qualifying. He and Team Penske teammates Josef Newgarden and Scott McLaughlin did not turn laps in Round 1 that were fast enough to have them advance to the second round. Newgarden will start Sunday's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2026 Passport from the 18th position (of 27 cars). McLaughlin and Power will start together on the 11th row, qualifying 21st and 22nd, respectively. McLaughlin blamed traffic for preventing him from having a faster lap in qualifying. All three Penske drivers are former series race winners at this track, so they must be accounted for in this race. McLaughlin has been particularly strong in recent years, finishing first, fourth and third in the past three races, an average finish of 2.66. Newgarden has won two series races here. Power and McLaughlin have won one each. Keep an Eye on Turn 4 This popular section of the Mid-Ohio circuit is the first corner the field will encounter at the start of Sunday's race. Cars will be two-wide – at least – as they approach the hard right-hander. Trouble awaits, especially for those positioned in the left lane. That portion of the track has been redefined since last year's race, and it is flatter now to lessen the drop-off from asphalt to the gravel trap known as 'China Beach.' Several cars drifted wide in practice, dropping left-side tires in the new grass. But that's not the primary issue. There now is a bump at a popular braking point, and the bump seems to be more prominent on the left side. McLaughlin hit it at a bad time Saturday, and it pushed his car off the track. He wasn't the only one, and he won't be the last. If another car is alongside when the bump bites, more than one car could get chewed up. Longer Race Changes Pit Strategy This will be the first INDYCAR SERIES race at this track since 2019 that's 90 laps in length, and the 10-lap increase will change strategies. For the past four years, 80 laps were the norm, but that was an easy two-stop strategy with tight pit windows. The result was conservative racing and few options. This year, three stops will be necessary, and there should be some flexibility in when to make them. Fuel should last between 26 and 28 laps, but look for some competitors to pit early to get track position in the event of an early caution. INDYCAR staged 90-lap races here from 2013-19. Odds and Ends McLaughlin is one of six drivers who won series races last year but are winless this year, and each of them won multiple races. Power and Arrow McLaren's Pato O'Ward joined McLaughlin as three-time winners; Chip Ganassi Racing's Scott Dixon, Newgarden and Colton Herta of Andretti Global w/Curb-Agajanian won two each. This year, Palou (six) and Andretti Global's Kyle Kirkwood (three) are the only winners through nine races. Kirkwood qualified seventh but like McLaughlin thought he was impacted by traffic ahead of him in the second round of qualifying. As a consolation, the driver who stands second in the standings (93 points behind Palou) will be one of the highest qualifiers with two sets of new Firestone Firehawk alternate tires for the race, and that should be an advantage. Santino Ferrucci has been the hottest non-winner in the field the past four races. Despite having an average starting position of 18.25, the driver of the No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet has finished fifth, second, fifth and third, an average finish of 3.75, helping him climb to ninth in the standings. He qualified 17th for Sunday's race. Marcus Ericsson's season continues to be a struggle. Twenty-first in the standings, the driver of the No. 28 FOX INDYCAR Honda of Andretti Global saw the front of his car slam the right-side barrier at Turn 14 in practice. Repairs were made, but Ericsson could only manage to qualify in the 11th position. Ed Carpenter Racing's Christian Rasmussen qualified 10th, but the No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet will move back six positions for the start of the race due to an unapproved engine change following last week's test at Iowa Speedway. recommended
