Herta, Honda Take Command in Toronto
Streets of Toronto
・Colton Herta scores first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory of 2024 at Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto
・Kyle Kirkwood matches Herta's pace for 1-2 Andretti Global Honda result
・Honda drivers sweep top seven finishing positions; eight of top 10
Led by the Andretti Global duo of Colton Herta and Kyle Kirkwood, Honda drivers and teams dominated today's Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, with Herta leading a Honda sweep of the top seven finishing positions for his first NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory in the 2024, and eighth career win.
Starting from the pole, Herta led all but four laps of the 85-lap contest, which was marked by five caution flags and a Red Flag stoppage due to multiple crashes on the demanding, concrete-lined 1.786-mile temporary street circuit. All drivers involved escaped apparent injury in the various incidents.
Herta's Andretti Global teammate, Kyle Kirkwood, rode “shotgun” throughout the day, starting on the outside of the front row and taking the checkers second, just over three-tenths of a second behind his teammate.
The Chip Ganassi Racing Honda trio of Scott Dixon, championship points leader Alex Palou and Marcus Armstrong finished third through fifth, respectively; with David Malukas running sixth, his best result since joining Meyer Shank Racing at mid-season.
A strong run from Christian Lundgaard saw the 2023 Toronto winner finish seventh today; with his Rahal Letterman Lanigan teammate Graham Rahal rounding out the top 10.
Fast Facts
・This weekend's is Honda's 13th INDYCAR victory on the streets of Toronto and second consecutive win. Christian Lundgaard claimed the win last year in his Rahal Letterman Lanigan Honda.
・After 12 championship rounds of the 2024 NTT INDYCAR SERIES, Honda drivers hold three of the top-four positions in the fight for the drivers' title; including defending series champion Alex Palou (first with 411 points), teammate Scott Dixon (third with 358 points) and today's race winner Colton Herta (fourth with 354 points).
・Run for the first time in 1986 as a Championship Auto Racing Teams [CART] event, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto is one of the oldest street circuit events in North America. In INDYCAR, preceded only by the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach.
・Honda and the Ontario Honda Dealers have served as title sponsor of the Toronto event since it returned to the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule in 2009.
Next
After a run of four races on three consecutive weekends, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES now takes a three-week break for the Summer Olympics, then resumes August 16 with the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at Worldwide Technology Raceway, just outside downtown St. Louis, MO.
We've been knocking on the door of a win for so long. 41 starts without a win is a long time. It's been disappointing for us. I think we're a team, Michael is an owner, that demands perfection and demands results. There are people that work for the team that demand that. I'm so happy, this Gainbridge Honda was so fast. And to finally, finally get a win for the first time in such a long time, I can't wait—I wish we didn't have this long break though! I want to go right back into it and win another one!
We've been knocking on the door of a win for so long. 41 starts without a win is a long time. It's been disappointing for us. I think we're a team, Michael is an owner, that demands perfection and demands results. There are people that work for the team that demand that. I'm so happy, this Gainbridge Honda was so fast. And to finally, finally get a win for the first time in such a long time, I can't wait—I wish we didn't have this long break though! I want to go right back into it and win another one!
I think the Honda-Andretti combination at street courses does very, very well. We've been strong all weekend long—from the beginning to the end. Our pace on starts and restarts, through the stint, and with the fuel economy we were making, it was huge. It put us in a really good spot all race long. Hats off to Honda and to everyone at Andretti. This effort that happened wasn't just a driver effort—that's for sure.
I think the Honda-Andretti combination at street courses does very, very well. We've been strong all weekend long—from the beginning to the end. Our pace on starts and restarts, through the stint, and with the fuel economy we were making, it was huge. It put us in a really good spot all race long. Hats off to Honda and to everyone at Andretti. This effort that happened wasn't just a driver effort—that's for sure.
Yesterday was just frustrating. We had a really fast car, and I bailed on a lap that would have gotten us through trying to get a gap for the next one, and I messed that up. It was pretty horrendous on my part—but I knew the car was fast. We just looked after the tires, we were getting incredible fuel mileage, as usual, with the Honda. And then once we got clean air, we could just attack and jump a lot of people. I think in those pit sequences we jumped six or eight cars throughout the race. Kudos to the team for a great car. As a points day, it wasn't so bad. Obviously the #10 was right there, so we still have a bit of work to get to him.
Yesterday was just frustrating. We had a really fast car, and I bailed on a lap that would have gotten us through trying to get a gap for the next one, and I messed that up. It was pretty horrendous on my part—but I knew the car was fast. We just looked after the tires, we were getting incredible fuel mileage, as usual, with the Honda. And then once we got clean air, we could just attack and jump a lot of people. I think in those pit sequences we jumped six or eight cars throughout the race. Kudos to the team for a great car. As a points day, it wasn't so bad. Obviously the #10 was right there, so we still have a bit of work to get to him.
Great day for Honda! It was the first Honda win in the Hybrid Era, I think we've been so close at Mid-Ohio and Iowa at both races. So, I'm happy for Honda and Colton for that. And I'm happy for us at Chip Ganassi Racing. Scott recovering from 15th to third and myself from 18th to fourth and of course Marcus right there in fifth. It was a great day for the team. It was a shame we had to start down there. But, yeah, the car was amazing, we got all the fuel mileage we needed to do the strategy we wanted to! On to the next one.
Great day for Honda! It was the first Honda win in the Hybrid Era, I think we've been so close at Mid-Ohio and Iowa at both races. So, I'm happy for Honda and Colton for that. And I'm happy for us at Chip Ganassi Racing. Scott recovering from 15th to third and myself from 18th to fourth and of course Marcus right there in fifth. It was a great day for the team. It was a shame we had to start down there. But, yeah, the car was amazing, we got all the fuel mileage we needed to do the strategy we wanted to! On to the next one.
First and foremost, a massive congratulations to the hardworking and very smart men and women of HRC US on a dominant weekend at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. The weekend started well by taking pole position and locking out the top 3 on the grid. We swept the podium and Honda took the first seven positions in the race. On a street course, we showed Honda's hybrids are certainly fun to drive and a dominant force. This result is a collaborative effort with our teams and drivers working together both on the HRC simulator and at the track, particularly with the new hybrid system. It's a great reward for everyone's teamwork and fantastic to go into the break on a high note.
First and foremost, a massive congratulations to the hardworking and very smart men and women of HRC US on a dominant weekend at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. The weekend started well by taking pole position and locking out the top 3 on the grid. We swept the podium and Honda took the first seven positions in the race. On a street course, we showed Honda's hybrids are certainly fun to drive and a dominant force. This result is a collaborative effort with our teams and drivers working together both on the HRC simulator and at the track, particularly with the new hybrid system. It's a great reward for everyone's teamwork and fantastic to go into the break on a high note.
