The sound of engines faded from the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course following the Honda Indy 200 on Sunday. The event resulted in a win for Charlie Kimball, No. 83, of Chip Ganassi Racing. The victory was also one for Honda engines with all three top finishing cars carrying Honda engines.
Kimball’s finish broke Scott Dixon’s series. Dixon won first place finishes in 2012 and 2011.
Italian Luca Fillipi, No. 98, Barracuda’s driver, finished 16th in his first Indy 200 race. That’s not to say he did poorly. He got set back in qualifying with a red flag that served to position him with a 24th position start. Still, he was able to move up to as close as 11th place at one point, and moved up a total of 8 places overall for the 16th place finish.
Kimball started fifth behind Marco Andretti and led in 46 laps on the 2.258-mile, 13-turn road course. The first place finish was also a first-time win for the California native.
Simon Pagenaud, No. 77, for Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports, said during practice, “I think the HP car is going to be dialed in.”, and it was. Pagenaud, after starting in the 8th position, finished in second place just over five seconds behind Kimball.
The third place finish went to Target Chip Ganassi Racing’s Dario Franchitti, No. 10. His GE also had a Honda engine. Fourth and fifth place drivers, Will Power and Ryan Hunter-Reay, respectively, drove with Chevrolet engines. And though Hunter-Reay finished fifth, he led in 30 laps. There’s a challenge for Chevrolet — next year, driver or car, which finishes first.
