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2021 Honda Indy 200

{{Use mdy dates|date = June 2021}}

{{Infobox American championship car race report

|Country=USA

|Race= Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

|Image=Mid-Ohio.svg

|Caption=

|Date=July 4

|Year=2021

|Official name=Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the HPD Ridgeline

|Round_No=10th

|Series=IndyCar

|Location=Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio

|Course=Permanent racing facility

|Course_mi=2.258

|Course_km=3.634

|Distance_laps=80

|Distance_mi=180.64

|Distance_km=290.71

|Pole_Driver={{flagicon|USA}} Josef Newgarden

|Pole_Team=Team Penske

|Pole_Time=01:06.6739

|Pole_Country=USA

|Fast_Driver={{flagicon|GBR}} Jack Harvey

|Fast_Team=Meyer Shank Racing

|Fast_Time=01:08.7341

|Fast_Lap=65

|Fast_Country=GBR

|First_Driver={{flagicon|USA}} Josef Newgarden

|First_Team=Team Penske

|First_Country= USA

|Second_Driver={{flagicon|SWE}} Marcus Ericsson

|Second_Team=Chip Ganassi Racing

|Second_Country= SWE

|Third_Driver={{flagicon|ESP}} Álex Palou

|Third_Team=Chip Ganassi Racing

|Third_Country= ESP

}}

The 2021 Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio was an IndyCar Series event held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio. The race served as the 10th round of the 2021 IndyCar Series season.{{Cite web|title=Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio|url=https://www.indycar.com/Schedule/2021/IndyCar-Series/Mid-Ohio|access-date=2022-03-26|website=IndyCar.com}} Josef Newgarden won the race from pole position, leading all but 7 laps.{{Cite web|author=Beaver, Dan|date=4 July 2021|title=After two bitter disappointments, Josef Newgarden wins Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio|url=https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/2021/07/04/indycar-mid-ohio-josef-newgarden-marcus-ericsson-alex-palou-honda-indy-200/|access-date=2022-04-05|website=NBC Sports}} The victory ended Team Penske's longest winless streak to start a season since 1999.{{Cite web|author=Brown, Nathan|date=3 July 2021|title=Without a win, Team Penske's Tim Cindric says, 'We're not panicked by any means'|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2021/07/03/indycar-schedule-2021-tim-cindric-team-penske-racing-season/7794136002/|access-date=2022-04-05|website=Indianapolis Star}}

Background

= Entrants =

Ryan Norman made his IndyCar debut at Mid-Ohio.{{cite web|url=https://dalecoyneracing.com/2021/06/24/ryan-norman-set-for-ntt-indycar-series-debut-at-mid-ohio/|title=Ryan Norman Set for NTT INDYCAR SERIES Debut at Mid-Ohio|work=Dale Coyne Racing|date=June 24, 2021}}

{{further|2021 IndyCar Series#Contracted teams and drivers}}

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"
Key

!Meaning

style="text-align:center;"|{{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

|Rookie

style="text-align:center;"|{{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Past winner

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 85%;"

! style="text-align:center;"|{{abbr|No.|Car Number}}

!Driver

!Team

!Engine

2

|{{flagicon|USA}} Josef Newgarden {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Team Penske

|Chevrolet

3

|{{flagicon|NZL}} Scott McLaughlin {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

|Team Penske

|Chevrolet

4

|{{flagicon|CAN}} Dalton Kellett

|A. J. Foyt Enterprises

|Chevrolet

5

|{{flagicon|MEX}} Patricio O'Ward

|Arrow McLaren SP

|Chevrolet

7

|{{flagicon|SWE}} Felix Rosenqvist

|Arrow McLaren SP

|Chevrolet

8

|{{flagicon|SWE}} Marcus Ericsson

|Chip Ganassi Racing

|Honda

9

|{{flagicon|NZ}} Scott Dixon {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Chip Ganassi Racing

|Honda

10

|{{flagicon|ESP}} Álex Palou

|Chip Ganassi Racing

|Honda

12

|{{flagicon|AUS}} Will Power {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Team Penske

|Chevrolet

14

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Sébastien Bourdais

|A. J. Foyt Enterprises

|Chevrolet

15

|{{flagicon|USA}} Graham Rahal {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

|Honda

18

|{{flagicon|UAE}} Ed Jones

|Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan

|Honda

20

|{{flagicon|USA}} Conor Daly

|Ed Carpenter Racing

|Chevrolet

21

|{{flagicon|USA}} Rinus Veekay

|Ed Carpenter Racing

|Chevrolet

22

|{{flagicon|FRA}} Simon Pagenaud {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Team Penske

|Chevrolet

26

|{{flagicon|USA}} Colton Herta {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian

|Honda

27

|{{flagicon|USA}} Alexander Rossi {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Andretti Autosport

|Honda

28

|{{flagicon|USA}} Ryan Hunter-Reay

|Andretti Autosport

|Honda

29

|{{flagicon|CAN}} James Hinchcliffe

|Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport

|Honda

30

|{{flagicon|JPN}} Takuma Sato

|Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

|Honda

45

|{{Flagicon|USA}} Santino Ferrucci

|Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

|Honda

48

|{{Flagicon|USA}} Jimmie Johnson {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

|Chip Ganassi Racing

|Honda

51

|{{Flagicon|FRA}} Romain Grosjean {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

|Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing

|Honda

52

|{{Flagicon|USA}} Ryan Norman {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

|Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing

|Honda

59

|{{flagicon|GBR}} Max Chilton

|Carlin

|Chevrolet

60

|{{flagicon|GBR}} Jack Harvey

|Meyer Shank Racing

|Honda

Practice

= Practice 1 =

Practice 1 took place at 2:30 PM ET on July 2, 2021.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%;"

|+Top Practice Speeds

!{{abbr|Pos|Position}}

!{{abbr|No.|Car Number}}

!Driver

!Team

!Engine

!Lap Time

style="text-align:center;" |1

| style="text-align:center;" |2

|{{flagicon|USA}} Josef Newgarden {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Team Penske

|Chevrolet

|01:07.2524

style="text-align:center;" |2

| style="text-align:center;" |5

|{{flagicon|MEX}} Patricio O'Ward

|Arrow McLaren SP

|Chevrolet

|01:07.5050

style="text-align:center;" |3

| style="text-align:center;" |60

|{{flagicon|GBR}} Jack Harvey

|Meyer Shank Racing

|Honda

|01:07.5840

colspan="6" | Source:{{Cite web|date=2 July 2021|title=Practice 1- Results|url=http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/5864/2021-07-02/indycar-results-p1.pdf|access-date=26 March 2022|website=indycar.com}}

= Practice 2 =

Practice 2 took place at 9:05 AM ET on July 3, 2021.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%;"

|+Top Practice Speeds

!{{abbr|Pos|Position}}

!{{abbr|No.|Car Number}}

!Driver

!Team

!Engine

!Lap Time

style="text-align:center;" |1

| style="text-align:center;" |5

|{{flagicon|MEX}} Patricio O'Ward

|Arrow McLaren SP

|Chevrolet

|01:06.0911

style="text-align:center;" |2

| style="text-align:center;" |2

|{{flagicon|USA}} Josef Newgarden {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Team Penske

|Chevrolet

|01:06.0993

style="text-align:center;" |3

| style="text-align:center;" |26

|{{flagicon|USA}} Colton Herta {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian

|Honda

|01:06.1839

colspan="6" | Source:{{Cite web|date=3 July 2021|title=Practice 2- Results|url=http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/5865/2021-07-03/indycar-results-p2.pdf|access-date=26 March 2022|website=indycar.com}}

Qualifying

Qualifying took place at 12:00 PM ET on July 3, 2021.

= Qualifying report =

Qualifying group 1 saw Will Power not being able to get out on track until there were only four minutes left in the session, after he pitted on his outlap due to a ECU problem. During the final lap, Jack Harvey spun his car at Turn 9, bringing out a local yellow flag right at the end of the sector on the track. Alexander Rossi and Simon Pagenaud both passed the stopped car of Harvey, with Rossi slowing for the yellow while Pagenaud did not. Pagenaud improved his fastest lap time and was set to advance into Q2, but a decision from race control invalidated all three drivers' fastest lap times. Rossi ended up in 6th with his second-fastest lap, advancing him to Q2 along with leader Josef Newgarden, followed by Álex Palou, Will Power, Sébastien Bourdais, and Graham Rahal.

In qualifying group 2, Patricio O'Ward, who had led the practice sessions and was 2nd in the points standings, missed out on advancing to Q2. Former Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean failed to make it into Q2 for the first time at a road course since his debut in IndyCar. Rinus VeeKay, who broke his collar bone in a bicycle accident just two weeks prior to the race,{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/31637926/indycar-driver-rinus-veekay-injured-cycling-accident|agency=Associated Press|website=ESPN|date=15 June 2021|access-date=24 May 2022|title=IndyCar driver Rinus VeeKay injured in cycling accident}} edged out rookie Scott McLaughlin by 6 milliseconds for a spot in Q2. Colton Herta led the group, followed by Scott Dixon, Marcus Ericsson, Ryan Hunter-Reay, and James Hinchcliffe. {{cite web|url=https://www.autosport.com/indycar/news/mid-ohio-indycar-newgarden-beats-herta-to-pole/6625082/|title=Mid-Ohio IndyCar: Newgarden beats Herta to pole|date=3 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022|first=David|last=Malsher-Lopez|website=AutoSport}}{{cite web|url=https://www.thecheckeredflag.co.uk/2021/07/newgarden-takes-top-spot-in-mid-ohio-qualifying-third-consecutive-pole/|title=Newgarden Takes Top Spot in Mid-Ohio Qualifying, Third Consecutive Pole|date=3 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022|first=Griffin|last=Schmoyer|website=The Checkered Flag}}

Q2 started with the drivers of the Chip Ganassi Racing Team going out on the track with slightly worn alternate compound tyres, as opposed to the other teams running the primary compound, before they pit for new alternate compound tyres for their qualifying laps. Sébastien Bourdais had to serve a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane and didn't set a fast lap, finishing last in the session. Late in the session, Dixon and Ericsson moved into 5th and 6th respectively, Ericsson setting a lap only 4 hundredths of a second faster than championship points leader Palou, followed out of Q2 by Rahal, Hinchcliffe, Hunter-Reay, and VeeKay.

Newgarden led the final 6 drivers going into Q3, behind him was Herta, Power, Rossi, Dixon, and Ericsson. Power fell to 4th after a mistake on his fast lap, promoting Ericsson to 3rd, with Dixon in 5th and Rossi in 6th. Newgarden and Herta both led the field's times by 0.4 seconds, but Newgarden came out on top of the two with an extremely thin margin of 3 milliseconds between their lap times. Newgarden's pole position for Team Penske marked the anniversary of the teams's first win in 1971, where Mark Donohue won at the Pocono 500; it was also the first time a driver achieved three consecutive poles since 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.indycar.com/news/2021/07/07-03-mid-ohio-quals|website=IndyCar.com|title=Qualifying Ace: Newgarden makes it three in a row|date=3 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022|first=Curt|last=Cavin}}

= Qualifying classification =

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; font-size:85%;"

! rowspan="3" | {{Tooltip|Pos|Position}}

! rowspan="3" | {{Tooltip|No.|Car number}}

! rowspan="3" | Driver

! rowspan="3" | Team

! rowspan="3" | Engine

! colspan="4" style="text-align:center;" | Time

! rowspan="3" | {{Tooltip|Final
grid|Final starting grid position for race}}

scope="col" colspan="2" | Round 1

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | {{Tooltip|{{Nowrap|Round 2}}|Round 2/Top 12}}

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | {{Tooltip|{{Nowrap|Round 3}}|Round 3/Firestone Fast 6}}

scope="col" | Group 1

! scope="col" | Group 2

scope="row" | 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|USA}} Josef Newgarden {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Team Penske

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| 01:06.0168

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.1630

| 01:06.6739

| style="text-align:center;"| 1

scope="row" | 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 26

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|USA}} Colton Herta

| style="text-align:left;"| Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.2685

| 01:06.2030

| 01:06.6770

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

scope="row" | 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|SWE}} Marcus Ericsson

| style="text-align:left;"| Chip Ganassi Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.4587

| 01:06.4499

| 01:07.0723

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

scope="row" | 4

| style="text-align:center;"| 12

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|AUS}} Will Power {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Team Penske

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| 01:06.5423

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.2386

| 01:07.1161

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

scope="row" | 5

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|NZ}} Scott Dixon {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Chip Ganassi Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.3232

| 01:06.2775

| 01:07.1358

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

scope="row" | 6

| style="text-align:center;"| 27

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|USA}} Alexander Rossi {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Andretti Autosport

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| 01:06.6453

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.2453

| 01:07.2181

| style="text-align:center;"| 6

scope="row" | 7

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|ESP}} Álex Palou

| style="text-align:left;"| Chip Ganassi Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| 01:06.5130

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.4883

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="7"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

scope="row" | 8

| style="text-align:center;"| 15

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|USA}} Graham Rahal {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| 01:06.5603

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.5946

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="8"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

scope="row" | 9

| style="text-align:center;"| 29

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|CAN}} James Hinchcliffe

| style="text-align:left;"| Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.7155

| 01:06.6134

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="9"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

scope="row" | 10

| style="text-align:center;"| 28

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|USA}} Ryan Hunter-Reay

| style="text-align:left;"| Andretti Autosport

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.5961

| 01:06.7517

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="10"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 10

scope="row" | 11

| style="text-align:center;"| 21

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|USA}} Rinus Veekay

| style="text-align:left;"| Ed Carpenter Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.7250

| 01:06.7671

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="11"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 11

scope="row" | 12

| style="text-align:center;"| 14

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|FRA}} Sébastien Bourdais

| style="text-align:left;"| A. J. Foyt Enterprises

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| 01:06.6117

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.9232

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="12"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 12

scope="row" | 13

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|SWE}} Felix Rosenqvist

| style="text-align:left;"| Arrow McLaren SP

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| 01:06.7898

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="13"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="13"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 13

scope="row" | 14

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|NZL}} Scott McLaughlin {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Team Penske

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.7313

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="14"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="14"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 14

scope="row" | 15

| style="text-align:center;"| 22

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|FRA}} Simon Pagenaud {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Team Penske

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| 01:06.8437

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="15"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="15"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 15

scope="row" | 16

| style="text-align:center;"| 18

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|UAE}} Ed Jones

| style="text-align:left;"| Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.7882

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="16"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="16"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 16

scope="row" | 17

| style="text-align:center;"| 59

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|GBR}} Max Chilton

| style="text-align:left;"| Carlin

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| 01:06.8473

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="17"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="17"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 17

scope="row" | 18

| style="text-align:center;"| 51

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Flagicon|FRA}} Romain Grosjean {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.8642

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="18"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="18"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 18

scope="row" | 19

| style="text-align:center;"| 30

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|JPN}} Takuma Sato

| style="text-align:left;"| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| 01:07.0951

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="19"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="19"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 19

scope="row" | 20

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|MEX}} Patricio O'Ward

| style="text-align:left;"| Arrow McLaren SP

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.8679

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="20"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="20"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 20

scope="row" | 21

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|CAN}} Dalton Kellett

| style="text-align:left;"| A. J. Foyt Enterprises

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| 01:07.5866

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="21"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="21"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 21

scope="row" | 22

| style="text-align:center;"| 45

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Flagicon|USA}} Santino Ferrucci

| style="text-align:left;"| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:06.9254

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="22"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="22"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 22

scope="row" | 23

| style="text-align:center;"| 60

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|GBR}} Jack Harvey

| style="text-align:left;"| Meyer Shank Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| 01:07.6740

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="23"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="23"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 23

scope="row" | 24

| style="text-align:center;"| 20

| style="text-align:left;"| {{flagicon|USA}} Conor Daly

| style="text-align:left;"| Ed Carpenter Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Chevrolet

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:07.0704

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="24"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="24"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 24

scope="row" | 25

| style="text-align:center;"| 48

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Flagicon|USA}} Jimmie Johnson {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Chip Ganassi Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| 01:08.4077

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="25"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="25"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 25

scope="row" | 26

| style="text-align:center;"| 52

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Flagicon|USA}} Ryan Norman {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

| style="text-align:left;"| Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing

| style="text-align:left;"| Honda

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;"|N/A

| 01:07.4714

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="25"|N/A

| style="background:silver; text-align:center;" data-sort- value="25"|N/A

| style="text-align:center;"| 26

colspan="10" | Source:{{Cite web|date=3 July 2021|title=Qualifications - Results Segment 1 Group 1|url=http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/5866/2021-07-03/indycar-results-quals-r1g1.pdf|access-date=26 March 2022|website=IndyCar Series}}{{Cite web|date=3 July 2021|title=Qualifications - Results Segment 1 Group 2|url=http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/5867/2021-07-03/indycar-results-quals-r1g2.pdf|access-date=26 March 2022|website=IndyCar Series}}{{Cite web|date=3 July 2021|title=Qualifications - Results Segment 2|url=http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/5868/2021-07-03/indycar-results-quals-r2.pdf|access-date=26 March 2022|website=IndyCar Series}}{{Cite web|date=3 July 2021|title=Qualifications - Results Segment 3|url=http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/5869/2021-07-03/indycar-results-quals-r3.pdf|access-date=26 March 2022|website=IndyCar Series}}

; Notes

  • Bold text indicates fastest time set in session.

Final Practice

= Final Practice =

Final practice took place at 3:30 PM ET on July 3, 2021.

class="wikitable" style="font-size:85%;"

|+Top Practice Speeds

!{{abbr|Pos|Position}}

!{{abbr|No.|Car Number}}

!Driver

!Team

!Engine

!Lap Time

style="text-align:center;" |1

| style="text-align:center;" |9

|{{flagicon|NZ}} Scott Dixon {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Chip Ganassi Racing

|Honda

|01:08.0256

style="text-align:center;" |2

| style="text-align:center;" |26

|{{flagicon|USA}} Colton Herta {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

|Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian

|Honda

|01:08.0745

style="text-align:center;" |3

| style="text-align:center;" |51

|{{Flagicon|FRA}} Romain Grosjean {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

|Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing

|Honda

|01:08.1490

colspan="6" | Source:{{Cite web|date=3 July 2021|title=Final Practice Results|url=http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/5870/2021-07-03/indycar-results-pf.pdf|access-date=26 March 2022|website=indycar.com}}

Race

The race took place at 12:00 PM ET on July 4, 2021.

= Race report =

After airing concerns about his engine's performance, Josef Newgarden's engine was replaced before race day.{{cite web|url=https://www.frontstretch.com/2021/07/07/what-mattered-for-indycar-honda-indy-200/|title=What Mattered for IndyCar: Honda Indy 200|first=Christopher|last=DeHarde|website=Frontstretch|date=7 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022}} Newgarden got a well-sized jump as the race went under the green flag, with cars bunching up behind him. On the exit of the first turn of the race, James Hinchcliffe clipped the right-side rear of his teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay, sending himself into a spin and Hunter-Reay into the tyre barrier, bringing out the yellow flag. Felix Rosenqvist, who was behind Hinchcliffe, slowed down to avoid his car, but was rear-ended and spun around. All three drivers pitted after the incident, with Rosenqvist and Hunter-Reay's pit crews attempting to repair damage; Hinchcliffe took a new set of tyres and returned to the track. Rosenqvist returned to the track one lap down, and Hunter-Reay 2 laps down.{{cite web|url=https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/motor/2021/07/04/indycar-power-ed-jones-out-early-mid-ohio-crashes/7858840002/|title=4 cars involved in separate crashes over first 3 laps in start of IndyCar Mid-Ohio race|first=Nathan|last=Brown|website=Indianapolis Star|date=4 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022}}

Racing resumed on lap 3, but would be put under yellow again a lap later when Scott Dixon pressured Will Power on the inside of turn 5, hitting Power's right front and sending him into a spin. Power spun his rear wheels and kicked up a smoke cloud on the blind downhill after turn 5, and his car stopped on track after the engine stalled. Due to visibility issues with all of the smoke Ed Jones crashed into Power's car, taking them both out of the race. Power had his hand bandaged after the incident.

Racing again resumed on lap 9, where Romain Grosjean passed Scott McLaughlin for 10th place, then trying to get around Sébastien Bourdais on lap 10, who blocked the inside of turn 2, with Grosjean nearly going completely off track, sliding his car around the turn.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxoRgveOd4g|title=

2021 RACE FAST FORWARD // Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio|publisher=NTT IndyCar Series|time=5:45|date=5 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022}} On lap 32, Colton Herta took his regular green flag pit stop, but an issue refueling his car caused the pit stop to be much longer than usual. Herta came out of his pit box after a 25-second stop (average stop is 6-10 seconds), coming out of the pits in 8th, dropping 6 positions down the order, and an additional position dropped after Graham Rahal passed him on the back straight.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxoRgveOd4g|title=

2021 RACE FAST FORWARD // Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio|publisher=NTT IndyCar Series|time=10:35|date=5 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022}} Herta made his second stop on lap 57, this time stalling his car before coming out of the pit box.

After the final cycle of pit stops for all drivers, Newgarden was leading by 6.5 seconds to Marcus Ericsson, with Álex Palou and the rest of the pack trailing Ericsson by 13 seconds.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxoRgveOd4g|title=

2021 RACE FAST FORWARD // Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio|publisher=NTT IndyCar Series|time=16:10|date=5 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022}} With 9 laps to go, Ericsson had halved the gap between himself and Newgarden.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxoRgveOd4g|title=

2021 RACE FAST FORWARD // Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio|publisher=NTT IndyCar Series|time=18:15|date=5 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022}} Ericsson continued to close in on Newgarden as the finish neared, Newgarden using up his remaining push-to-pass power to hold off Ericsson. At the start of the final lap, the gap between the two drivers was less than 1 second, but Newgarden successfully held off the advance, and crossed the finish line after leading 73 of 80 laps of the race.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxoRgveOd4g|title=

2021 RACE FAST FORWARD // Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio|publisher=NTT IndyCar Series|time=21:50|date=5 July 2021|access-date=24 May 2022}}

Herta had to stop again on the last lap due to not having enough fuel to finish the race. Meanwhile, Patricio O'Ward came back from his poor qualifying performance, finishing the race in 8th, gaining 12 positions overall. Grosjean also recovered his qualifying drive, finishing ahead of O'Ward after starting 18th. Despite setting the fastest lap of the race on lap 65, Jack Harvey's three-stop strategy put him down in 19th place.{{Cite web|date=4 July 2021|title=Race - Results (11inch) - Final|url=http://www.imscdn.com/INDYCAR/Documents/5801/2021-07-04/indycar-officialraceresults.pdf|access-date=26 March 2022|website=IndyCar Series}}

= Race classification =

class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:85%;"

! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|Pos|Position}}

! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|No.|Car Number}}

! scope="col" | Driver

! scope="col" | Team

! scope="col" | Engine

! class="unsortable" scope="col" | Laps

! class="unsortable" scope="col" | Time/Retired

! scope="col" | Pit
Stops

! scope="col" | Grid

! scope="col" | Laps
Led

! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|Pts.|Points}}

1

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| {{flagicon|USA}} Josef Newgarden {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| Team Penske

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| 1:39:58.8551

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 1

| style="text-align:center;"| 73

| style="text-align:center;"| 54

2

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

| {{flagicon|SWE}} Marcus Ericsson

| Chip Ganassi Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +0.8790

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 41

3

| style="text-align:center;"| 10

| {{flagicon|ESP}} Álex Palou

| Chip Ganassi Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +22.2350

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 35

4

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

| {{flagicon|NZ}} Scott Dixon {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| Chip Ganassi Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +32.3775

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 32

5

| style="text-align:center;"| 27

| {{flagicon|USA}} Alexander Rossi {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| Andretti Autosport

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +33.1414

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 6

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 30

6

| style="text-align:center;"| 15

| {{flagicon|USA}} Graham Rahal {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +34.1226

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 28

7

| style="text-align:center;"| 51

| {{Flagicon|FRA}} Romain Grosjean {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

| Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +35.1630

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 18

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 26

8

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| {{flagicon|MEX}} Patricio O'Ward

| Arrow McLaren SP

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +35.6929

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 20

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 24

9

| style="text-align:center;"| 45

| {{Flagicon|USA}} Santino Ferrucci

| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +35.9931

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 22

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 22

10

| style="text-align:center;"| 30

| {{flagicon|JPN}} Takuma Sato

| Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +50.3316

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 19

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 20

11

| style="text-align:center;"| 14

| {{flagicon|FRA}} Sébastien Bourdais

| A. J. Foyt Enterprises

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +52.0013

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 12

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 19

12

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| {{flagicon|NZL}} Scott McLaughlin {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

| Team Penske

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +52.4250

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 14

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 18

13

| style="text-align:center;"| 26

| {{flagicon|USA}} Colton Herta {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| Andretti Autosport with Curb-Agajanian

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +56.8482

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| style="text-align:center;"| 18

14

| style="text-align:center;"| 22

| {{flagicon|FRA}} Simon Pagenaud {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| Team Penske

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +58.3495

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 15

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 16

15

| style="text-align:center;"| 20

| {{flagicon|USA}} Conor Daly

| Ed Carpenter Racing

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +58.8125

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 24

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 15

16

| style="text-align:center;"| 21

| {{flagicon|USA}} Rinus Veekay

| Ed Carpenter Racing

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +59.6397

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 11

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 14

17

| style="text-align:center;"| 29

| {{flagicon|CAN}} James Hinchcliffe

| Andretti Steinbrenner Autosport

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +1:07.5124

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 13

18

| style="text-align:center;"| 59

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Max Chilton

| Carlin

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +1:08.0533

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 17

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 12

19

| style="text-align:center;"| 60

| {{flagicon|GBR}} Jack Harvey

| Meyer Shank Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 80

| style="text-align:center;"| +1:08.4796

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 23

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 11

20

| style="text-align:center;"| 52

| {{Flagicon|USA}} Ryan Norman {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

| Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 79

| style="text-align:center;"| +1 Lap

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| 26

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 10

21

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| {{flagicon|CAN}} Dalton Kellett

| A. J. Foyt Enterprises

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 79

| style="text-align:center;"| +1 Lap

| style="text-align:center;"| 2

| style="text-align:center;"| 21

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 9

22

| style="text-align:center;"| 48

| {{Flagicon|USA}} Jimmie Johnson {{Color box|orange|R|border=silver}}

| Chip Ganassi Racing

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 79

| style="text-align:center;"| +1 Lap

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"| 25

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 8

23

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

| {{flagicon|SWE}} Felix Rosenqvist

| Arrow McLaren SP

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 78

| style="text-align:center;"| +2 Laps

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

| style="text-align:center;"| 13

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 7

24

| style="text-align:center;"| 28

| {{flagicon|USA}} Ryan Hunter-Reay

| Andretti Autosport

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 78

| style="text-align:center;"| +2 Laps

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"| 10

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 6

25

| style="text-align:center;"| 12

| {{flagicon|AUS}} Will Power {{Color box|gold|W|border=silver}}

| Team Penske

| Chevrolet

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| Contact

| style="text-align:center;"| 0

| style="text-align:center;"| 4

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

26

| style="text-align:center;"| 18

| {{flagicon|UAE}} Ed Jones

| Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan

| Honda

| style="text-align:center;"| 3

| style="text-align:center;"| Contact

| style="text-align:center;"| 0

| style="text-align:center;"| 16

| style="text-align:center;"|

| style="text-align:center;"| 5

class="sortbottom"

|colspan="11" style="text-align:center"|Fastest lap: {{flagicon|GBR}} Jack Harvey (Meyer Shank Racing) – 01:08.7341 (lap 65)

class="sortbottom"

! colspan="11" | Source:

Championship standings after the race

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

;Drivers' Championship standings

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
Pos

! Driver

! Points

1

| {{flagicon|ESP}} Álex Palou

| style="text-align:right;"| 384

2

| {{flagicon|MEX}} Patricio O'Ward

| style="text-align:right;"| 345

3

| {{flagicon|NZL}} Scott Dixon

| style="text-align:right;"| 328

4

| {{flagicon|USA}} Josef Newgarden

| style="text-align:right;"| 315

5

| {{flagicon|SWE}} Marcus Ericsson

| style="text-align:right;"| 280

colspan="4" | Source:{{Cite web|date=4 July 2021|title=Points - Indycar Driver

|url=https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/07/Mid-Ohio-driver-points.pdf|access-date=5 April 2022|website=NBC Sports}}

{{col-2}}

;Manufacturer standings

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
Pos

! Manufacturer

! Points

1

| {{flagicon|JPN}} Honda

| style="text-align:right;"| 863

2

| {{flagicon|USA}} Chevrolet

| style="text-align:right;"| 790

colspan="4" | Source:{{Cite web|date=4 July 2021|title=Points - Indycar Engine

|url=https://motorsports.nbcsports.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2021/07/indycar-PointsEngine.pdf|access-date=5 April 2022|website=NBC Sports}}

{{col-end}}

  • Note: Only the top five positions are included.

References

{{reflist}}

{{IndyCar Series race report

|Name_of_race = Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio

|Year_of_race = 2021

|Previous_race_in_season = 2021 REV Group Grand Prix at Road America

|Next_race_in_season = 2021 Big Machine Music City Grand Prix

|Previous_year's_race = 2020 Honda Indy 200

|Next_year's_race = 2022 Honda Indy 200

}}

Honda Indy 200

Honda Indy 200

Honda Indy 200

Category:Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio