| IndyCar Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course |
| Corporate sponsor | Honda Westfield Insurance |
| First race | 1970 |
| First IRL race | 2007 |
| Distance | 191.93 mi (308.88 km) |
| Laps | 85 |
| Previous names | Red Roof Inns 150 (1980) Escort Radar Warning 200 (1983–1988) Red Roof Inns 200 (1989–1990) Pioneer Electronics 200 (1991–1994) Miller Genuine Draft 200 (1995) Miller 200 (1996–1997) Miller Lite 200 (1998–2001) Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio (2002) Champ Car Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio (2003) |
The Honda 200 at Mid-Ohio presented by Westfield Insurance is an Indy Racing League IndyCar Series race held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
The U.S. Formula 5000 series ran open wheel races at Mid-Ohio beginning in 1970. The race transferred to the revived Can-Am series in 1977.
The CART series debuted at the track in 1980, and continued to race there from 1983–2003. In 2007, American open wheel racing returned to the venue, when the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series held an event. The race is part of a doubleheader with the American Le Mans Series. On November 21, 2006, it was announced that weekend of racing secured the sponsorship of Honda.[1]
The history of open-wheel races has a unique footnote. The race has been won consecutively on six occasions, including four times in a row from 1991–1997.
The initial contract will have the race held for three years from 2007–2009. On June 5, 2007, Truesports, the promoters of the race, announced a three-year partnership with Westfield Insurance to serve as presenting sponsor of the IndyCar Series event.[2]
In early years, the race was scheduled for Labor Day weekend. In 1990, it was pushed back two weeks. Rain and cool temperatures and rain, however, prompted officials to move the race to the summer. It started being held in early- to mid-August, the weekend after the Brickyard 400. When the race was revived by the Indy Racing League in 2007, it was placed in July. Carried by ABC, it immediately followed the final round coverage of the British Open. Such a lead-in created a strong television audience, but it was at the risk of the golf tournament running long due to a playoff, as it did in 2007. For 2009, the race will revert back to its former mid-August date.
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