Entering this weekend's Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio, only three rounds remain in the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season. The weekend schedule and extensive pre-race notes are below to get you completely up to speed before the race weekend arrives.
Weekend Schedule - (all times Eastern)
Friday, July 31:
10:45 am - 12:00 pm: Practice 1
3:15 - 4:30 pm: Practice 2
Saturday, August 1:
10:45 - 11:30 am: Practice 3
3:00 - 4:15 pm: Qualifying
Sunday, August 2:
9:45 - 10:15: Warmup
2:07 pm: Race (approximate green flag)
Notebook
- The Honda Indy 200 will be the ninth road/street course race of the 2015 season with a different driver winning seven of the previous eight races: Juan Pablo Montoya (St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (NOLA Motorsports Park), Scott Dixon (Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park and Toronto), Will Power (Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Carlos Munoz (Detroit Race 1) and Sebastien Bourdais (Detroit Race 2)
- This weekend's race will be the 31st Indy car race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Dixon won the race in 2014. Johnny Rutherford won the first Indy car race at Mid-Ohio in 1980.
- Dixon is the winningest driver at Mid-Ohio with five victories (2007, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014). Emerson Fittipaldi won at Mid-Ohio three times, while Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Teo Fabi, Bobby Rahal and Al Unser Jr. have all won at Mid-Ohio twice.
- Past winners Dixon, Castroneves (2000 and 2001), Montoya (1999), Ryan Briscoe (2008) and Charlie Kimball (2013) are entered this year.
- There have been five different pole winners since Castroneves won back-to-back poles in 2007-08. Other Mid-Ohio pole winners entered in this year's race are: Briscoe (2009), Power (2010 and 2012), Dixon (2011), Ryan Hunter-Reay (2013) and Bourdais (2014).
- Ten drivers have won the race from the pole: Mario Andretti (1984), Bobby Rahal (1985), Roberto Guerrero (1987), Fabi (1989), Michael Andretti (1990 and 1991), Al Unser Jr. (1994), Alex Zanardi (1996), Patrick Carpentier (2002), Paul Tracy (2003) and Dixon (2011).
- At least 20 drivers entered in the event have competed in past Indy car races at Mid-Ohio. Tony Kanaan (13) has the most starts at Mid-Ohio among the entered drivers. Twelve of those drivers have led laps at the track (Dixon 201, Castroneves 141, Power 87, Briscoe 49, Kimball 46, Justin Wilson 39, Bourdais 38, Hunter-Reay 33, Montoya 28, Simon Pagenaud 14, Kanaan 13 and Newgarden 3).
- Chip Ganassi Racing has won 10 times at Mid-Ohio, including the last six races at the track. Ganassi's winning drivers are: Zanardi (1996-97), Montoya (1999), Dixon (2007, 2009, 2011-12 and 2014), Dario Franchitti (2010) and Kimball (2013). With its next victory, Ganassi will earn its 100th Indy car race win.
- Team Penske has seven wins at the track: Fittipaldi (1992-93), Unser Jr. (1994-95), Castroneves (2000-01) and Briscoe (2008).
- Dixon has finished in the top-five in eight of his 10 races at Mid-Ohio, including five wins between 2007 and 2014. Power has finished in the top-five in four of his six starts at Mid-Ohio. Pagenaud has finished on the podium twice in his previous four starts. Bourdais has three top-five finishes in five starts.
- Kanaan seeks to start his 247th consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Teammate Dixon looks to make his 189th consecutive start this weekend.
For comprehensive coverage from Mid-Ohio this weekend, follow @VAVELIndyCar on Twitter.
Aaron Durant is the editor of the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow him on Twitter at @DoubleA291.