Alexander Rossi Dominates 2018 Honda Indy 200
As arguably the most famous man to drive a Honda-powered IndyCar in recent times, it seems only fitting that Alexander Rossi would be the one to claim victory at the 2018 Honda Indy 200, marking his second win of the season.
Rossi was never truly challenged during the 90-lap race around the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, as he was the only driver on the grid to manage his fuel well enough that he was able to pit only twice rather than thrice. This allowed him to stay clear of most individual battles and ultimately finish nearly 13 seconds ahead of rookie Robert Wickens.
To secure the 1-2 result for Honda, Wickens had to pass the Team Penske duo of Josef Newgarden and Will Power, and then Ryan Hunger-Reay, before Rossi was the only man left ahead.
Honda would go on to claim seven of the top 10 spots, with Scott Dixon finishing fifth and Sebastian Bourdais putting in a stunning drive from 24th, after a qualifying crash, to sixth.
With his win at the 2018 Honda Indy 200, Rossi is now second in the drivers’ championship after 13 of 17 rounds, 46 points behind Dixon.
“It’s always fun to win your ‘home’ race. It’s gratifying when you have both the fuel save and non-fuel save strategies covered, as we did today,” said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development.
“Alex showed amazing pace while saving fuel and, if not for getting hung up in the middle of the race, Robert would likely have been nipping at this heels at the end. Congratulations to both teams for successfully executing very different approaches today. With four races remaining, continuing to win is the way we’re going to win the championship.”
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