2025 Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto

O'Ward Charges to Victory in Chaotic Indy Toronto

Pato O'Ward mastered a tumultuous Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, charging from 10th on the grid to claim his second win of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season and ninth career victory in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet. The 90-lap race on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street course at Exhibition Place unfolded under cloudy skies with ambient temperatures at 79 degrees and winds from the west-southwest at 8 mph; track temperatures reached 107.6 degrees, per Firestone engineers, amplifying tire degradation challenges after overnight rain.

O'Ward completed the distance in 1:48:23, averaging 88.972 mph, outlasting a race marred by five full-course cautions and strategic gambles.

"We keep making our Sundays so much harder than what they have to be," O'Ward said. "Qualifying has been not our friend. But Sundays have been. ... We had to get really aggressive there sometimes. We had to get our elbows out a little bit if we want to keep this championship somewhat of a conversation."

The race went green at 12:22 p.m., with pole-sitter Colton Herta leading into Turn 1 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda. Early chaos struck on Lap 3 when Scott McLaughlin lost a left-rear wheel nut exiting the pits in the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet, contacting the barrier on the backstretch and triggering the first full-course yellow. McLaughlin was released from the medical unit unharmed. Leaders pitted for primaries, handing the lead to Alex Palou in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda on Lap 4.

Palou dominated early, building a 6.8680-second gap over Louis Foster by Lap 20. A second caution on Lap 15 came when Christian Rasmussen spun into the barrier between Turns 5 and 6 in the No. 21 ECR Splenda Chevrolet, incurring a penalty for emergency service in a closed pit. Palou held firm on the Lap 17 restart, extending his lead to 3.6474 seconds over David Malukas by Lap 28.

The race's turning point began on Lap 30 with a third yellow for Alexander Rossi's contact in Turn 11 in the No. 20 ECR Javahouse Chevrolet. Palou and Scott Dixon stayed out, but a multi-car incident on Lap 37 involving Josef Newgarden and Jacob Abel brought another caution; both were released from medical. VeeKay assumed the lead in the No. 18 askROI Honda after Palou and Dixon pitted on Lap 40.

VeeKay led through halfway on Lap 45, holding off O'Ward by 0.7188 seconds. Pit cycles shuffled the order, with O'Ward taking command on Lap 62 after Herta's stop. O'Ward steadily pulled away, leading VeeKay by 3.0929 seconds on Lap 78.

A final caution on Lap 88 sealed the deal when Felix Rosenqvist and Nolan Siegel tangled in Turn 10; Rosenqvist was released from medical. O'Ward, leading at the time of the caution, took the checkered flag ahead of VeeKay.

VeeKay earned a season-best second, his best since Detroit 2021 and first podium since Barber 2022. "We really had the feeling that we could do this today," VeeKay said. "We've been moving forward every race in the last six races. ... Great team effort to go with that strategy."

Kyffin Simpson notched his first career podium in third in the No. 8 Journie Rewards Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, his second top-five of the season and most positions improved (10 spots from 13th). "It was definitely kind of a race that came to us," Simpson said. "I at no point thought we were one of the quickest cars. ... When I saw that yellow come out, I was just super happy 'cause otherwise it was going to be a really tough fight to the end."

Herta finished fourth after leading six laps, followed by Marcus Ericsson in fifth. Kirkwood, Rahal, Ilott, Malukas and Dixon completed the top 10. Palou, who led a race-high 37 laps, settled for 12th after strategy setbacks, slicing his points lead over O'Ward from 128 to 99 (536-437). Kirkwood (363), Dixon (362) and Lundgaard (317) round out the top five in standings.

Arrow McLaren team principal Tony Kanaan praised the execution: "Strategy wouldn't go without a team to perform on the pit stop and a driver that can actually pass some cars. ... For strategies to work, you cannot only depend on luck."

Santino Ferrucci did not start after his warm-up crash in the No. 14 Sexton Properties / AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet; AJ Foyt Racing cited extensive damage prioritizing safety.

Five drivers led, with six lead changes among them, highlighting the race's unpredictability amid 226 total passes (201 for position). Herta set the fastest lap at 1:01.6540 on Lap 66, while Palou clocked the fastest leader lap at 1:01.7591 on Lap 23. O'Ward's win, his third on a street course, bolsters his title chase as the series heads to Laguna Seca.

Lundgaard Tops Warm-Up at Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto Amid Late Incident

Christian Lundgaard led the morning warm-up for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, posting a fastest lap of 1:06.1219 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet on Sunday. The 25-minute session on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street course, held ahead of the 90-lap race at 12:22 p.m., provided teams a final chance to refine race setups and assess tire performance after overnight rain slightly altered track conditions.

The session began at 8:32 a.m. and ran smoothly until a red flag halted action at 8:55 a.m., concurrent with the checkered flag, when Santino Ferrucci made contact with the barrier in Turn 8 in the No. 14 Sexton Properties / AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet. Ferrucci climbed from his car unaided, and INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Julia Vaizer confirmed he was seen and released from the medical unit without issue.

Nolan Siegel impressed with a 1:07.3039 in the No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet for second, followed by Ferrucci at 1:07.4133 before his incident. Alexander Rossi (1:08.2212, No. 20 ECR Javahouse Chevrolet) and David Malukas (1:08.6471, No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet) rounded out the top five, showing strong pace for Chevrolet-powered entries.

Notably, pole-sitter Colton Herta and teammate Kyle Kirkwood, who had dominated practice and qualifying, focused on race runs, posting 1:26.8354 and 1:37.4146 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda and No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda, respectively, landing 16th and 17th. Herta, who clinched pole with a 59.8320 in Saturday's Firestone Fast Six, noted the importance of warm-up for tire strategy: "Is it going to be four laps? Is it going to be 20 laps? It's really not sure yet. It will be more of an answer after warm-up to what the race is really going to look like."

Other notables included Josef Newgarden (1:09.1110, No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet) in sixth, Felix Rosenqvist (1:09.8508, No. 60 SiriusXM Honda) in seventh and Marcus Armstrong (1:12.5136, No. 66 SiriusXM / Root Insurance Honda) in ninth.

Graham Rahal (7:21.8369, No. 15 United Rentals Honda) and Sting Ray Robb (2:57.7554, No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet) logged minimal laps, finishing 24th and 23rd, respectively, while Toronto native Devlin DeFrancesco (1:41.4377, No. 30 HUB International Honda) was 19th. Rookie Louis Foster (1:39.8100, No. 45 Droplight Honda) placed 18th, continuing to gain experience.

Combined practice and qualifying results still show Herta's 1:00.0578 from Practice 2 as the fastest lap of the weekend, with Kirkwood, Newgarden, McLaughlin and O'Ward in the top five, signaling Andretti Global and Team Penske's strength heading into the race. With tire degradation a key factor after rain cleaned parts of the track, teams like Andretti, strong on primaries per Herta's qualifying comments, may hold an edge in the strategic battle ahead.

Herta Claims Pole for Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto with Dominant Performance

Colton Herta captured the NTT P1 Award for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, setting a blistering lap of 59.8320 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda during the Firestone Fast Six on Saturday afternoon. The pole marks Herta's second of the 2025 season, his 16th career pole and his third in the last four years at the streets of Toronto's Exhibition Place, underscoring Andretti Global's prowess on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile temporary street course.

Qualifying unfolded under sunny skies with ambient temperatures at 74 degrees and winds from the east-southeast at 7 mph; track temperatures hovered at 109 degrees, per Firestone engineers, influencing tire strategies amid ongoing concerns about alternate tire graining.

The session began at 2:35 p.m. with Round 1 Group 1, where Kyle Kirkwood led at 59.9069 in the No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda, followed by Will Power at 1:00.0155 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet and Scott Dixon at 1:00.0929 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Callum Ilott (1:00.1643, No. 90 Prema Racing Chevrolet), Graham Rahal (1:00.2358, No. 15 United Rentals Honda) and rookie Louis Foster (1:00.3124, No. 45 Droplight Honda) advanced, while Nolan Siegel received a penalty for causing a local yellow, losing his best lap.

Group 2 followed at 2:51 p.m., with Marcus Armstrong topping at 1:00.0989 in the No. 66 SiriusXM / Root Insurance Honda, ahead of Rinus VeeKay (1:00.1431, No. 18 askROI Honda), Alex Palou (1:00.1577, No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda), Marcus Ericsson (1:00.2086, No. 28 Delaware Life Honda), Herta (1:00.2101) and Pato O'Ward (1:00.2247, No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet).

Round 2 went green at 3:12 p.m., where Kirkwood again paced the field at 59.9271, edging Power (59.9767) and Herta (1:00.0034). Rahal (1:00.3177), Palou (1:00.3352) and Armstrong (1:00.4987) advanced to the Firestone Fast Six. Penalties struck VeeKay and Dixon for causing local yellows, costing each their best lap, though Dixon's issue compounded an existing six-position grid penalty for an unapproved engine change after Iowa, dropping him from 11th to 17th overall.

In the Firestone Fast Six at 3:33 p.m., Herta's dominant lap secured pole over Palou (1:00.1078), Armstrong (1:00.3535), Power (1:00.4519), Rahal (1:00.8600) and Kirkwood (1:04.5308), who struggled after an early off-track excursion.

Herta reflected on his session: "The car's still that much faster than everybody else. … It was a stressful one, though. Really close to being knocked out in the first round. We had to make some adjustments on pit lane that worked beautifully and got us back into contention."

He praised the team's bump-handling: "Its ability over the bumps, it's pretty incredible. … Fortunately, unfortunately, that's all I know. I've always been at Andretti."

Palou, earning a career-best Toronto start on the front row, said: "Super happy. It was a very good day for us. … Colton and Kyle, they've been like on another league this weekend." On race prospects: "I think it's going to be more of a tire race than a fuel race. … The alternates are a bit faster. … They are faster and you feel like a super hero for those five to maybe 10 laps. They kind of like give up."

Both noted the Turn 3 patch, with Herta calling it "much better" and Palou saying it "didn't really make any difference" but appreciating the effort on a bumpy street circuit.

Dixon's penalty, per Rule 16.1.2.3.2 for exceeding engine mileage limits, promotes Ilott to 11th, Siegel to 12th, Kyffin Simpson to 13th, Scott McLaughlin to 14th, David Malukas to 15th and Felix Rosenqvist to 16th; positions 18 through 27 remain unchanged, with Josef Newgarden 18th, Christian Lundgaard 19th, Robert Shwartzman 20th, Conor Daly 21st, Christian Rasmussen 22nd, Santino Ferrucci 23rd, Alexander Rossi 24th, Sting Ray Robb 25th, Devlin DeFrancesco 26th and Jacob Abel 27th.

With a forecast for overnight rain potentially increasing tire degradation but cleaning the track, warm-up at 8:32 a.m. Sunday will be crucial ahead of the 90-lap race at 12:22 p.m. Herta aims to defend his 2024 victory, while Palou seeks his first Toronto win to extend his points lead.

Herta Tops Practice 2 at Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto as Track Grips Up

Colton Herta surged to the top of the timesheets in Practice 2 for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, setting a blistering lap of 1:00.0578 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda on Saturday morning. The 45-minute session, which guaranteed green flag running on the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street course, saw all 27 drivers improve their best times from Friday's Practice 1, reflecting a track that continued to rubber in and offer increased grip.

The session began at 10:30 a.m. under favorable conditions, with teams benefiting from a smoother track after overnight work addressed a significant bump at Turn 3's braking zone. Race control and the event promoter applied a new asphalt patch between the 500 and 400 brake markers, responding to driver feedback from Friday, where Will Power had called the bump "nasty" and urged grinding it down to aid racing.

Herta's pace edged teammate Kyle Kirkwood, who posted a 1:00.1578 in the No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda, just 0.1000 seconds behind. Kirkwood, who led Friday's combined times, maintained Andretti Global's strong form on street courses. Josef Newgarden followed at 1:00.5885 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet, with Scott McLaughlin close behind at 1:00.6278 in the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet. Pato O'Ward rounded out the top five at 1:00.6895 in the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet.

The session ran smoothly until a late red flag at 11:16 a.m., triggered when rookie Jacob Abel made contact at Turn 8 in the No. 51 Abel Construction Honda after completing his lap. INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Julia Vaizer confirmed Abel was seen and released from the medical unit, with no further concerns reported. The incident did not disrupt the session's flow significantly, as most drivers had completed their fastest laps.

Scott Dixon, a four-time Toronto winner, clocked a 1:00.7300 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda to place sixth, just 0.0001 seconds ahead of teammate Alex Palou in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Power, a three-time winner here, took eighth at 1:00.7343 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet, followed by David Malukas at 1:00.7976 in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet and Felix Rosenqvist at 1:00.7994 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda. Rinus VeeKay (1:00.8159, No. 18 askROI Honda) and Christian Lundgaard (1:00.9209, No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet) showed competitive pace in 11th and 12th.

Rookie Louis Foster continued to impress, posting a 1:01.3052 in the No. 45 Droplight Honda for 18th, while Robert Shwartzman managed a 1:01.6273 in the No. 83 Prema Racing Chevrolet for 23rd in Prema Racing's debut weekend. Toronto native Devlin DeFrancesco struggled to find pace, ending 27th at 1:02.6469 in the No. 30 HUB International Honda.

The improved track conditions highlighted tire strategy nuances, with teams balancing the graining issues noted Friday on alternate tires against the performance of primaries. "It's bumps, man," Kirkwood said after Practice 1, crediting Andretti Global's setup for handling Toronto's rough surface. Herta's session-topping time, nearly a second faster than Friday's best, underscored the track's evolution and set the stage for a competitive qualifying session at 2:30 p.m., where the Firestone Fast Six will determine the pole for Sunday's 90-lap race.

Kirkwood Leads Combined Practice 1 Results at Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto

Kyle Kirkwood set the pace in the opening practice session for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, posting the fastest lap of 1:01.2054 in the No. 27 Silver Gold Bull Honda during the final group segment Friday afternoon. The NTT IndyCar Series took to the 11-turn, 1.786-mile street course under sunny skies with ambient temperatures at 70 degrees and winds from the south at 7 mph; track temperatures reached 119 degrees, per Firestone engineers, adding a layer of challenge to tire management and hybrid deployment.

"Certainly a tough one because that's probably the lowest amount of grip I've driven in IndyCar in a very long time," Kirkwood said. "That's just due to the fact that we don't have a bunch of support series here. We don't have Indy lights that are usually running on Firestone, helping build up the grip. We were sweeping in a sense for the rest of the session and for the rest of the weekend."

The 75-minute session began at 3:05 p.m. with a 40-minute period open to all 27 cars, where Will Power topped the charts at 1:01.9059 in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet. Colton Herta followed closely at 1:02.0219 in the No. 26 Gainbridge Honda, with Josef Newgarden third at 1:02.1549 in the No. 2 PPG Team Penske Chevrolet. Pato O'Ward and Kirkwood rounded out the top five in that initial stint, as drivers focused on installation laps and baseline setups without any red flags or major incidents disrupting the flow.

After a brief pause, the session split into two 12-minute group runs, allowing rookies to participate in both for extra track time. In Group 1, which went green at 3:53 p.m., Power improved slightly to 1:01.8538 to lead Christian Lundgaard at 1:01.9623 in the No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and Felix Rosenqvist at 1:02.0812 in the No. 60 SiriusXM Honda. Scott Dixon placed fourth at 1:02.1057 in the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda, while Graham Rahal was fifth at 1:02.1730 in the No. 15 United Rentals Honda. Rookies Louis Foster and Robert Shwartzman showed promise, with Foster seventh at 1:02.2629 in the No. 45 Droplight Honda and Shwartzman 12th at 1:03.0745 in the No. 83 Prema Racing Chevrolet.

Group 2 followed at 4:09 p.m., where Kirkwood's blistering lap edged Scott McLaughlin at 1:01.3411 in the No. 3 Gallagher Insurance Team Penske Chevrolet and points leader Alex Palou at 1:01.5987 in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda. Marcus Armstrong was fourth at 1:01.6994 in the No. 66 SiriusXM / Root Insurance Honda, with Callum Ilott fifth at 1:01.8985 in the No. 90 Prema Racing Chevrolet. Rookie Jacob Abel slotted 13th at 1:02.5477 in the No. 51 Abel Construction Honda, while Foster ran in this group as well, though he ended 15th at 1:04.8809 after focusing on longer runs.

Combining all segments, Kirkwood's Group 2 time held as the quickest overall, followed by McLaughlin, Palou, Armstrong and Power in the top five. O'Ward, David Malukas in the No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet, Lundgaard, Herta and Rosenqvist completed the top 10. Teams reported smooth hybrid integration and no significant mechanical issues, though the warm track prompted conservative tire strategies early on.

Kirkwood noted the alternate tires' poor performance: "Everybody saw that alternate tires looked like they grained really, really bad. That's why you saw a lot of people going faster on greens. Interesting how that shakes out for the rest of the weekend." Power echoed the sentiment, adding, "The greens, you literally had that one prep lap and one lap to go. Yeah, it will be interesting."

Power, a three-time Toronto winner, also highlighted a new challenge: "Massive new bump at the end of the straight into three. It actually hurts. Right in the braking zone, boom." He suggested it needs attention: "I think they honestly need to grind it tonight. It will hurt racing. Very apprehensive to go up the inside."

Kirkwood attributed Andretti Global's street course strength to handling bumps: "For whatever reason our car makes really good grip over the bumps. The more bumpy the better. Detroit, here. Most bumpy street courses. In the past, these have been our best."

Both drivers praised the strong fan turnout. "I was sitting there, I looked at the grandstands, they were full. I was really impressed," Power said. Kirkwood added, "It's always nice coming back to Toronto. … Man, those stands are full."

With no cautions throughout, the session provided valuable data ahead of Sunday's 90-lap race, where street course specialists like Herta, the defending winner, and Power aim to build momentum amid uncertainties with tire wear and track evolution.