A famous, very twisty race track in Ohio where IndyCar drivers race. It is known for being very difficult to drive fast because of its constant turns and hills.
The top level of professional open-wheel car racing in North America. It is similar to Formula 1 but features closer racing on a mix of different track types, including high-speed ovals and street courses.
A talented young race car driver from Denmark who moved to America to race in IndyCar, where he quickly became known as one of the fastest drivers on road courses.
A phrase used to describe a driver who goes all-out to win, meaning they will either finish in first place or crash trying, with very little middle ground.
The time of year when race car drivers are secretly negotiating contracts, and everyone is gossiping about which driver will switch to which team for the next year.
A young professional racing driver from Norway who has raced in top European junior categories like Formula 2 and is looking to secure a permanent seat in top-tier racing.
The secure area behind the pit lane where racing teams park their big trucks, work on the cars, and where drivers hang out when they aren't on the track.
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Indycar Dad: Welcome to the Indy Car Dad podcast where I give you a mid-Ohio preview. Every race I ⁓ do a whole bunch of analysis, some real heavy statistics, to tell you ⁓ what who to watch. I know other people out there trying to predict who they want to win or who's going to win, and sort of more like ⁓ you know, having to do with gambling or just making fun predictions.
But what I like to do is I like to find drivers that are going to be interesting to watch. So these are drivers that you should look out for during the race to see how they're doing. Some of them because they're really good, some of them because they're really desperate this week, and some of them because they could be great or they could be a huge flop.
So let's talk about who's gonna probably be really good this week. The best average finish of any driver at mid-Ohio is Christian Lungard. So Lungard has the highest, the lowest or best average finish of any driver in the field this week.
Second place is Alex Pelot. And so far this year, I think Alex has led this category in almost every race. So to have Lungard be ahead is interesting. We'll talk about Lungard a little more in the future.
Second place is Alex Pelot. Third place is Alexander Rossi. ⁓ But I went back 10 years, so there's some really strong finishes back in his Andretti days. I'm not sure if he really is going to qualify to that.
But he's definitely someone to watch. He did finish sixth place in 2024. So fourth, Will Power is a real interesting driver to watch here. Scott Dixon, Scott McLaughlin, and Graham Ray Hall, Pato Ward, and Joseph Newgard.
So we're seeing some like Mid-Ohio is kind of a a race for veterans. This is a place that has a lot of nuance and it's very difficult from what I understand to master as a driver. So some of the drivers that have driven here many, many times in Indian car have a distinct advantage.
So that's who we're looking for. So look for the old guard to do pretty well at mid-Ohio. So the next thing we're going to talk about is checkers or wreckers. This is my favorite category of driver. These are drivers that have sort of like won the race or finished second in the race, but then they've also oftentimes finished 24th in the race.
The way I find them is they have the highest standard deviation of their finishing, meaning they well, Checkers are records. So ⁓ and the Checkers of Wreckers king in IndyCar is Christian Rasmussen, and he's no different here.
He stands out like ridiculously so among other drivers because the guy fails so spectacularly often. So an actual ⁓ second place in the Checkers or Wreckers category, this Week as Rosenquist. He has had some terrible finishes here.
He's also had some good ones, but he's had some terrible ones. So that puts him in checkers of records category. Marcus Erickson is also in checkers of records category, which is interesting for him because he's usually a consistent finisher, but at mid-Ohio, not so much.
Marcus also ⁓ doesn't seem to have signed a seat yet for next year, so that puts him in our next category as well. Other checkers and records players are people I mentioned that do well here. Will Power, Scott McLaughlin, and Joseph Newgarden.
Basically, last year's Penske crew is someone to people to look for in that they could do well or they could have a spectacular mistake. So ⁓ and then the third category to look for this week are desperate drivers who need a seat for next year.
So this is ⁓ silly seas silly season, we're in the thick of silly season. So we're gonna be looking for drivers that if they don't do well, something bad's gonna happen to their career. So ⁓ first maybe on this category is Christian Lungard.
I don't think he has anything to prove this year. He's got two wins already, ⁓ and he's doing really well, but the top seats are closing quickly. So Christian Lungard, I think, will want to do really well.
He's also got like a little revenge thing going, because rumor is he's kind of getting pushed out of McLaren. and Bankville with Rosenquissa and Scott Dixon. So I imagine that might make him fairly upset.
So Lundard is someone to watch. ⁓ he'll probably be driving angry this weekend. Santino Ferrucci appears to be on the hot seat. ⁓ his performances on Ovals have been decent and he does well in the Foyt car, but he needs to do a little better to secure his seat for next year.
There's rumors that people are coming young people are coming in with money. And ⁓ sometimes No matter how good you are, if there's other people that have money, you might lose your seat. And then the final person we want to see for desperation.
And I think this is the most desperate driver in the field, is Dennis Hauger. Dennis Hauger ⁓ d dominated the Indy Next Championship last year and he landed in a seat at Dale Coin, which is supposedly sponsored by Andretti.
That's the rumor anyway. And The idea that Andretti was paying him to be in the seat and paying for the seat in case Marcus Ericsson didn't work out long term is kind of sounds like what's happening. But Ericsson is doing quite well and that basically will by Erickson doing well has closed a possible seat for Hauger.
And the rumor is that Hauger will not have Andretti support next year and other people are sniffing at a seat over at Dale Coyne and P young guys with money. So Dennis Hauger is really looking to make a name for himself.
I think he's done really well this year. He's leading the rookie points, but also the his the team didn't get his car to run at one of the races. So that was crazy at Gateway. They just never even appeared in the race because they didn't get the car right.
Not Hauger's fault, certainly, but that certainly cost him a a a finish, you know, at least some points. So ⁓ Dennis Hauger is on the hot seat, as you would say. There you go. ⁓ forecast for the weekend is very hot temperatures.
There is a chance of thunderstorms on Sunday, which would I like a rain race, I've I've always had. So that might be something to watch for. But otherwise, I think we're just in for a really good road race.
So look for these drivers. I'll repeat who they are right now in quick succession. I have Lungard, Pelow, Rossi, Willpower, and Dixon as the top five expected finishers. Then ⁓ The drivers that are checkers or wreckers, Rasmussen, Rosenquist, Ericsson, Power, McLaughlin, and Newgarden, those guys.
And then the three desperate atta desperate drivers are Christian Lungard, who'll probably be driving Angry, Santino Ferrucci, and Dennis Auger. So that's ⁓ my recommendations on who to look for this weekend at Mid Ohio.
I hope you enjoy the race. I'll be there on Sunday. If you see me in the paddock or pits or on the hill, ⁓ say hi. I'm friendly. Thanks. And I wanna meet ya.
About this episode
Prepare for the Mid-Ohio IndyCar race with a statistical deep dive into the drivers to watch. Instead of simple win predictions, this preview categorizes the grid into expected top performers, high-risk "checkers or wreckers" like Christian Rasmussen and Felix Rosenquist, and drivers feeling the heat of silly season. Discover why veterans like Christian Lundgaard and Alex Palou have the edge, why Santino Ferrucci and Dennis Hauger are fighting for their careers, and how potential Sunday thunderstorms could shake up the entire field.
Indy Car Dad podcast provides a detailed preview of the Mid-Ohio race, highlighting drivers to watch and their performance expectations. It covers the best-performing drivers, those with high variability in their finishes, and drivers in desperate need of securing a seat for the next season. The forecast for the race weekend is also discussed, including the potential impact of weather conditions.
Takeaways
Mid-Ohio race preview with driver analysis
Identification of top-performing, inconsistent, and desperate drivers
Insight into the race weekend forecast and potential impact of weather
