Special to 1812Blockhouse
The 62nd season of racing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will showcase some of the premier series in all of motorsports this summer with the NTT INDYCAR SERIES and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series returning. In conjunction with the schedule release, featuring four major events, the renewal period for Mid-Ohio Season Race Passes has begun and will go until Thursday, Feb. 16. Public ticket sales will begin Tuesday, Feb. 21.
The Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio, the longest continuously-running spectator event at the track, kicks off the schedule on June 23-25 for its 41st running. The Sportscar Vintage Racing Association sanctioned weekend will provide fans a variety of race types with classic and modern race cars, including plenty of exciting sports car action highlighted by the newly formed Prototype Spring Series Association and the legendary Trans Am Series.
Ohio’s largest annual motorsports event, The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio featuring the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, returns on Fourth of July weekend (June 30-July 2) for the 40th running of the open-wheel event. Amongst the current events on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES schedule, only the Indianapolis 500 has run more races. In 2022, The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Presented by the All-New 2023 Civic Type R featured a victory by Scott McLaughlin as he held off 2021 NTT INDYCAR SERIES champion Alex Palou over the final 17 laps.
After a thrilling debut at Mid-Ohio in 2022, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will return to the 2.258-mile, 13-turn track in 2023 for the second running of the O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 on Saturday, July 8. ARCA Menards Series stock cars will also be featured, kicking off the weekend on Friday, July 7. The inaugural O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 featured a dramatic battle in the closing laps as Parker Kligerman beat Zane Smith to the finish line by 0.119 seconds.
Finally, Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days will make its 28th appearance at the facility on July 21-23. Permco, an Ohio-based manufacturing leader of high-pressure hydraulic gear pumps and motors, joins the event as the title sponsor. The Mid-Ohio tradition is one of the largest annual motorcycling gatherings in the world celebrating the history of motorcycling in America and featuring racing, bike shows, the largest motorcycle swap meet in North America, plus more.
“We are excited to once again bring our fans a terrific variety of motorsport events in 2023,” said Craig Rust, president of Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. “It’s exciting to partner with Permco as the new title sponsor of AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days, and we look forward to having the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series return after a hugely successful first outing in 2022. We can’t wait to see our fans back at the track for all these events this summer!”
All four race events remain on their traditional weekends. Additional support series will be announced at a later date for each race weekend delivering non-stop action. The 2023 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course schedule for spectator events is as follows:
June 23-25 – Vintage Grand Prix of Mid-Ohio (Sportscar Vintage Racing Association / Trans Am)
June 30-July 2 – The Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio (NTT INDYCAR SERIES event)
July 7-8 – O’Reilly Auto Parts 150 at Mid-Ohio (NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series event)
July 21-23 – Permco AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days (AMA’s annual motorcycling celebration)
*Schedule Subject to Change
In addition to the four major spectator events, Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course will host over 20 club weekend racing events from April to October in 2023. Mid-Ohio Season Race Passholders can attend these events free of charge, and the general public can gain access on select weekends for a nominal fee as determined.
Children 12 and under always receive free general admission at Mid-Ohio when accompanied by a ticketed adult. Visit midohio.com for more information, and follow its Facebook page @MidOhioSportsCarCourse, Twitter @Mid_Ohio or Instagram @officialmidohio for the latest news.