2018 HONDA INDY TORONTO DRIVERS
Meet the drivers who will be racing around Exhibition Place this weekend. We feature the first 12 of 23 today, with the remaining 11 to follow tomorrow
1 Josef Newgarden, 27, U.S.A. Current address: Charlotte, N.C. Last year’s Verizon IndyCar champion is off to a fine start for 2018, with wins at Phoenix, the Honda IndyCar race in Alabama, and the recent Kohler GP. Newgarden is second in the standings. He played baseball and basketball before turning to racing, and has appeared on American Ninja Warrior.
10 Ed Jones, 23, Dubai Current address: Dubai With Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, Jones has been learning from the master. Jones, 13th in points, has third-place podium finishes at the Duel and the Toyota GP, and was was the 2016 Indy Lights champion. In his rookie IndyCar year, Jones took a third-place finish in the 2017 Indy 500.
4 Matheus Leist, 19, Brazil Current address: Novo Hamburgo, Brazil This young Brazilian is in his rookie year, driving for A.J. Foyt enterprises, and a teammate of Tony Kanaan. Leist is a threetime Indy Lights winner, winning his first in the series, the Freedom 100, in 2017, and is also a British Formula 3 champion. An avid soccer fan, Leist is 19th in points standings.
12 Will Power, 37, Australia Current address: Charlotte, N.C. Will Power — an Australia native, won the Verizon IndyCar championship in 2014 — has been runner-up four times. His success continues in 2018 with two wins in May with the IndyCar Grand Prix and the Indianapolis 500. Driving for Team Penske, he is fifth in points.
5 James Hinchcliffe, 31, Canada Current address: Indianapolis, Ind. The Oakville, Ont., native has been struggling in the 2018 season, but his victory last week in Iowa has him back in the hunt. Driving for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, Hinchcliffe was 2011 rookie of the year and has six wins to his credit. He is eighth in points.
14 Tony Kanaan, 44, Brazil Current address: Miami, Fla. His first year with A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Kanaan, the 2013 Indy 500 winner, has not had a successful 2018, sitting in 15th. His best showings have been seventh in Detroit and eighth at Long Beach and Phoenix. Heading into 2018, Kanaan had 283 IndyCar starts. He is always a threat and is due for a win.
6 Robert Wickens, 29, Canada Current address: Monaco Wickens of Schmidt Peterson Motorsports shifted gears from road circuits to IndyCar, and has done well in his rookie year. The Guelph, Ont., native was a driver in Europe’s premier touring car series. He placed second at Phoenix, third in the IndyCar Grand Prix, and fifth at Kohler GP at Road America. Wickens is sixth in points.
15 Graham Rahal, 29, U.S.A. Current address: Indianapolis, Ind. Driving for father Bobby Rahal of Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, Graham Rahal started 2018 with a second at St. Petersburg, but has not placed higher than fifth (Detroit and Long Beach) since the season opener. He is seventh. He won both legs of the Duel in Detroit (2017).
9 Scott Dixon, 38, New Zealand Current address: Indianapolis, Ind. Dixon is no stranger to success in the IndyCar series. The New Zealander has four series championships to his credit, won the 2008 Indy 500, and is in his 17th year driving for Chip Ganassi Racing. He has won a pair so far this year, the DXC Tech 600 (Texas) and race 2 of the Duel (Detroit), and is No. 1 in points.
18 Sebastien Bourdais, 39, France Current address: St. Petersburg, Fla. This driver has four successive series championships (20042007). He has also been successful at Le Mans . In his second year with Dale Coyne Racing with Vasser-Sullivan, Bourdais has a win at the Firestone GP of St. Petersburg, and is 10th.