Alexander Rossi produced one of the biggest upsets in IndyCar history when he won the 100th Indianapolis 500 as a rookie. What will his first start in the Honda Indy Toronto bring? That remains to be seen. But to try and gage how Rossi might fair, we look back at drivers who have won both the Indy 500 and the Honda Indy Toronto.
Bobby Rahal
1986 was a big year for the father of current IndyCar driver, Graham Rahal. Rahal seniors first win of the season came in the 70th running of the Indy 500, with his second win coming at the inaugural Honda Indy Toronto. He went on to win four more times in 1986 to take the first of his three IndyCar championships. Rahal is the only driver to win the Indy 500 and the Honda Indy Toronto in the same season.
Dario Franchitti
Dario Franchitti has had an illustrious IndyCar career, but if you had to pick two races that were particularly good to him, history points towards the Honda Indy Toronto and the Indy 500. As a rookie, Franchitti turned heads in the IndyCar paddock when he stormed to his first career pole on the streets of Toronto back in 1997. He couldn’t convert the pole into a win, but he made up for it by visiting victory lane in 1999, 2009, and 2011. Franchitti’s three Honda Indy Toronto wins are also matched by his three wins at the Brickyard.
Scott Dixon
Along with Michael Andretti, Scott Dixon is the only other driver to win the Honda Indy Toronto back-to-back. What makes his two wins so special? He won them both in 2013, when the event featured a two-race double-header. Before taming Toronto, Dixon’s lone Indy 500 win came back in 2008.
Ryan Hunter-Reay
Ryan Hunter-Reay took home the 2012 IndyCar championship with four wins. His championship hopes received a huge jumpstart when he went on to win three of those four wins back-to-back-to-back. He capped off the hat trick with a win in the Honda Indy Toronto. Two years later, he’d fend off Helio Castroneves for his for his sole Indy 500 win.
Al Unser Jr.
They say good things come in pairs, and that’s the best way to describe Al Unser Jr’s success in Toronto and at the Brickyard. Before he became a two-time Indy 500 champion, he was a two-time winner of the Honda Indy Toronto, taking victory back in 1988 and 1990.
Emmerson Fittipaldi
Like Al Unser Jr., Emerson Fittipaldi found success in Toronto before winning his two Indy 500s. His lone win came way back in 1987, and despite the number of Brazilians that have found success in IndyCar racing, Fittipaldi is one of only two (Brazilians) to win at Exhibition Place.
Victor Genova is the host of the Media People Podcast and a freelance racing writer. @VicGenova
