Colton Herta put in a decisive performance over the weekend, leading 81 of the 85 laps around the streets of Toronto an earning his first victory in over two years.
The second-generation driver had been struggling to make his way onto the top step of the podium, even as he stood on the other steps three separate times in the first portion of the 2024 season.
His pace in Toronto was nothing short of dominating, however, as he topped the time sheets in all practice sessions, earned pole, and claimed the win, believed to be the first time that feat has been accomplished in IndyCar history.
Herta related after the race that he felt revived, and wished that there was not a month-long break in the schedule so he could keep the momentum going.
“It’s amazing,” said Herta after the race. “It’s disappointing when you have success in a series, then you don’t get it for a long time. So two years without a win is very tough on everybody: on the team, on me, on the guys.
“We all kind of demand the most out of ourselves and we demand the most out of each other. For whatever reason, it just hasn’t gone our way. We’ve had speed. We’ve had plenty of podiums. We’ve had a lot of poles, top fives, but no wins. It feels great to finally get one back.
“Really, I don’t need to celebrate. I’m just happy that we finally did it. It kind of reignites me. We have a four-week break coming up and that sucks. Even after three weekends back to back to back, I just want to go race again and have a chance at another win.”
Andretti Global seems to have the formula dialled in for street courses this year, but the race in Toronto was the final street event of the season. Four oval races and one road course are all that remain before the season comes to a close.
Herta has never won on an oval track since joining IndyCar in late 2018, and will need to find speed on the different track type if he is continue the momentum he found this past weekend.
The next race is a late afternoon event at World Wide Technology Raceway on August 17.
Discussion about this post