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Honda Wins IndyCar Manufacturers' Championship
- Honda won 14 consecutive races this season, starting with the second race at Phoenix International Raceway and continuing through the October 3 race at California Speedway.
- Honda race winners this year include Tony Kanaan (Phoenix, Texas and Nashville); Buddy Rice (the Indianapolis 500, Kansas and Michigan); Dan Wheldon (Twin Ring Motegi, Richmond and Nazareth); Adrian Fernandez (Kentucky, Chicagoland and California); and Dario Franchitti (Milwaukee and Pikes Peak).
- Honda drivers led 73.19% of all laps run this season, a total of 2,419 out of 3,305 laps.
Kanaan Wins IndyCar Drivers' Championship
- Tony Kanaan won three races (Phoenix, Texas and Nashville). In addition, he qualified for the pole twice (Michigan and Pikes Peak).
- Finished in the top five finishes in all but one race this season.
- Set IRL records for laps led [889] and for finishing on the lead lap - a total of 3,305 laps - in all 16 races, another first in IndyCar Series history.
Matsuura Wins IndyCar Rookie of the Year
- Honda driver Kosuke Matsuura won the IRL Rookie of the Year title by a 35-point margin over Ed Carpenter.
- Parlayed six finishes in the top 11, including a fourth-place run at Kentucky, into IRL Rookie of the Year honors.
- The Super Aguri Fernandez driver also was named top rookie at the Indianapolis 500 after starting on the third row and finishing 11th at the Memorial Day classic.
Honda Race Wins
- Eight of Honda's 14 victories were 1-2-3 (or better) sweeps of the top finishing positions, and four more were 1-2.
- Honda won the Indianapolis 500, sweeping the top seven finishing positions.
- Honda swept the top seven finishing positions at Indianapolis and Kentucky Speedway; ran first through sixth at Kansas Speedway; first through fifth at Chicagoland; first through fourth at Nazareth; and finished 1-2-3 at California, Michigan and Pikes Peak. Honda drivers finished 1-2 at Twin Ring Motegi, Texas, Richmond and Milwaukee.
Honda Qualifying/Poles
- Top Honda qualifiers were led by Buddy Rice with a series-leading five poles (Homestead, Indianapolis, Kansas, Nashville and Kentucky); Tony Kanaan (Michigan and Pikes Peak); Dan Wheldon (Phoenix and Twin Ring Motegi); Dario Franchitti (Texas); and Vitor Meira (Milwaukee).
- Honda drivers qualified 1-7 at the Indianapolis 500; first through fifth at Twin Ring Motegi, Texas and Nashville; first through fourth at Pikes Peak; 1-2-3 at Milwaukee; and 1-2 at Phoenix, Michigan and Kentucky.
- Honda drivers claimed 11 of 16 pole positions this year in the IRL, including streaks of five in a row (Homestead through Texas) and six in a row (Kansas through Pikes Peak).
2004 Notes
- Honda drivers finished 1-2-3 in the IRL Drivers' Championship standings, in five of the top six positions, and seven of the top nine. Tony Kanaan, Dan Wheldon, Buddy Rice ended the year first, second and third, with Adrian Fernandez fifth, Dario Franchitti sixth, Vitor Meira eighth and Bryan Herta ninth.
- The Texas Motor Speedway 2004 season finale was Honda's 32nd race as an IRL IndyCar Series engine supplier. Coupled with the race wins recorded by Tony Kanaan (Phoenix) and Bryan Herta (Kansas) in 2003, Honda's record stands at 16 of 32.
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