As an Ohio State student, Bryan Herta started third and finished fourth in the Indy Lights Series race at Mid-Ohio in 1992. The next year, he won the race at Mid-Ohio starting from the pole for Tasman Racing.
From there, Bryan Herta was a test driver at Newman Haas Racing, then joined A.J. Foyt Racing in 1994. The following year he moved over to Chip Ganassi Racing. He won his first pole at Phoenix Raceway in 1995, finished second that year at Cleveland and started second and finished fifth at Mid-Ohio.
In 1996, Ohio-based Team Rahal hired Bryan Herta to drive the Shell car in CART. He finished fourth at Mid-Ohio that year and drove into victory lane at Laguna Seca in 1998 for his first CART win. It was the first of two-straight wins for Bryan Herta at Laguna Seca.
He joined team owner Michael Andretti’s IndyCar team in 2003 and scored a victory at Kansas Speedway that year and Michigan Int’l Speedway in 2005, when he won from the pole.
Time has moved on and Bryan Herta is now more famous as the father of 20-year-old rookie driver Colton Herta. However, his time in Ohio brings back special memories for him and his family.
“Ohioans still have the Rahal home team to root for and maybe a little bit, the Herta’s, too, because we did spend time there,” Herta recalled. “Even though we live in California now, it was our home for many years and we still feel a great fondness towards the area.
“I’m humbled to be claimed as a hometown guy for so many races.”
Colton Herta has been able to successfully follow in his father’s footsteps to become an NTT IndyCar Series driver. He has all the promise and potential to become a star.
As a Herta, however, there is this college football game played every November that pits the famed Ohio State Buckeyes against “that school up North” as former coach Woody Hayes used to call the University of Michigan.
At times, it has become a Herta family battle because Bryan Herta attended Ohio State and Colton Herta’s grandpa went to Michigan.
“They are so against each other,” Colton Herta said. “They are always placing bets on the all the different football and basketball games. Whenever there is a game, he is cheering for Ohio State.
“I don’t really care who wins, it’s just whoever I want to wind up more that day – my dad or my grandfather.
“My girlfriend goes to Southern California, so I have to be a big of a USC fan for her.
“But I only care about racing.”