Honda had entered CART the prior year with Rahal-Hogan Racing, with very little success.
In the team's first and only Indianapolis 500 in 1995, Tasman driver Scott Goodyear led the race with 10 laps to go, but was subsequently black-flagged for passing the pace car while it was still on the track at the end of a caution period and relegated to 14th place.
André Ribeiro captured the team's first win and Honda's first in CART later that season at the New Hampshire International Speedway.
However, in 1997, the team's Lola chassis were clearly off the pace and Ribeiro switched to Reynards midway through the season.
The team pared back to a single car in 1998 and hired rookie Tony Kanaan — who captured the Indy Lights championship for Tasman the previous season — to drive.