The NTT IndyCar Series rolls into the Iowa Speedway this weekend for Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2020 campaign. MotorsportWeek.com looks ahead to the upcoming double-header event at the 7/8-mile oval.
Turns: 4
Length: 0.875miles (1.4km)
Laps: Two races of 250 laps.
Fastest Lap: Scott Dixon – 17.266s – 2014
Most Wins: Ryan Hunter-Reay (3)
2019 Winner: Josef Newgarden
Current Points: Click here.
After winning three of the opening four races Chip Ganassi’s Scott Dixon heads into the weekend with a 54-point lead over Andretti Autosport’s Colton Herta, making it the Kiwi’s best start to a campaign in over 20 years.
Felix Rosenqvist scored his maiden IndyCar victory in the second race at Road America after a thrilling battle in the final laps of the race with Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward.
This means Chip Ganassi Racing has won the opening four races of the season, its best start a campaign in its 30-year history.
The venue for this weekend’s action is the Iowa Speedway, which joined the IndyCar calendar in 2007, just one year prior to the merger of CART and the IRL.
Dario Franchitti, James Hinchcliffe and reigning two-time series champion Josef Newgarden all have two wins apiece on the short oval, however, Andretti’s Ryan Hunter-Reay holds the most with three.
After already completing three races in just two weeks with another two to come, changes have been made to the qualifying format for this weekend to help teams cope with the workload of the intense schedule.
Drivers will run a single, two-lap qualifying session, with the first lap setting the grid for Friday’s race and the second lap setting their place for the second race on Saturday evening.
Cars are also set to go into parc ferme after qualifying in an attempt to help crews tackle less workload.
Temperatures are set to be reaching nearly 100°F (34°C) going into the weekend and this will test the changes made to the cooling systems for the drivers as the series adjusts to the introduction of the Aeroscreen.
2019 Recap
Last year’s race was delayed due to rain but once it got going Team Penske dominated proceedings as Simon Pagenaud led the field away from pole position.
It didn’t take long for team-mate Will Power to go past the Frenchman, but the Australian would soon fall prey to his other team-mate Josef Newgarden, who took the lead just before the race was put into a caution for rain on lap 52.
Newgarden would go on to lead over 200 laps, only relinquishing the top spot during the pit stop cycles and storm his way to victory. Dixon made up positions on a late-race caution and finished a surprise second after going down a lap at one point in the race, while Hinchcliffe claimed the final spot on the podium.
| Iowa 250s Schedule | Session | Time (EDT) |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, July 17 | Practice 1 (Rookies) | 14:00 |
| Practice 1 (All Cars) | 14:30-15:30 | |
| Qualifying | 17:30 | |
| Race 1 | 21:00 | |
| Saturday, July 18 | Final Practice | 15:30-16:30 |
| Race 2 | 20:30 |
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