For the third consecutive event IndyCar teams will be racing on the oval track, this time at the 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway. With only four races remaining on the schedule it means drivers will be gunning for every position in the race in hopes of improving their spot in the overall standings.
Much like the last couple of ovals, the Iowa track is wide and has plenty of room to manoeuvre the car. The banking allows drivers to run high as well as down low. Being a shorter oval, it’s almost like the racers are turning left for the entire lap. Ryan Hunter-Reay describes the sensation as “kind of like driving in a soup bowl.”
Hunter-Reay is the defending champion and just like we saw a week ago at Milwaukee, it was a bold strategy decision that made the difference last year. A late race caution allowed Hunter-Reay to pit for fresh tires and Josef Newgarden did the same. In the final few laps both blew by Tony Kanaan, who’d led 247 of the 300 laps, and finished one-two.
While Kanaan finished on the podium at Iowa for the fifth consecutive year there is definitely some unfinished business. If he were to score the victory it would be the 100th IndyCar win for Ganassi Racing.
Of course points leader Juan Pablo Montoya is one to keep an eye on this weekend. The Penske driver is having the kind of season that results in a championship. A week ago he had a fast car but had to serve a drive through penalty for an infraction. Montoya battled back to a top-five finish and extended his lead in the points race.
The closest challenger to Montoya in the standings is Scott Dixon, who has run well at Iowa but never finished on the podium. Time is running out if he’s going to claw into the 54- point gap and fight for a fourth title.
Graham Rahal has been sensational on the first two of three ovals. Rahal said this portion of the schedule would define the team’s year and he’s making it a good story. A heart-stopping victory at Fontana followed up by a second place result in Milwaukee has brought him to third in the title chase, only 15 points behind Dixon. That’s a great accomplishment considering their Honda aero kit was such a disadvantage for much of the season.
Sebastien Bourdais has also been strong at the last two oval races, winning with a dominant car a week ago. During post-race inspection, however, it was found the car was underweight. IndyCar fined the KVSH racing team $5,000 but the victory stands.
Andretti Autosport has won six of the last eight Iowa races, two from Hunter-Reay and one each from Dario Franchitti, Kanaan, Marco Andretti and James Hinchcliffe.
Hinchcliffe is continuing to recover from his horrendous crash at Indianapolis. The Oakville, Ont., native will undergo another surgical procedure at the end of July as part of his recovery process.