Iowa Speedway was built by a group of Iowan businessmen that included NASCAR champion driver Rusty Wallace.
As far as the NTT IndyCar Series is concerned, it’s owned by Josef Newgarden.
Five of the last seven Iowa IndyCar races ended with the same after-credits scene: Newgarden in victory lane. That run of complete dominance is rare in this competitive series, and 26 other drivers, including his Team Penske teammates, want nothing more than to overcome both the challenging track and Newgarden himself to win.
The fastest short track in the nation hosts rounds 11 and 12 on the 2024 schedule for the series. It will be the third running of the unique Hy-Vee weekend (fourth if 2020 is included, before Hy-Vee sponsorship), with two 250-lap races.
There are some slight differences in this running versus years past. The first race will be run under the lights, something fans have been asking for in order to get at least one of the spectacles out of incredibly hot temperatures under the Iowa sun.
Another change is the track surface itself which had multiple lanes repaved in the turns prior to the venue’s inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race in June. It’s a new challenge that might impact Team Penske’s domination.
Last Year
Will Power tried. Scott Mclaughlin took a swing. Pato O’Ward looked to defend. And even Alex Palou took a peek.
But none were able to fully challenge Newgarden. He led 341 of 500 laps and swept the weekend, avenging what looked like the pending result in 2022 until a crash ended his day from the lead in Race 2.
Power took pole for both races and held off his teammate through a full stint and was closing on a second. However a check up late in stint two forced him out of the gas and Newgarden went on by, never being challenged again.
In Race 2, Power and McLaughlin held Newgarden off until they caught traffic. Then the American, who clearly has an unmatched level of confidence in his car on this layout, went around both Team Penske drivers in the same turn, jetting off to his second straight win and sixth overall at Iowa.
Heat will make conditions miserable on Sunday, and the night racing will require a different mechanical set up as temperatures cool. Newgarden isn’t having a fantastic year, aside from his Indianapolis 500 win, but Iowa can easily be a place for him to rebound and he seems ready, if what he shared with Fronstretch on Friday is any indication.
This year Frontstretch is sending Wyatt Watson to cover the races with our normal IndyCar trackside crew. I asked the fellow veteran to provide some of his storylines he will be watching out for this weekend. I have split them up and added to each section below.
Take it away, swabbie…
Wyatt: Thank you, Tom, for allowing me to share my thoughts on an exciting doubleheader weekend at “The World’s Fastest Short Track.” So, IndyCar makes its way back to Corn Country for another pair of thrilling showdowns to see who can capture not just one, but two victories.
However, this season will feature new tools for the drivers to use to their advantage and a partial repave on the turns thanks to NASCAR, but with the development of the new hybrid system, will anybody be able to stop the dominance of the six-time Iowa winner Newgarden and Team Penske?
Despite the dominance of Newgarden on ovals (especially Iowa), both teammates will have the best shot at the Nashville native for the win. McLaughlin stood toe-to-toe with Newgarden at points of both races last year, and Power likewise stuck around to be a contender for the win. I expect both Penske teammates to be somewhere close to Newgarden at the end of the race, barring an incident or failure.
The Surface
NASCAR repaves of their tracks are like getting socks for Christmas. Not the funny ones with cartoon characters and favorite sports team logo on them. I’m talking the ones with stripes on them which are itchy and don’t soak up more than a few drops of sweat.
Iowa’s new blacktop in the turns will be a factor. While it could be a positive, it could also turn the race from a multi-groved showcase to a single-lane parade like Texas was during the PJ1 applications. A test a few weeks ago elicited many opinions, but drivers seemed pleased about the smoothness of the surface versus the bumpier, worn one. But will it race well? Firestone is bringing a tire aimed at degrading but without the rough pavement that chewed up the rubber like the Darlington Raceway of old, no telling what will happen this weekend.
Wyatt: The addition of the partially-repaved turns adds another wrinkle into the uncertainty heading into this weekend. Will the drivers have tire issues? Will the race turn into a boring single-file procession, or will it allow for a more exciting racing product and easier passing opportunities?
If the racing looks anything like it did when NASCAR and ARCA had their shows, then IndyCar fans should have little to worry about in terms of the racing product, but I would keep a close eye on how the tires shape up during the practice sessions.
Hybrids
The hybrid made a quiet debut at the last round at Mid-Ohio. Well, unless you are Scott Dixon. Additional horsepower did not seem to induce more overtaking and side-by-side racing as expected. Case in point – the 2023 running of the Honda Indy 200 had 432 overtakes, last Sunday had 116 (surely the heat had something to do with that as well). But as discussed by Alex Gintz and myself on The Pit Straight, lets give it time to see how the technology is improved to see what it will do for the show.
While push-to-pass will not be used in conjunction with the hybrid power at Iowa, it will still be a proving ground as the series hasn’t done something like this on ovals before. Manual regeneration will be critical for drivers, with little braking opportunities to create the power, and timing the use of it on the seven-eighths-mile track challenging. Drivers aren’t sure if it will be enough to impact the racing, but at least the series is trying something new.
Wyatt: The hybrid system seems to offer another level of strategy for drivers to use the system to their advantage to attack or defend for position, and my hope is that it provides exciting moments throughout the weekend.
More Poles For Power
The all-time pole winner in IndyCar history has hit a bit of a dryspell in putting his car at the top of the grid. Power hasn’t been on pole since the series last visited Iowa. He was close at Indianapolis, missing out to McLaughlin who led the 33-car field to green.
It’s likely Power could win his fifth and sixth straight at Iowa if he is able to put down the two fastest laps on Saturday afternoon. For the doubleheaders, there is one qualifying session, with two-lap efforts. The first lap’s speed sets the order for Race 1 with the second lap setting Race 2. Power has been the fastest in four straight qualifying laps, dating back to 2022.
If he accomplishes the feat again this year it would be poles No. 71 and 72 for the two-time IndyCar champion.
Speaking of Championships
O’Ward’s win at Mid-Ohio last Sunday (July 7) came at the perfect time for his season. That gives him two wins on the year and he will roll into this weekend third in points, 70 behind leader Palou, which should be a concern because O’Ward is good at Iowa.
In 2020, his first year with Arrow McLaren, O’Ward finished 12th in the Covid year Race 2. He hasn’t finished lower than that since, with a win and three podiums. Now he is looking to win back-to-back races for the first time in his IndyCar career. There is nothing but confidence in the young Mexican driver as the oval-heavy schedule kicks off.
Wyatt: Well, if anyone can take the fight to Penske at Iowa, it would be O’Ward, who won at Iowa in Race 2 of 2022. He has shown pace previously at Iowa and several other ovals. Arrow McLaren has flexed their muscles and they have the best odds to try to topple the Team Penske giants.
Rest of the Field
Marcus Ericsson has sneakily turned Iowa into a positive stop for him on the calendar. He’s on a streak of six top 10s there, and his Andretti Global team used to be a powerhouse at the asphalt oval surrounded by corn. He could put them back in victory lane again.
Championship leader Palou is now in the part of his season that would get dramatic music in a movie before the main character did something extraordinary. Ovals have not resulted in wins for him. But he doesn’t need them. Just good results to earn his third Astor Cup trophy.
Like Palou, McLaughlin hasn’t won an oval yet. But he’s gotten better every year on them, led the most laps at Indy, and ran well last year at Iowa, earning a runner-up and fifth. Iowa could be his first oval win.
Katherine Legge is running her first IndyCar race outside of Indy since Fontana in 2012. That race also produced her best result in her IndyCar career, a ninth. Let’s see if she betters that in her Dale Coyne Racing car this weekend.
Frontstretch Predictions
Wyatt was also asked to provide predictions, and I’m going to give him the honor of that first. Go ahead.
Wyatt: So, will O’Ward steal one of the wins? Again, I think he will contend for the win in at least one of the races, but they will have to rely on the repave and hybrid system to even the playing field.
However, Newgarden is my heavy favorite to win. Shocker! It will be tough for anyone to topple the Corn King, but it does feel like this season will be the best shot for the field to take the victory.
His teammate McLaughlin has my second-favorite odds to win. His performance in both races makes him the most-worthy opponent to Newgarden heading into the weekend to take the crown.
Regardless of who wins, the fans attending are guaranteed an amazing weekend of racing and music with Post Malone, Luke Combs and Eric Church in concert. With fireworks on and off the track, this weekend will be a blast for the fans!
Thanks Wyatt, now lets see what I have to say about this weekend.
Newgarden all the way. So if I say that, then expect otherwise. That’s how my predictions work out. O’Ward heading into the weekend with a win just makes it seem he is in line to do well, carry well-earned momentum. McLaughlin and Power will have Team Penske set-ups that have been the best over the last two years, so let’s expect them to do well.
Race 1:
- Newgarden – easy prediction.
- O’Ward – on a role, Palou should worry.
- McLaughlin
Race 2:
- O’Ward – Newgarden meets his match.
- Newgarden
- Ericsson – great result incoming.
About the author
Tom is an IndyCar writer at Frontstretch, joining in March 2023. Besides writing the IndyCar Previews and the occasional Inside Indycar, he will hop on as a fill-in guest on the Open Wheel podcast The Pit Straight. His full-time job is with the Department of Veterans Affairs History Office and is a lieutenant colonel in the Army National Guard. After graduating from Purdue University with a Creative Writing degree, he was commissioned in the Army and served a 15-month deployment as a tank platoon leader with the 3d ACR in Mosul, Iraq. A native Hoosier, he calls Fort Wayne home. Follow Tom on Twitter @TomBlackburn42.
Wyatt Watson has followed NASCAR closely since 2007. He joined Frontstretch as a journalist in February 2023 after serving in the United States Navy for five years as an Electronic Technician Navigation working on submarines. Wyatt writes breaking NASCAR news and contributes to columns such as Friday Faceoff and 2-Headed Monster. Wyatt also contributes to Frontstretch's social media and serves as an at-track reporter, collecting exclusive content for Frontstretch.
Wyatt Watson can be found on Twitter @WyattGametime
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