Iowa Speedway to host huge three-day IndyCar weekend

Jimmie Johnson is a seven-time NASCAR champion and regarded as one of the best series drivers of all-time.

His transition into IndyCar has not gone as well. He hopes to flip the script a bit when he makes his first appearance at Iowa Speedway during the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend on July 22-24.

Johnson finished sixth at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this season. That was the first oval of the IndyCar season and his best finish in the series so far in two seasons of competition.

Can he find similar results on another oval at Iowa?

“Texas had two lanes and we did well there,” Johnson said during a private test at Iowa Speedway back on June 20. “It’s nice to see there’s already two lanes being used (at Iowa). It’s going to race really well.”

Johnson will be joined by the rest of the IndyCar Series drivers for what is expected to be a huge weekend for the series and the community at Iowa Speedway.

Johnson was one of 20 IndyCar drivers who took part in the private test back in June. Other notables from that testing day included four-time Iowa Speedway winner Josef Newgarden, 2017 IndyCar Series at Iowa winner Helio Castroneves, 2020 IndyCar Series at Iowa winner Simon Pagenaud, Scott Dixon, Will Power, Graham Rahal, 2018 Indy Lights race winner Pato O’Ward and current points leader Marcus Ericsson.

“I think this weekend will be awesome. They are planning to put on a show with the music and the two-race set,” said Ericsson, who won the 2022 Indy 500. “There will be lots of things for the fans. The racing is always amazing. It’s a cool race track, with a lot of open lanes and a lot of action. I am really happy we are back here.”

The IndyCar Series being back at Iowa may be a surprise to some. The track was dead and buried by a lot of folks at this time last year. Hy-Vee stepped up to sponsor this year’s incredible three-day lineup and a lot of the IndyCar Series drivers are happy Iowa Speedway is back on the schedule.

“I love this track. It’s one of the best tracks we run on,” Power said. “There’s always good racing, and it’s the sort of ovals we need to go to.”

Ericsson leads the points race with 321. Power is currently sitting second with 301 and Newgarden (287), Alex Palou (286) and O’Ward (256) round out the top five.

Newgarden has had more success at Iowa Speedway than any other IndyCar Series driver. He won the IndyCar race at Iowa in 2016 and 2019 and won one of the two races held at Iowa in 2020.

Newgarden also won the 2011 Indy Lights race at Iowa.

Power, Castroneves, Dixon and Pagenaud all have an IndyCar Series best two poles at the track.

“The car is so different from the last time I was here. It was a big difference to understand what the car is doing,” Castroneves said. “At the end of the day, it’s still the same layout. It’s very challenging but very fun and hopefully we found a good setup.”

Newgarden is third in the points race but has a series-most three victories. Scott McLaughlin, who is seventh in points, has two victories and Ericsson, Power, O’Ward and Colton Herta have the other wins.

Three Team Penske drivers — Power, Newgarden and McLaughlin — are in the top seven, but Chip Ganassi Racing has points leader Ericsson and Palou, who also was present for the private test at Iowa in June.

“Some of the best time I’ve had in IndyCar was at this track,” O’Ward said. “I love coming here. I love racing here. I’m very happy to be back. I am kind of bummed though the races aren’t at night. I think that was a cool part of the previous Iowa races.”

Both races on Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend will take place before the sun goes down.

The HyVeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash is slated to run from 3 to 5 p.m. on July 23.

The July 24 race is the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 and it’s scheduled to run from 2 to 4 p.m.

“It’s a great opportunity to showcase the series and showcase Hy-Vee,” Rahal said. “The promotion of this race is probably even better in some ways than what we had at the Indy 500. The concerts they got are amazing and to be on NBC is great. We are excited to be back.”

It’s been a tough year for both Rahal and Johnson. Rahal is currently 15th in points with 177 and Johnson sits 21st with 99.

While the season won’t produce a championship for either driver, they can both still salvage a solid finish and that can start with success at one or both of the Iowa races.

“We can turn our season around in a hurry. We won’t win a championship at this point, but I think we can claw our way back to a respectable finish,” Rahal said. “These are the seasons that test you. It’s been frustrating. This is a track I love though. I have had great runs here.”

Johnson’s expectations naturally go up when the IndyCar Series races on ovals. He’s done plenty of winning on ovals in his career but has yet to win a race in an open-wheel car.

“The way you use your hands and feet to manipulate the car through the turn and the set up is similar to a NASCAR car on an oval,” Johnson said. “This series is super competitive. I want to be in the top five or near it at some point. Texas was a good reference point for us. Indy didn’t go as planned. Hopefully we have two good races here.”

Three of the all-time best IndyCar Series drivers will be back at Iowa Speedway next weekend.

Dixon has 51 career wins, which ranks third all-time. He is one shy of Mario Andretti’s 52 career victories. Dixon has yet to win this season but has eight top-10 finishes.

Power is sitting at 41 career wins, which is fifth all-time and just one shy of Michael Andretti’s 42. Besides his one win, Power has seven top-fives and seven top-10s.

“I have been around the game a long time. I know what it takes to win a championship and to lose a championship,” Power said. “It could be a great weekend or it could be a terrible weekend. Two good results can really put you in a good position.

“If you have a good car that weekend, you should be in the front for both races.”

Castroneves has 31 career IndyCar Series wins, which is tied for 10th all-time, and drove to victory four times in the Indy 500. He’s currently in 16th place in the points race with 160.

Power ranks second in career poles with 64, trailing only Mario Andretti’s 67. Castroneves ranks fourth in that category with 50 and Dixon is 10th with 28.

All three also are in the top 12 for most career runner-up finishes. Dixon (49) is second all-time, while Castroneves (41) and Power (24) are third and 12th, respectively.

Mario Andretti’s 56 career runner-up finishes is the most all-time in IndyCar Series history.

Castroneves feels like qualifying will be important on a hot July day. Rahal thinks attrition could be the biggest factor.

“Physically it will be tough. The heat we experienced today is what we will likely get when we come back,” Rahal said. “Three-hundred laps is a long time, and it’s also a good opportunity for things to go wrong. You have to be on top of your game at all times.”

The IndyCar Series first raced at Iowa Speedway in 2007. Dario Franchitti won that race. Marco Andretti, who will be in this year’s race, won the IndyCar Series race at Iowa in 2011.