By: Spencer Neff
July 21,2023
The shortest race track on the NTT INDYCAR SERIES calendar will also host the only doubleheader weekend of the 2023 season. A .894-mile bullring, the Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa will host INDYCAR for 16th and 17th races since its 2007 opening.
Unlike last year’s schedule of a 250-lap race on Saturday followed by a 300-lap Sunday event, both races will be 250 laps.
As a busy weekend lies ahead, here’s a look at some of the paddock’s biggest storylines.
Headlines
Last weekend, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing’s Christian Lundgaard parlayed his second career NTT P1 Award into his first career victory.
In scoring RLLR’s first victory in nearly three seasons, Lundgaard became the sixth driver to win a race in 2023. Lundgaard now journeys to a race weekend featuring his primary sponsor.
In his Iowa debut, he finished tenth after starting 20th, his best oval result to date.
Despite qualifying 15th and nursing a broken front wing during Sunday’s 85-lap Honda Indy Toronto, Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou added to his points lead, which is now 117.
If the 2021 Series Champion earns his first oval victory this weekend, he will also take home the PeopleReady Force For Good Challenge prize of $1 million, having won on a road (IMS, Road America and Mid-Ohio) as well as a street course (Detroit).
Following a stretch of four races on road and street courses, the series return to it first oval since the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge on May 28.
That race, as well as the season’s oval debut at Texas on April 2, were both won by Josef Newgarden. The 2017 and 2019 INDYCAR Champion boasts a strong record at Iowa, having won four races there, including three of the last five.
A late-race suspension failure and subsequent crash kept Newgarden from sweeping the weekend last year.
Taking advantage of Newgarden’s misfortune, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward winning. Three of O’Ward’s four career victories have been at the second race of a doubleheader.
He and his team remain winless but teammate Felix Rosenqvist does have Chevrolet’s lone pole win to date this season, at Texas Motor Speedway. The field will increase by one from its count of 27 on the streets of Toronto.
Joining the field for the weekend is Owner/Driver Ed Carpenter in the No. 33.
Takuma Sato will return to the series, as he will finish off the oval schedule in Chip Ganassi Racing’s No. 11 as Marcus Armstrong competes on road and street courses. He will also compete in the August 27 Bommarito Automotive Group 500 at World Wide Technology Raceway.
Sato won the pole for the 2011 race at Iowa and has a best finish of third (2018) in 14 previous starts.
Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend Fast Facts
Race weekend: Friday, July 21-Sunday, July 23
Track: Iowa Speedway, a 7/8-mile (0.894-mile) oval in Newton, Iowa
Race distance: Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart: 250 laps/223.5 miles (Saturday) | Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade: 250 laps/223.5 miles (Sunday) | INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway: 75 laps/67.05 miles
Firestone tire allotment: NTT INDYCAR SERIES: Fourteen sets for use through the doubleheader weekend | INDY NXT by Firestone: Three sets for use during the race weekend
Twitter: @indycaratiowa, @IndyCar, #HyVeeHomefront250 #HyVeeOneStep250 #INDYCAR
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Facebook: @HyVeeINDYCARWeekend, @INDYCAR, #INDYCAR
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Event website: www.hyveeindycarweekend.com
INDYCAR website: www.indycar.com
2022 race winners:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES
Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Hitachi Team Penske Chevrolet), Race #1
Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet), Race #2
INDY NXT by Firestone
Hunter McElrea (Andretti Autosport)
2022 NTT P1 Award winner:
Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), 18.0607 seconds, 178.099 mph (Race 1); 18.0796 seconds, 178.013 mph (Race 2)
One-lap qualifying record:
NTT INDYCAR SERIES-Helio Castroneves, 17.2283 seconds, 186.809 mph, July 11, 2014
INDY NXT by Firestone-Colton Herta, 19.6441 seconds, 163.835 mph, July 9, 2017
NBC race telecast: Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart, 3 p.m. ET Saturday, July 22, NBC; Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade, 2 p.m. ET Sunday, NBC. Leigh Diffey is the play-by-play announcer for NBC’s coverage of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, alongside analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns, Kevin Lee and Dillon Welch are the pit reporters.
Peacock Live Streaming: All NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice sessions and qualifying will stream live on Peacock, NBC’s direct-to-consumer livestreaming product, while NBC’s race telecasts of the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart and Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade will be simulcast on the streaming service. The INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway will be streamed on Peacock with practice and qualifying shown on INDYCAR Live.
INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the anchor alongside driver analyst Davey Hamilton. Nick Yeoman (Saturday) and Jake Query (Sunday) are the turn announcers. Michael Young be the pit reporter alongside Query (Saturday) and Yeoman (Sunday).
The Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart race (2:30 p.m. ET Saturday), Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade race (2 p.m. ET Sunday), INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway (10:55 a.m. ET Saturday) and all NTT INDYCAR SERIES and INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway practices and qualifying sessions air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA.
At-track schedule (all times Central):
FRIDAY, JULY 21
2:15-3 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Practice, INDYCAR Live
3:30-5 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES practice, Peacock
5:30-6:15 p.m. INDY NXT by Firestone Qualifying (Single car, Two laps), INDYCAR Live
7:30 p.m. Pit Stop Competition
SATURDAY, JULY 22
8:30 a.m. Qualifying for the NTT P1 Award (Single car, Two laps (Lap 1/Race 1; Lap 2/Race 2), Peacock
10:05 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway “Drivers, start your engines)
10:10 a.m. INDY NXT by Firestone at Iowa Speedway (75 laps/67.05 miles), Peacock
2 p.m. NBC on air
2:01 p.m. “Drivers, start your engines”
2:06 p.m. Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart (250 laps/223.5 miles), NBC (Live)
SUNDAY, JULY 23
10:05-10:30 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES systems check (Out and In Lap)
1 p.m. NBC on air
1:25 p.m. “Drivers, start your engines”
1:30 p.m. Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade (250 laps/223.5 miles), NBC (Live)
Header Image By Joe Skibinski/INDYCAR
IndyCar1909.com 