Rounds 5 & 6: revised calendar. Iowa IndyCar 250s, Newton, Iowa. July 17-18.
This weekend's event wail be the second double header in as many weekends. The last time that happened was in 1968, when USAC sanctioned the series, with rounds 15 & 16, the Indy 200 on July 28th and rounds 17 & 18, the Langhorne Twin 100 on July 4th, with the double headers taking place on the same day
The last time there were back to back double headers but not on consecutive weekends, was in 1979 the first CART sanctioned season, with rounds 5 & 6, the Trenton Twin Indy on June 10th and rounds 7 & 8, the Norton Twin 125 on July 15. As in 1968, the double headers took place on the same day.
The AAA, (American Automobile Association) held it's first race in Iowa at the Tri-State Fair Grounds, in Burlington on July 9, 1915, with a distance of 100 miles (160 km). The AAA also hosted events at Des Moines Speedway in Valley Junction, on a one mile (1.60 km) wooden board track, in 1915 and 1916. The track though was closed and dismantled soon after.
Construction of the current speedway began towards the end 2005 and was completed in July 2006. It is modeled after the Richmond International Raceway, with a track width of 60 feet and 12-14 degree compound banking in the turns. The front stretch features 10 degrees of banking and the backstretch has 4 degrees of banking.
Iowa Speedway was the first track to install SAFER Barrier around the track's perimeter and to subsequently use the second generation of the barrier, which doesn't use a concrete wall behind the energy absorbing structure.
The first major event to be held at the venue, was also the Indy Racing League's inaugural Iowa Corn Indy 250, on June 24, 2007, which was won by Dario Franchitti, driving a Dallara IR05-Honda HI7R V8 for Andretti Green Racing. From 2014, the race distance was increased to 262.5 miles (422.45 Km) or 300 laps.
Iowa Speedway is the shortest track on the IndyCar calendar, at 0.875 miles (1.408 Km) long, with an average lap time of under 18 seconds. Qualifying is decided by a two-lap speed average.
Track Layout:
Length:
0.894 miles - 1.408 km
Turns: 4
Lap record:
Helio Castroneves, July 12, 2014 17.2283 seconds, 186.809 mph (300.64 km/h).
Team Penske,
Dallara DW12-Chevrolet Indy V6.
Some trivia:
Driver with the most wins: Ryan Hunter-Reay, 3: 2012, 2014, 2015.
Team with most wins: Andretti Autosport, 7: 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.
Last year's race:
https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/n...Bvalue%5D=2243
Last Year's Pole - Two lap average.
Simon Pagenaud, 35.7455 sec. 180.073 mph (57.526 km/h)
Team Penske,
Dallara IR18-Chevy IndyCar V6
Last year's winner:
Josef Newgarden
Team Penske,
Dallara IR18-Chevy IndyCar V6
Laps: 300
Distance: 262.50 Miles (422.452 km)
Race Time: 1:56:53.575
Average Speed: 137.664 mph (221.548 km/h)
Fastest lap: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, lap 202, 18.1160 sec, 177.655 mph (285.908 km/h )
Cautions: 5
Laps 43: 1-1, 16-23, 51-64, 187-198, 264-273.
Broadcast: NBCSN.
Race 1, July 17, 8:30pm ET, UTC 0:30am
Race 2, July 18, 8:30pm ET. UTC 0:30am