First- wishing my friend and colleague Steve Wittich a speedy recovery from his medical issue. We media types are having a bad run right now.

Today;s schedule in Eastern Times. iowa is in the Central Time Zone:

3 pm: Gates Open

3:15-4 pm: IndyNXT Practice

4:30-6 pm: IndyCar Practice

6:30 pm: Indy NXT Qualifying

8:30 pm: Pit Stop Comp

Iowa Speedway is my favorite non Indy oval. I love the way the cars zip around the 7/8 mile track. The action is fast and furious, and cars are always in trtaffic. Well, maybe not Josef Newgarden, but the others for sure. The double heare conept, which began during the pandemic, has stuck at Iowa.

In 2022, the races were between concerts. Hy-Vee and Indycar put a lot of money into sprucing up the track facilities and garnering some headline acts. It was a hit.

For 2023, the promoters got even bigger name acts, and they raised the ticket prices. Will they draw the same crowd as last year? We shall see.

One change this year, which I don’t care for, is that both races are the same distnce, 250 laps. I think Saturday’s race should be 300 laps. The different race lengths woul;d make the weekend more interesting.

Qualifying is key at Iowa. since the return to day races, the winners have come from the first two rows.

Newgarden dominated the event last year, winning race 1 and was on his way to an easy victory in race 2 when a part failure spun him into the turn 4 wall. What will this year bring? Here are some things to look for.

Arrow McLaren- The Clock is Ticking

It is hard to believe that no driver from arrow McLaren has won a race this season. Pato O’Ward was in a positon to win threer races- St. Pete, Texas, and the Indianapolis 500. Mechanical hiccups and yellow flags thwarted his chances.

O’Ward had the second best car at iowa last year, and he won Race 2 after Newgarden’s misfortune.

The team is also good at Gateway. I think McLaren has the three remaining oval races to get into the win column. If not, their offseason may be even more interesting than it already is going to be.

I have a feeling O’Ward wins one of the two races this weekend.

Who Stops Newgarden?

Newgarden has won at Iowa four times. last year was pure domination by him for two days. As we enter the weekend, there is nothing to indicate we won’t see the same type of performance as last year. Newgarden has won four of the last five oval races starting with Iowa in 2022. We are likely to see the same two winners as we had in 2022.

Did Honda Testing Help?

Honda teams tested at Iowa recently, and Chip Ganassi drivers were very happy with the results. This track has favored Chevy in recent years, but Honda, thanks to Alex Palou, has won more races in 2023. What hasn’t Honda won? An oval race.

As Palou continues his relentless march to the title, this is the weekend where he could hit a bump in the road. The good news is, he doesn’t need to win. Palou just needs to stay in shouting distance of Newgarden and Scott Dixon. A two race lead in the points affords him that luxury. A top five finish is sufficient for Palou.

RLL Momentum

Ganassi aside, Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing is arguably the team with the most momentum in the paddock right. Fresh from Christian Lundgaard’s pole and victory in Toronto, the team seems to at last have their act together. This weekend could be redemption for their Indianapolis nightmare.

Notes

Matthew Brabham returns to IndyNXT with Juncos Hollinger Racing, replacing Matteo Nannini.

Simon Pagenaud will miss his third and fourth cionsecutive races while he recovers from the concussion he suffered at Mid Ohio. Conor daly will agiain drive for MSR.

If Palou maintains his current lead he will clinch the championship after Gateway.