“I’ve always loved racing at Iowa Speedway and I think our results show it. The No. 28 team has three wins at Iowa and we’re focused on getting number four for the DHL guys. Ever since the latest downforce rules package has been mandated, we have been struggling to keep up. Hopefully we can find some speed on race weekend to be at the front fighting for another win.”
Track: Iowa Speedway, a 7/8-mile (0.894-mile) oval in Newton, Iowa
Race distance: 300 laps / 268.2 miles
Firestone tire allotment: Ten sets for use through the weekend
Twitter: @iowaspeedway, @IndyCar, #IowaCorn300, #IndyCar
Event website: www.IowaSpeedway.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com
2016 race winner: Josef Newgarden (No. 21 Fuzzy’s Ultra Premium Vodka Chevrolet)
2016 Verizon P1 Award winner: Simon Pagenaud (No. 22 Menards Team Penske Chevrolet), 34.6334 seconds, 185.855 mph (two laps)
One-lap qualifying record: Helio Castroneves, 17.2283 seconds, 186.809 mph, July 11, 2014
Two-lap qualifying record: Scott Dixon, 34.5588 seconds, 186.256 mph, July 11, 2014
NBCSN television broadcasts: Qualifying, 3 p.m. ET Saturday, July 8 (live); Race, 5 p.m. ET Sunday, July 9 (live). Kevin Lee is the lead announcer for the NBCSN broadcasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Jon Beekhuis, Katie Hargitt, Anders Krohn and Robin Miller.
Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query is the turn announcer with Rob Howden, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young reporting from the pits. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on network affiliates, Sirius 212, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app. All Verizon IndyCar Series practice and qualifying sessions are available on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app.
Video streaming: All practice sessions for the Iowa Corn 300 will stream live on RaceControl.IndyCar.com and on the INDYCAR YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/indycar).
At-track schedule (all times local):
Saturday, July 8
10 – 11:15 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
2 p.m. – Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award (single car/two timed laps), NBCSN (Live)
6:15 – 6:45 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
Sunday, July 9
3:10 – 3:20 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series pit stop practice
4:05 p.m. – Driver introductions
4:40 p.m. – Command to start engines
4:44 p.m. – Iowa Corn 300 (300 laps/268.2 miles), NBCSN (Live)
Race notes:
- There have been eight different winners in the 10 previous Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2017: Sebastien Bourdais (Streets of St. Petersburg), James Hinchcliffe (Streets of Long Beach), Josef Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park), Simon Pagenaud (Phoenix Raceway), Will Power (INDYCAR Grand Prix and Texas Motor Speedway), Takuma Sato (Indianapolis 500), Graham Rahal (Raceway at Belle Isle-1 and Raceway at Belle Isle-2) and Scott Dixon (Road America). Bourdais’ win at St. Pete on March 12 gave him sole possession of sixth on the all-time Indy car victory list. Power’s win at Texas on June 10 tied him with Dario Franchitti and Paul Tracy for ninth on the all-time list with 31 wins. Dixon’s win at Road America on June 25 was his 41st career victory and he will tie Michael Andretti for third all-time with his next win.
- The Iowa Corn 300 will be the fourth of six oval races on the 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule. The previous three races were won by Simon Pagenaud (Phoenix Raceway), Takuma Sato (Indianapolis 500) and Will Power (Texas Motor Speedway). The remaining two races will take place at Pocono Raceway (Aug. 20) and Gateway Motorsports Park (Aug. 26).
- The Iowa Corn 300 will be the 11th Verizon IndyCar Series event at Iowa Speedway. Ryan Hunter-Reay is the only active driver to win at Iowa Speedway more than once. Hunter-Reay has three wins (2012, 2014 and 2015). Past winners Josef Newgarden (2016), James Hinchcliffe (2013), Marco Andretti (2011) and Tony Kanaan (2010) are also entered in the event.
- Andretti Autosport has won seven of the 10 previous races at Iowa Speedway, including six of the last seven races (Dario Franchitti 2007, Tony Kanaan 2010, Marco Andretti 2011, Ryan Hunter-Reay 2012, 2014 and 2015 and James Hinchcliffe 2013). Chip Ganassi Racing has two wins (Dan Wheldon 2008 and Franchitti 2009). Ed Carpenter Racing won the event last year with Josef Newgarden.
- Ryan Hunter-Reay and Dario Franchitti are the only drivers to win at Iowa Speedway and win the Verizon IndyCar Series championship in the same season. Hunter-Reay accomplished the feat in 2012 and Franchitti in 2007 and 2009.
- No driver has won the Verizon IndyCar Series race at Iowa Speedway from the pole.
- Four drivers have competed in every Verizon IndyCar Series race at Iowa: Marco Andretti, Helio Castroneves, Scott Dixon and Tony Kanaan. Sixteen drivers entered have led laps at the track (Kanaan 523, Castroneves 427, Josef Newgarden 393, James Hinchcliffe 245, Dixon 126, Andretti 87, Ryan Hunter-Reay 54, Will Power 34, Graham Rahal 19, Ed Carpenter 18, Simon Pagenaud 11, Charlie Kimball 7, Takuma Sato 7, JR Hildebrand 4, Alexander Rossi 4 and Max Chilton 2).
- Josef Newgarden has finished on the podium in the last three races at Iowa Speedway…Ryan Hunter-Reay finished on the podium in every Iowa Speedway race from 2012-2015…Tony Kanaan has finished on the podium in five of the last seven races at Iowa Speedway… Marco Andretti has finished on the podium in four of his 10 starts at Iowa Speedway…Dixon has started on pole three times (two earned) and has eight top-10 finishes at Iowa in 10 starts, but he has never finished better than third.
- Two rookies – Esteban Gutierrez and Ed Jones – are entered. Jones, who has raced at Iowa Speedway in Indy Lights, leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. Gutierrez will be making his first start on an oval.
- Tony Kanaan seeks to start his 276th consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Teammate Scott Dixon has made 217 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the second-longest streak in Indy car racing.
- Helio Castroneves will attempt to make his 338th career Indy car start, which ranks third on the all-time list. Tony Kanaan will attempt to make his 337th Indy car start, which is fourth all-time. Both are competing in their 20th season of Indy car racing in 2017.
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