Round 10 – Newton, IA
"The Mayor Makes the Oval Office His Own" - Dan Brown
What a difference a year makes. This time last year I was huddled under a grandstand in a thunderstorm before drying off to take in the Iowa Corn 250 at Iowa Speedway. While the relative warmth and comfort of my living room where I am today did seem more appealing at the time, I know where I’d rather be!
Iowa Speedway has been a fixture of the IndyCar calendar since 2007 and, despite being a relatively new track, it boasts an impressive list of past winners, including 3 series champions (Franchitti (2007 & 2009), Wheldon (2008) & Hunter-Reay (2012)) and the current Indy 500 champion Tony Kanaan (2010).
The 1.4 kilometre (0.875 mile) oval has rarely seen a lack of excitement, with last year’s race seeing 10 lead changes, 6 full-course cautions and a pass for the lead with just 13 of the 250 18-second laps remaining. Ryan Hunter-Reay stormed (no pun intended) to victory in what was the middle of a 3-win streak that put him on course to claim the 2012 championship. Following his win last week in Milwaukee, he was looking to repeat the feat and join Dario Franchitti as a two-time winner of the event. However, as one of only two two-time winners in 2013, it would be far from a formality, points leader Helio Castroneves having led 133 laps at Iowa in 2012.
Qualifying
Iowa Speedway has been a fixture of the IndyCar calendar since 2007 and, despite being a relatively new track, it boasts an impressive list of past winners, including 3 series champions (Franchitti (2007 & 2009), Wheldon (2008) & Hunter-Reay (2012)) and the current Indy 500 champion Tony Kanaan (2010).
The 1.4 kilometre (0.875 mile) oval has rarely seen a lack of excitement, with last year’s race seeing 10 lead changes, 6 full-course cautions and a pass for the lead with just 13 of the 250 18-second laps remaining. Ryan Hunter-Reay stormed (no pun intended) to victory in what was the middle of a 3-win streak that put him on course to claim the 2012 championship. Following his win last week in Milwaukee, he was looking to repeat the feat and join Dario Franchitti as a two-time winner of the event. However, as one of only two two-time winners in 2013, it would be far from a formality, points leader Helio Castroneves having led 133 laps at Iowa in 2012.
Qualifying
The format for qualifying in Iowa is, to put it diplomatically, ‘unique’. A one-lap shootout establishes the starting positions for three heat races, the third of which determines the top 10. The top 6 in the one-lap shootout move directly to Heat 3, joined by the top two from each of heats 1 and 2. Places 11-24 are determined by alternate places from 3rd in heats 1 and 2 (3rd in Heat 2 becoming P11, 3rd in Heat 1 P12, 4th in Heat 2 P13 and so on).
Helio Castroneves topped the speed charts after the one-lap shootout, posting an impressive 185.587mph, the only driver to top 185mph. He was joined in the top 6, and thus Heat 3, by Andretti, Power, Kanaan, Hinchcliffe and Servia.
Scott Dixon clinched Heat 1, joined in progressing by Takuma Sato, Alex Tagliani was 3rd and went to P12 on the grid. Heat 2 was won by Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter also progressing, while third-placed Simon Pageneud took best-of-the-rest P11 on the grid.
Helio Castroneves took Heat 3 and thus the Verizon P1 award for pole, followed by teammate Power and the Andrettis of Hinchcliffe and Andretti. Dixon took P5, while Carpenter, Sato, Kanaan, Rahal and Servia rounded out the top 10.
At least that’s what we thought, however six drivers, including polesitter Helio, took 10-place penalties for engine changes, meaning Will Power would lead the field at the start. Dixon, Sato, Newgarden, Beatriz and Jakes were the other who took penalties.
Race Day
Helio Castroneves topped the speed charts after the one-lap shootout, posting an impressive 185.587mph, the only driver to top 185mph. He was joined in the top 6, and thus Heat 3, by Andretti, Power, Kanaan, Hinchcliffe and Servia.
Scott Dixon clinched Heat 1, joined in progressing by Takuma Sato, Alex Tagliani was 3rd and went to P12 on the grid. Heat 2 was won by Graham Rahal, Ed Carpenter also progressing, while third-placed Simon Pageneud took best-of-the-rest P11 on the grid.
Helio Castroneves took Heat 3 and thus the Verizon P1 award for pole, followed by teammate Power and the Andrettis of Hinchcliffe and Andretti. Dixon took P5, while Carpenter, Sato, Kanaan, Rahal and Servia rounded out the top 10.
At least that’s what we thought, however six drivers, including polesitter Helio, took 10-place penalties for engine changes, meaning Will Power would lead the field at the start. Dixon, Sato, Newgarden, Beatriz and Jakes were the other who took penalties.
Race Day
That familiar Iowa rain reappeared on Sunday, leading to a number of events on-and-off track being cancelled and there was concern over whether or not the race would start on time, however, barring a slight delay due to weepers, such concerns were thankfully allayed.
When the Green Flag dropped James Hinchcliffe moved into the lead at turn 4. There was early sparring between, amongst others, Pageneud and Rahal who traded positions, and possibly some paint. Josef Newgarden started impressively, repeating his feat of 2012 by passing 4 cars on-track in the early stages, moving from P22 to P18 by Lap 10. His feat was matched by EJ Viso who moved from P16 to P12, while Charlie Kimball picked up three places and Ryan Hunter-Reay two.
The early stages saw drivers trying to find the lane that worked best for them, with Rahal consistently finding speed up high and breezing past Hunter-Reay on Lap 25 to move up to P5, while Ed Carpenter was working the inside line to his advantage and had moved up to P2 by Lap 35. Little mention had been made of the leader James Hinchcliffe by this point, mainly because he had avoided the action by gradually building up a healthy lead; in excess of six seconds by this point.
This lead was soon to disappear, with the appearance of the day’s first yellow on Lap 38. It was caused by debris on the front stretch, namely a portion of Ryan Hunter-Reay’s front wing, after he misjudged a pass on Rahal and made contact with his rear. Hunter-Reay had been on the receiving end of a similar incident in 2012 when JR Hildebrand had misjudged the gap to the back of his car.
When the Green Flag dropped James Hinchcliffe moved into the lead at turn 4. There was early sparring between, amongst others, Pageneud and Rahal who traded positions, and possibly some paint. Josef Newgarden started impressively, repeating his feat of 2012 by passing 4 cars on-track in the early stages, moving from P22 to P18 by Lap 10. His feat was matched by EJ Viso who moved from P16 to P12, while Charlie Kimball picked up three places and Ryan Hunter-Reay two.
The early stages saw drivers trying to find the lane that worked best for them, with Rahal consistently finding speed up high and breezing past Hunter-Reay on Lap 25 to move up to P5, while Ed Carpenter was working the inside line to his advantage and had moved up to P2 by Lap 35. Little mention had been made of the leader James Hinchcliffe by this point, mainly because he had avoided the action by gradually building up a healthy lead; in excess of six seconds by this point.
This lead was soon to disappear, with the appearance of the day’s first yellow on Lap 38. It was caused by debris on the front stretch, namely a portion of Ryan Hunter-Reay’s front wing, after he misjudged a pass on Rahal and made contact with his rear. Hunter-Reay had been on the receiving end of a similar incident in 2012 when JR Hildebrand had misjudged the gap to the back of his car.
The whole field pitted, Hinchcliffe emerging still first, behind him Power jumped Carpenter for P2, while Tony Kanaan lost 6 places due to an overheating issue leading to a delay at his stop. Dario Franchitti was the big mover, in a rare positive in his weekend he jumped from P19 to P14 at the stops. Hunter-Reay was forced to pit a second time to inspect the new wing, dropping last year’s winner back to 21st.
The restart on Lap 52 saw some of the most exciting action of the race. While Hincliffe continued where he left off and worked to rebuild his gap out front, behind him there was FOUR-wide racing between Saavedra, Kanaan, Dixon and Tagliani, before some slight contact (if you can call it that at 180mph) with Tagliani saw Dixon fall back, while the Canadian emerged at the front of that battle. That was not to be the only contact of this phase of the race, Rahal and Servia battled for fifth and made contact with each other twice in quick succession.
While Power had made it to P2 after the pit stops by Lap 91 he was passed by Scott Dixon for ninth, replays showing him running wide at turn two contributed to some of those places. His struggles persisted as he lost P10 to an impressive charge from Ryan Hunter-Reay, who had been last of the cars on the lead lap following the caution period and his extra stop, just nine laps later.
Graham Rahal’s surge through the field continued, again finding speed on the outside, passing Marco Andretti for second position after a fearsome battle that drew more than one sharp intake of breath. No such dramas for another Andretti car, as James Hinchcliffe was calmly disappearing into the distance as those behind him battled. Hinchcliffe had led every lap to this point and continued to do so until Lap 119 when the second round of pit stops, the first under Green Flag conditions, occurred with Justin Wilson staying out 2 laps longer than the rest of the field to become the day’s second leader, however briefly.
The restart on Lap 52 saw some of the most exciting action of the race. While Hincliffe continued where he left off and worked to rebuild his gap out front, behind him there was FOUR-wide racing between Saavedra, Kanaan, Dixon and Tagliani, before some slight contact (if you can call it that at 180mph) with Tagliani saw Dixon fall back, while the Canadian emerged at the front of that battle. That was not to be the only contact of this phase of the race, Rahal and Servia battled for fifth and made contact with each other twice in quick succession.
While Power had made it to P2 after the pit stops by Lap 91 he was passed by Scott Dixon for ninth, replays showing him running wide at turn two contributed to some of those places. His struggles persisted as he lost P10 to an impressive charge from Ryan Hunter-Reay, who had been last of the cars on the lead lap following the caution period and his extra stop, just nine laps later.
Graham Rahal’s surge through the field continued, again finding speed on the outside, passing Marco Andretti for second position after a fearsome battle that drew more than one sharp intake of breath. No such dramas for another Andretti car, as James Hinchcliffe was calmly disappearing into the distance as those behind him battled. Hinchcliffe had led every lap to this point and continued to do so until Lap 119 when the second round of pit stops, the first under Green Flag conditions, occurred with Justin Wilson staying out 2 laps longer than the rest of the field to become the day’s second leader, however briefly.
Rahal’s rhythm continued and he became the first car to close on leader Hinchcliffe. On Lap 135 Tristan Vautier got perilously close to the wall, saving the car well after a wiggle in turbulent air, however there was no such luck for Alex Tagliani just a couple of laps later in an almost identical incident, the only difference being that the 98 did make contact with the wall and this caused him to spin back down to the low side and was fortunate to not be collected by another car. It did, however, lead to the day’s second caution period, giving the field a fleeting view of Hinchliffe’s car.
The restart was déjà vu, with Hinchcliffe driving into the distance and Andretti and Rahal continuing to spar in the battle for best-of-the-rest. Tagliani’s drama wasn’t finished either as he slowly re-emerged from the pits right into the path of several cars, all of whom had to take evasive action to avoid another caution.
The yellow flag was only a few laps away however, more debris on the front straight being the cause, and although it was to be the day’s shortest caution period there was enough time for Tagliani to become the day’s first retirement and for 7th placed Oriol Servia to vent his frustration on the radio about what he felt was blocking from Rahal and Castroneves in particular. Dario Franchitti also pitted in an attempt to salvage something from a wretched afternoon.
The restart on Lap 160 saw Rahal lead briefly as he continued to look strong and battled well with Hinchcliffe, coming perilously close at one point. Hinchcliffe eventually won the battle and regained his lead. Ryan Hunter-Reay was the big mover from the restart, moving from P6 to P3, while Will Power’s struggles resurfaced, slowing in 20th position, although he did regain a place when Sato pitted with a problem which would eventually end his afternoon.
Twenty laps after the restart Rahal had an issue navigating lapped traffic and was passed for second by Hunter-Reay, although he would regain the place a few laps later as it continually changed hands. Marco Andretti kicked off the final round of pit stops with 60 laps remaining, the field staggering their stops over the next few laps with the exception of a few including Ed Carpenter who stayed out 23 laps longer, becoming the day’s fourth leader, and went off-strategy in an attempt to make some places and end the race on fresher tyres. The strategy was scuppered as he suffered issues at his stop and lost all of the time he had made up and more, slipping to P10.
The restart was déjà vu, with Hinchcliffe driving into the distance and Andretti and Rahal continuing to spar in the battle for best-of-the-rest. Tagliani’s drama wasn’t finished either as he slowly re-emerged from the pits right into the path of several cars, all of whom had to take evasive action to avoid another caution.
The yellow flag was only a few laps away however, more debris on the front straight being the cause, and although it was to be the day’s shortest caution period there was enough time for Tagliani to become the day’s first retirement and for 7th placed Oriol Servia to vent his frustration on the radio about what he felt was blocking from Rahal and Castroneves in particular. Dario Franchitti also pitted in an attempt to salvage something from a wretched afternoon.
The restart on Lap 160 saw Rahal lead briefly as he continued to look strong and battled well with Hinchcliffe, coming perilously close at one point. Hinchcliffe eventually won the battle and regained his lead. Ryan Hunter-Reay was the big mover from the restart, moving from P6 to P3, while Will Power’s struggles resurfaced, slowing in 20th position, although he did regain a place when Sato pitted with a problem which would eventually end his afternoon.
Twenty laps after the restart Rahal had an issue navigating lapped traffic and was passed for second by Hunter-Reay, although he would regain the place a few laps later as it continually changed hands. Marco Andretti kicked off the final round of pit stops with 60 laps remaining, the field staggering their stops over the next few laps with the exception of a few including Ed Carpenter who stayed out 23 laps longer, becoming the day’s fourth leader, and went off-strategy in an attempt to make some places and end the race on fresher tyres. The strategy was scuppered as he suffered issues at his stop and lost all of the time he had made up and more, slipping to P10.
With 29 of the 250 laps to go, Hinchcliffe had built another healthy lead – nearly five seconds – over teammate Hunter-Reay, although last year’s winner began to reel him back in and with 15 laps left the gap had halved. Behind them Rahal and Kanaan fought fiercely for third before a swift lane change from Rahal saw Kanaan drop back with 10 to go.
Up ahead Hunter-Reay made a final charge at claiming the win, but with 8 laps remaining he was boxed in between a battle of the lapped cars of Simona De Silvestro and rookie Vautier. Not only did that battle hamper Hunter-Reay, but also caused Rahal to slow enough for Kanaan to capitalise and take third place with 5 laps left – and it would get worse for Rahal as Carpenter moved past him into 4th just as the white flag dropped.
All that was left was for Hinchcliffe to take the chequered flag and become the fifth Andretti driver to do so at Iowa Speedway. He was followed by his teammate Hunter-Reay, Kanaan made his fourth straight Iowa podium, while Carpenter and Rahal finished 4th and 5th respectively. Pageneud, Servia, Castroneves (who narrowly retained his series lead), Andretti and Viso rounded out the top 10, while Justin Wilson finished best-of-the-Brits in 11th, with James Jakes 18th and a disappointed Dario Franchitti back in 20th.
Up ahead Hunter-Reay made a final charge at claiming the win, but with 8 laps remaining he was boxed in between a battle of the lapped cars of Simona De Silvestro and rookie Vautier. Not only did that battle hamper Hunter-Reay, but also caused Rahal to slow enough for Kanaan to capitalise and take third place with 5 laps left – and it would get worse for Rahal as Carpenter moved past him into 4th just as the white flag dropped.
All that was left was for Hinchcliffe to take the chequered flag and become the fifth Andretti driver to do so at Iowa Speedway. He was followed by his teammate Hunter-Reay, Kanaan made his fourth straight Iowa podium, while Carpenter and Rahal finished 4th and 5th respectively. Pageneud, Servia, Castroneves (who narrowly retained his series lead), Andretti and Viso rounded out the top 10, while Justin Wilson finished best-of-the-Brits in 11th, with James Jakes 18th and a disappointed Dario Franchitti back in 20th.
After two wins on road courses this year, the Mayor of Hinchtown made the oval office his own with an imperious display that may yet be a catalyst for a championship charge. After all, he wouldn’t be the first Andretti driver to follow Iowa Speedway victory with a championship trophy.
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Pictures supplied by Nick Behrens
You can follow Dan on Twitter
Pictures supplied by Nick Behrens
