Iowa Speedway Tag

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor Chandler Smith came to Iowa Speedway without experience on larger ovals and unsure of what to expect. He nearly left the track with the checkered flag. Smith rose through the field over the course of the 150-lap event and shadowed ARCA Racing Series points leader Sheldon Creed to the finish en-route to a second-place result in Saturday’s Fans With Benefits 150. The run was Smith’s fourth top five and fifth top 10 in five-career ARCA starts. “This is my first time ever being on aRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer NEWTON, Iowa— Heading into Sunday afternoon’s Verizon IndyCar Series Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway, Spencer Pigot had just five top-10 results in 32 starts, with his best career finish a seventh-place showing at Mid-Ohio in 2016. An unexpected lack of rear grip cost Pigot a lot in qualifying and his No. 21 machine lined up back in the 18th position on the 22-car starting grid. But after a solid 300 laps at the 7/8-mile oval, he had earned his first podium result, crossing the stripeRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer NEWTON, Iowa — Battling four-wide with 15 laps to go in Sunday’s Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway, Robert Wickens got around Spencer Pigot for the third position and everything looked set for the Canadian duo to share the podium as his Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammate James Hinchcliffe was poised to earn the team’s first victory of the 2018 season. That all changed when the caution flag flew for just the second time of the race with seven laps to go when Ed Carpenter got sidewaysRead More

By Luis Torres, Staff Writer Despite having two cautions for minor incidents, neither resulted in retirements, but Sunday’s Iowa Corn 300 at Iowa Speedway saw three drivers calling it a day due to car issues. Each retirement resulted significant implications to not only each team, but for one driver, the Verizon IndyCar Series championship. Among the three retirements, A.J. Foyt Racing rookie and 2017 Iowa Indy Lights winner Matheus Leist’s was a cultivation of a sour weekend, beginning in Saturday’s opening practice, when his No. 4 ABC Supply Chevrolet hadRead More

By INDYCAR NEWTON, Iowa – James Hinchcliffe has been seeking a reboot to his Verizon IndyCar Series season after not qualifying for the Indianapolis 500 in May. He found redemption with a victory Sunday at the Iowa Corn 300. The Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver led the final 45 laps on Iowa Speedway’s high-banked oval to collect his sixth career victory and first since Long Beach in April 2017, 26 races ago. “This is such a good feeling after what happened in May,” Hinchcliffe admitted. “We knew we had it inRead More

By Aaron Bearden, Open Wheel Editor NEWTON, Iowa —  With Josef Newgarden out front and dominating, the Verizon IndyCar Series’ annual trip to Iowa Speedway looked like 2016 all over again through 250 laps. Newgarden looked poised to win his second-straight race, in similarly dominant fashion to June’s Road America romp. Instead he ended the race outside of the podium. Newgarden led a race-high 229 laps in Sunday’s Iowa Corn 300, lapping as high as fifth on the field through a caution-free opening 139 laps. The Tennessean trapped points rivals Scott Dixon and Alexander RossiRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer NEWTON, Iowa— After getting behind the wheel of one of his team’s Chevrolets at a recent Iowa Speedway test, team-owner Mason Mitchell decided he had to drive when the ARCA Racing Series rolled into his hometown track. Mitchell announced to the team on Monday morning at the competition meeting that he would drive a second entry for the team in Saturday night’s Fans with Benefits 150. Mitchell hails from West Des Moines, Iowa and parked it in victory lane at the 7/8-mile oval in aRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer NEWTON, Iowa — Zach Veach is in midst of his rookie Verizon IndyCar Series season with Andretti Autosport and the Graduate of Mazda Road to Indy is the first driver to race on all levels with the same team. That bond with the Andretti organization has been critical in his first full season of IndyCar competition. “From Day 1, they’ve been family. To have them a part of my journey has always been extremely special,” Veach told Motorsports Tribune. “I’ve been able to get that relationshipRead More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer NEWTON, Iowa— Sam Mayer’s year started by being named to JR Motorsports’ championship-winning Late Model program and his motorsports career took the next step on Saturday at Iowa Speedway with his ARCA Racing Series debut. Mayer qualified the No. 40 MDM Motorsports Toyota in the 10th position and brought the car home with a 10th-place finish. Mayer gained a couple of positions in the early going as the first third of the race was run under green flag conditions. After the first trip down pit road,Read More

By Brian Eberly, Contributing Writer NEWTON, Iowa— Sheldon Creed turned a lap at 131.349 mph to take the General Tire Pole Award for Saturday night’s ARCA Racing Series Fans with Benefits 150 at Iowa Speedway. It was the third consecutive pole award  for Creed and the fourth of his ARCA career. “It’s pretty cool. I think we needed a little momentum and a little confidence,” Creed said of taking the top qualifying spot for the third race in a row. “I’m actually pretty shocked; we were pretty terrible in practiceRead More