IndyCar: Friday Report from the Iowa IndyCar Race Weekend ***2nd Update ***
Due to the weather, all events at Iowa Speedway have been cancelled until tomorrow.
The tornado was visible from inside the track, but it did not touch down. Everyone is safe here. It has been raining heavily since 3:15 p.m.
AR1 will post the updated schedule for tomorrow when it is announced.
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A tornado warning has been issued here at Iowa Speedway. Everyone is sheltered in the media center, including drivers and crew members, as the sirens are sounding.
Autoracing1 will update you when the schedule changes are announced.
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Hello from the cornfields of Newton, Iowa, home of the “The Fastest Short Track on the Planet”, Iowa Speedway. This weekend is the only double-header weekend on the NTT INDYCAR Series schedule on the 0.875-mile oval. Sukup is the primary sponsor of the weekend, with the “Synk 275” scheduled for Saturday at 4:00 pm CT and the “Farm to Finish 275” scheduled for Sunday at 1:00 pm.
Today’s schedule is looking to be adjusted due to the weather coming in early this afternoon. Some storms moved through the area at 2:00 am this morning, with another front predicted to move in around 2:00 pm this afternoon. Temperatures are in the high 70s right now.
Today’s Schedule in Central Time. All sessions will be broadcast on FS2.
1:30 – 2:15 pm INDY NXT by Firestone Practice
2:35 – 3:20 pm IndyCar High Line Practice in two groups
3:30 – 5:00 pm IndyCar Practice
5:35 – 6:20 pm INDY NXT Qualifying
IndyCar has made some changes to the car to improve the racing for the fast track. The angle on the back wing has changed to create less downforce, and they took away from the undertray. This should create less downforce and more drag.
The series also took away a small bit of turbo, which will slow down the cars and make the race run longer.
Meyer Shank Racing’s Marcus Armstrong talked about the result of the changes.
“The car will have more grip, probably a bit more drag, or maybe it would make it a bit easier to follow. And make the racing a better show.”
Team Penske has been strong at this track the past few years. Will Power and Scott McLaughlin won the two races last season.
Autoracing1 spoke with Will Power, and he shared his thoughts on the changes.
“The decrease in power will be noticeable. It will hurt if you make a mistake and lift; you take a long time to recover your momentum.”
“That’s why it is tough for IndyCar to make these decisions on what we can run. The biggest thing you can do for great racing is use the second lane.”
“But reducing the power does not change the fast speed in the corners. You will end up lifting more in the corners, and you can’t lift. ”
Lucille Dust reporting live from Iowa Speedway