Iowa Indy Corn 300 Race Recap

             As the green flag dropped at Iowa Speedway for the tenth time, Simon Pagenaud, starting from the pole, had high hopes for giving Roger Penske his first win at the .875 mile oval. However, 2nd place starter Josef Newgarden, driving with a broken hand and clavicle, got a jump on the outside and led the first lap. Newgarden then led the second lap and the third, and ultimately 282 of the 300 lap race.  In fact, in the first 100 laps Newgarden lapped the entire field, but 2nd place, Simon Pagenaud. 

            On lap 109, 3-time Iowa winner Ryan Hunter-Reay blew an engine, giving the fans a great mid-race fireworks display.  No one was hurt. The green flag dropped on the first restart, and Josef Newgarden checked out for the second time.  This time, the second caution came out before Newgarden could lap the whole field, on lap 187, when Juan Montoya had mechanical a problem. 
 

           After the pit stops cycled through, front runners Pagenaud and Kanaan got a third shot at Newgarden.  They stayed side by side, but Newgarden pulled away. Again.  When the final caution came out for a crash involving Max Chilton, the final pitstops occurred.  At the restart, Scott Dixon gave Josef a run for his money, but still no one could out power the 21 car.  Josef Newgarden took the checkers for his first win this season, his third podium at Iowa in the last three races, and the third victory of his Indycar career. 
 



 
Top Ten

1. Josef Newgarden: Vaults to 2nd in the points after his first career oval win

2. Will Power: His best finish at Iowa.  His previous average was around 12th.

3. Scott Dixon: His 8th Top Ten at Iowa in ten starts

4. Simon Pagenaud: Maintains a 73-point lead in the championship.
5. Mikhail Aleshin: His best finish since St Pete and the highest finishing Honda.

6. Alexander Rossi:  Another strong oval finish for the Indy 500 Champ

7. Tony Kanaan: His 9th Top 10 in 10 races this season.
8. Sebastian Bourdais:  Sits 14th in points.

9. James Hinchcliffe:  His best finish since his 7th place at Indy.

10. Charlie Kimball:  His 6th Top 10 in the last 7 races.

Different Teams: 6 ( Ed Carpenter Racing, Penske,  Ganassi, Schmidt, Andretti/Herta, KV Racing)

Different Countries: 7 (USA(3), Australia, New Zealand, France(2), Russia, Brazil, Canada )

 

FUN FACTS

 Average Speed:  143.330 mph

 Time: 1 hour 52 Minutes 16 Seconds

Lead Changes: 10 among 5 drivers (Newgarden, Pagenaud, Rossi, Chilton, Dixon)

Best Lap: 179.481 mph by Josef Newgarden

THOUGHTS:

Great run by rookie Max Chilton until a crash on lap 246