Iowa Speedway Race 1 Notes
The green flag waved at Iowa Speedway for Race 1 of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader weekend after a full day of on-track action that kicked off with an Andretti INDY NXT podium sweep and a dramatic double INDYCAR qualifying session that saw Colton Herta score his first pole position on an oval, and eighth of his INDYCAR career.
The field of 27 qualified one-by-one for both races of the doubleheader weekend with their first flying lap qualifying them for Race 1 and their second for Race 2. Despite an issue in the hybrid technology’s oval debut, Herta and the Gainbridge Honda topped the leaderboard for Race 1 while teammates Marcus Ericsson rounded out the top 10 starters and Kyle Kirkwood qualified 19th.
Leading the field to green for the first time on an oval, Herta’s strong start saw the Gainbridge Honda lead the first 86 laps of the 250-lap race before a caution on Lap 80 brought the field in for the first pit cycle under yellow and Herta was just barely passed for the lead while exiting the pits. Unable to execute a pass during the restart on Lap 93, Herta remained in second until the team called him in for his final stop on Lap 176. Unfortunately for the Gainbridge team, an untimely yellow came out as Herta was in the pits and the Gainbridge Honda was cycled to the back as the rest of the field came in under yellow for the final pit cycle. Despite being shuffled to the back of the field, Herta charged forward with his sights on rejoining the lead pack, but another unfortunate incident saw Herta spin and make an impressive save in Turn 3 that brought out another yellow. The Gainbridge Honda’s rollercoaster of a day ended with Herta salvaging a P11 result at Iowa Speedway.
After a difficult qualifying session, Kirkwood rolled off the grid hoping to gain positions on the Iowa oval. Kirkwood stayed consistent and utilized the restarts throughout the race to move gradually up the field. Ultimately, Kirkwood made impressive progress in the race to make up 12 positions to secure his sixth top 10 of the season.
Despite suffering damage during yesterday’s practice session, Ericsson secured a top-10 starting position and came into Race 1 determined to capitalize on his prior success at Iowa Speedway. Ericsson was able to work his way up as high as fifth during the race, but ultimately went on to capture a 10th-place finish. Ericsson moved up one spot in the Championship standings and secured his seventh top-10 on the Iowa oval.
Fans can tune in to NBC and Peacock tomorrow at 12 PM ET as drivers take on the ‘Fastest Short Track on the Planet’ once again for Race 2.
Race Results
Colton Herta No. 26 Gainbridge Honda
P11
Started: P1
Standings: 6th (270pts)
“The Gainbridge Honda was quick and we saw that today in qualifying. It was obviously great to start on the pole for the first time on an oval, but unfortunately, we weren’t able to convert that to a win tonight. It was a disappointing day from our end. I think we had a lot more pace in the car and it needed a much better finish. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen, but we start P4 tomorrow and we’ll look forward to that.”