IOWA SPEEDWAY

RACE: HY-VEE HOMEFRONT 250 DATE: JULY 22, 2023

JOSEF NEWGARDEN
NO. 2 HITACHI DALLARA/CHEVROLET

START – 3RD FINISH – 1ST POINTS – 2ND (-98)

RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet team continued their Iowa Speedway dominance as the reigning Indianapolis 500 Champion scored his fifth win on the Newton, IA oval in Saturday’s Hy-Vee Homefront 250. It marks the 28th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory for Newgarden and his third victory of 2023, having swept all of the oval races so far this season. After qualifying third for the first race of the doubleheader weekend, Newgarden methodically worked his way to the front of the field using front-wing adjustments and working the tools available inside the cockpit of the Chevrolet over the first half of the race. It was on Lap 121 when he was able to make the move around his teammate Will Power to assume a lead he would never relinquish. With Saturday’s checkered flag, Newgarden extends his total as the winningest current American driver in the series.

NEWGARDEN’S THOUGHTS: “It was a great day. Look, my team is just…they are unbelievable. They gave me a great car. I show up every weekend and I feel like I have got the best of the best behind me. Team Penske, I am proud to be a part of this team and proud to have partners like Hitachi and Team Chevy. Team Chevy has been really tremendous to us, and they are always working hard, even with our feedback. They always take it and put it to use. I love Iowa and obviously it was a great day.”

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN
NO. 3 XPEL DALLARA/CHEVROLET

START – 2ND FINISH – 2ND POINTS – 5TH (-144)

RACE RUNDOWN: Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 XPEL Chevrolet team tied their best oval finish of second in Saturday’s Hy-Vee Homefront 250 at Iowa Speedway. It was a 1-2 finish for Team Penske with Josef Newgarden taking the win as McLaughlin closed late in the 250-lap race to make it an exciting finish. After a brief rain shower delayed qualifying for an hour and a half, McLaughlin placed his No. 3 Chevy on the front row for the second time this season. The former Australian Supercars Champion spent the opening stint focusing on tire wear while keeping race leader and teammate, Will Power, firmly in his sights. While battling his teammates for the lead, McLaughlin was caught behind a slower car while coming to pit lane for his second stop of the day, resulting in several lost seconds of lap time when returning to the track. He eventually worked his way back up to the second position and regularly applied pressure to Newgarden for the lead but was unable to make the pass for his first oval win of his career.

MCLAUGHLIN’S THOUGHTS: “When I saw him coming, I was like ‘ah its on mate’. Hey, Bus Bros was 1-2, so not bad. Really happy for everyone on the XPEL Chevy. The car was great today, and the team gave me a great car. I have to thank Josef, and congrats to him for winning the race, but during the week we sat down together and really went over everything. And it helped me today. I learned a ton today, I badly want to beat that guy and I am going to be trying everything I can to beat him, but he is the epitome of a great teammate and I appreciate the help he has given me.”

WILL POWER
NO. 12 VERIZON 5G DALLARA/CHEVROLET

START – 1ST FINISH – 5TH POINTS – 6TH (-168)

RACE RUNDOWN: Will Power added to his record number of NTT INDYCAR SERIES P1 Awards on Saturday morning before driving his No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet to a fifth-place finish in the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 at Iowa Speedway. Under a unique qualifying format for the doubleheader weekend, a two-lap run determined the starting positions for each race. Power capitalized on a stout Chevrolet to sweep the top spot for both races and now sits at 70 pole positions throughout his illustrious career. When the green flag fell, Power immediately shot to the front of the field and remained there for the 120 laps before teammate Josef Newgarden made the pass for the lead. The defending series champion would ride in the second position until making slight contact with the outside wall on Lap 146. While it resulted in a few lost positions, Power was able to soldier on to cross the finish line in the fifth position for his fourth, top-five finish of 2023.

POWER’S THOUGHTS: “The Verizon 5G Chevy wasn’t damaged too badly with the wall contact, but we definitely had a bit of push after that. I just got a little high. The car in front went up and took the air and boom. It was a pretty square it and I was worried about how much force goes through the suspension. We will probably have to change it tonight.”

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IOWA SPEEDWAY

 RACE: HY-VEE ONE STEP 250      DATE: JULY 23, 2023

JOSEF NEWGARDEN
NO. 2 HITACHI DALLARA/CHEVROLET

START – 7TH FINISH – 1ST POINTS – 2ND (-80)

RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden cemented himself as perhaps the best NTT INDYCAR SERIES oval racer of his generation in Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 at Iowa Speedway as he drove his No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet to Victory Lane to complete the sweep of the weekend doubleheader. In winning his fifth-consecutive oval race, Newgarden joined A.J. Foyt and Al Unser, Sr. as the only drivers to accomplish that feat in series history. Additionally, he became the first driver to sweep both races at Iowa, and the first to sweep any weekend doubleheader since 2013. Newgarden qualified his Hitachi Chevrolet in the seventh position for Sunday’s race but wasted no time in once again proving his circle track mettle. The 2023 Indianapolis 500 Champion powered past both of his Team Penske teammates, Will Power and Scott McLaughlin, in one move on Lap 31 and never looked back. A late-race caution made things interesting as INDYCAR moves all lead-lap cars to the front of the field when a caution flies with 20 laps or less remaining on a short oval. In addition, INDYCAR implemented a discretionary “abandonment procedure” where pit lane is closed in an effort to set the lineup as quickly as possible to ensure fans see a green flag finish. When racing resumed Newgarden drove away for his sixth Iowa win and the 29th of his career. Newgarden’s domination at Iowa included leading 341 of 500 total laps and keeps alive his opportunity to win all five oval races on the schedule. Next month’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway is the last remaining oval in 2023, a track where he owns four wins and currently holds a three-race winning streak.

NEWGARDEN’S THOUGHTS: “For us, we knew we had a great car, and the pressure was there because we wanted to execute on it and make sure it was a great weekend. I am happy now. When you finish the first race, its great to have a doubleheader, but you feel incomplete until you get through today. To be able to come back and do it again, and make our car a little bit better, I am super proud of the team. Luke and the entire group. Chad leading the boys, its just a fantastic effort from everyone. Hitachi has been with most of my victories I think, so to be with them and have them on the car is fantastic. And Team Chevy. We almost got a repeat of that 1-2-3 for Chevy. So, sorry we didn’t get that done but they were phenomenal this weekend.”

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN
NO. 3 XPEL DALLARA/CHEVROLET

START – 2ND FINISH – 5TH POINTS – 5TH (-148)

RACE RUNDOWN: Scott McLaughlin kept his No. 3 XPEL Chevrolet at the front of the field for the entirety of Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 at Iowa Speedway, ultimately finishing in the fifth position to score a pair of top-five finishes over the doubleheader weekend. As he did in Saturday’s race, McLaughlin started Sunday’s 250-lap event from the second position, and he made life difficult for teammate Will Power over the initial laps before settling into the second position. Working all of the tools at his disposal inside the cockpit while receiving air pressure and/or front-wing adjustments on each pit stop, McLaughlin stayed in the second position until late in the event. When a late-race caution brought the high-speed action to a halt, INDYCAR rules state that all lead-lap cars are moved to the front of the field when a yellow flag flies with less than 20 laps to go on a short oval. This rule was coupled with a discretionary “abandonment procedure” where pit lane is closed to ensure a quick lineup set to get back to racing in a timely manner. With extremely worn Firestone tires and three laps remaining when racing resumed, McLaughlin was dealt a tough blow in his run to the checkered. Despite his lack of grip on the worn-out Iowa circuit, McLaughlin was able to hang on for a fifth-place finish.

MCLAUGHLIN’S THOUGHTS: “It’s more mental than anything. I have no idea how I finished that last stint. I had burned the right rear off and I was just hanging on. It was a sprint car there. So, out on the cush and having a lot of fun, but I am happy to bring the XPEL Chevrolet back with two top fives. A podium is not a bad deal. I would have loved to have joined my teammates at the podium today, but we just tried something different, and it didn’t quite work.”

WILL POWER
NO. 12 VERIZON 5G DALLARA/CHEVROLET

START – 1ST FINISH – 2ND POINTS – 7TH (-161)

RACE RUNDOWN: Starting Sunday’s Hy-Vee One Step 250 from the front of the field thanks to his record-extending 70th NTT P1 Award, Will Power nearly scored the win before crossing the finish line in the second position in his No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet. Power led the first 30 laps of the 250-lap event before teammate Josef Newgarden made a pass for the lead. Once in “dirty” air, the two-time NTT INDYCAR SERIES Champion had to fight the handling of his Chevrolet until pitting for the first time on Lap 54. Power and his Verizon crew executed a flawless pit sequence – something they would do all afternoon – as he cycled up to the fourth position following the stop. Race strategist Ron Ruzewski, lead engineer Dave Faustino and Power all did their part to continue to improve the Verizon 5G machine throughout the race. When INDYCAR moved all five lead-lap cars to the front of the field following a caution on Lap 238 it gave Power a shot at the win, despite the “abandonment procedure” that kept him from pitting for fresh Firestone tires. With a great launch, Power was able to move into the second position but was unable to mount an attempt to pass for the lead.

POWER’S THOUGHTS: “Yeah, it was a very good restart. We struggled massively at the beginning and my engineer made a really good change. Taking wing out helped me so much. I had a really fast car, we just needed to pit a couple of laps early so that we could be P2 to Josef and I think we might have had a shot at it. It’s the best car that I have had here, and I was really happy with it and enjoyed the race. Not the first stint though. Man, I was like white knuckling it the whole time, so I am stoked to get the Verizon Chevy to P2. It’s pretty tough to beat Josef here, but we will do it one day.”

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WHAT’S NEXT: Following an off weekend, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will head to Nashville, TN for the Music City Grand Prix – the 13th round of the 2023 NTT INDYCAR SERIES season – on Sunday, August 6.