IOWA SPEEDWAY DOUBLEHEADER PREVIEW
FRIDAY, JULY 11 – SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2025
TRACK: Iowa Speedway
LOCATION: Newton, Iowa, USA
TRACK LAYOUT: .875-mile tri-oval
PRACTICE: Friday – 2:30-5 p.m. CT (FS2)
QUALIFYING: Saturday – 11 a.m.-12 p.m. CT (FS1)
RACE 1: Saturday, July 12
RACE LENGTH: 275 laps
BROADCAST: 4 p.m. CT (FOX)
RACE 2: Sunday, July 13
RACE LENGTH: 275 laps
BROADCAST: 12 p.m. CT (FOX)
ALEXANDER ROSSI, NO. 20 JAVA HOUSE CHEVROLET
ALEXANDER ROSSI, No. 20 Java House Chevrolet: “I can’t wait to get to Iowa this weekend. We had a very positive test there and with the strength of our short oval package, it’s a great opportunity for us as it’s a double header. We will need to execute in all phases of the weekend and if we do that, there are a lot of points up for grabs.”
BIRTHDAY: September 25, 1991
HOMETOWN: Nevada City, CA
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN
IOWA STATS
NUMBER OF STARTS: 12
TOP 10 FINISHES: 7
BEST START: 5th (2018,
2020)
BEST FINISH: 6th (2016,
2019, 2020)
CAREER STATS
SEASON: 10th
STARTS: 157
WINS: 8
POLES: 7
TOP 5 FINISHES: 50
TOP 10 FINISHES: 94
OF NOTE:
- Alexander Rossi has competed at Iowa Speedway 12 times, including four doubleheader events. Seven of those starts have resulted in Top 10 finishes. He will look to add to his tally of strong finishes with ECR in his first season with the team. He recorded four Top 10 finishes in the first seven events of the season and placed an ECR car in a Firestone Fast 6 qualifying session for the first time since mid-2022.
- Now in the midst of his 10th season as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver, Rossi made his 150th start at Long Beach and recently led the 1,000th lap of his career during the Indianapolis 500. Rossi, 33, has 30 career podium finishes, including eight victories, most notably the 2016 Indianapolis 500. The Nevada City, California native was the first American rookie to win since 1928. Rossi’s talent has taken him worldwide, with wins in F2, World Series by Renault, and the 24 Hours of Daytona along with starts in a Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Baja 1000 and the Bathurst 1000.
- In addition to its versatile Peel n Pour™ single serve beverages, Java House owns and operates cafes in the Indianapolis and Lafayette, IN markets. The innovative cold brew coffee brand serves as the primary sponsor of Rossi’s No. 20 Chevrolet during select races throughout the 2025 season, including the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, NO. 21 SPLENDA CHEVROLET
CHRISTIAN RASMUSSEN, No. 21 Splenda Chevrolet: “This will be my first time racing an NTT INDYCAR SERIES car at Iowa Speedway, but it’s not my first time at the track! I’ve had good experiences there in the past, including a win in the Indy NXT race in 2023 during my championship season. I’m looking forward to going back, especially since we’ve shown we have a strong short oval package—something we proved with a podium at St. Louis.”
BIRTHDAY: June 29, 2000
HOMETOWN:
Copenhagen, Denmark
RESIDENCE: Indianapolis, IN
IOWA STATS
NUMBER OF STARTS: 0
CAREER STATS
SEASON: 2nd
STARTS: 24
TOP 5 FINISHES: 1
TOP 10 FINISHES: 3
OF NOTE:
- Despite being in the midst of his second season as an NTT INDYCAR SERIES driver, Christian Rasmussen will make his first and second NTT INDYCAR SERIES starts at Iowa Speedway this weekend. Rasmussen began the 2024 season as road and street course driver of ECR’s No. 20 Chevrolet before taking over for the final oval races of the year at the Milwaukee Mile and Nashville Superspeedway.
- At the last short oval race at WWT Raceway, all eyes were on Rasmussen as he carved his way through the entire field twice en route to his first career NTT INDYCAR SERIES podium. Like Iowa Speedway, Rasmussen had not yet competed in an NTT INDYCAR SERIES race at WWTR. He started 25th and climbed to 5th before a penalty for emergency service in a closed pit sent him to the back of he field as the 24th car in line. Rasmussen powered through the field again, executing a total of 80 on-track passes before finishing 3rd. His podium comes on the heels of a standout Indianapolis 500 where he led the first laps of his career and earned a 6th place finish. One week after the “500,” Rasmussen made his first Fast 12 qualifying appearance of the year in Detroit and led for 21 laps.
- Splenda®, the most recognizable low-calorie sweetener brand in the world, will be featured on Rasmussen’s No. 21 Chevrolet at select races throughout the 2025 season, including this weekend’s doubleheader at Iowa Speedway. Coincidentally, Splenda’s packaging facility and ECR’s race shop are both on Georgetown Road in Indianapolis with locations less than one mile apart. Since Splenda’s launch in 1991, more than 100 billion yellow packets have been sold.
