Indycar - Iowa Corn Indy 250 - Preview

The Iowa Speedway is a 7/8 mile, semi-banked oval, where the drivers will be going flat out on Saturday night, under the lights. While similar in length to Milwaukee, its high banks yield racing that is similar to Indianapolis and Texas.

Having passed the halfway mark in the season, Simona De Silvestro #78 and the Lotus HVM Racing Team, the hope to see even more improvement this weekend, when they hit the track on Friday.

Weather is a very important factor again, as cars do not race on ovals in the rain for safety reasons. So far, this weekend’s forecast is pretty good, but there is a chance of rain for the race on Saturday.

It’s All About Setup, Tyres, and Talent !

Earlier this week, the IZOD IndyCar Series announced some changes to the aero package for this weekend’s race in Iowa, which will reduce downforce available by about 8 or 9 percent.

The engineers may need to put in some overtime to find the right setup that will help save the tires. However, the word from the drivers is that this is putting the focus back where it should be. This is where the driver’s talent will play a big role.

The heat is on for qualification

The qualification will be decided by three 30-lap heat races to set the starting lineup for the Iowa Corn Indy 250.

Qualification groups will be determined by lap times recorded by entries on the .875-mile oval in the second (45-minute) practice session (3:30 p.m. ET).

Race 1 will consist of the even-numbered positions, starting with the 10th-quickest practice time, and determine the even-numbered positions in the starting field from 10th down.

Race 2 will consist of the odd-numbered positions, starting with the ninth-quickest practice time, and determine the odd-numbered positions in the starting field from ninth down.

Race 3 will consist of drivers ranked one through eight from the practice. Results of Race 3 will determine the first four rows, with the winner taking the pole position.

Each race is projected for 12-14 minutes duration. Cars will carry about one-third of the E85 fuel load, which shouldn't impact tyre wear or the car's consistency with its maximum 37-degree rear wing flap angle on the compound banking.

Iowa Speedway

Circuit length: .875-mile oval

Laps: 250

Miles: 218.75

Front straight: 1,075 feet

Back straight: 869 feet

Banking of front straight: 10 degrees

Banking of back straight: 4 degrees

Banking of turns: 12-14 degrees

Width: 60 feet