Frenchman Simon Pagenaud in his No. 22 Penske Chevrolet won the pole for Sunday’s race. But he didn’t appear to have any issues on Sunday, establishing a huge lead in the opening laps and maintaining his advantage through three cautions on one of the most physically demanding ovals in IndyCar.
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It also was the first win of the season for Newgarden, who finished second in Iowa in 2014 and 2015. The win moved him up from fifth to second in the points standings.
Despite a broken hand and clavicle, Josef Newgarden put on a clinic in Iowa Sunday afternoon before about 10,000 fans to win the Iowa Corn 300.
“The injuries, it doesn’t mean a thing”, Newgarden said. It was fun. In some stints, it was like a video game. It is all credit to this team, Ed Carpenter Racing. “So we should be pretty good”.
Chip Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon made a late charge but came up short, eventually finishing in third behind Team Penske’s Will Power.
Simon Pagenaud, the Verizon IndyCar points leader managed to lead 11 laps in the Iowa Corn 300. “We’ve got multiple grooves for these guys to race in, and it can be three wide in certain cases during a race”.
“My right hand was killing me, but having an fantastic vehicle helps a lot”. Honda has worked very hard on their engine and aerodynamic package to get a more efficient auto at this downforce level. The win was his first on an oval in IndyCar.
It was a disappointing turnout at Iowa, which has become a bastion of IndyCar Series racing in the last few years. I was really nervous coming into the race.
Newgarden admitted not being allowed to take part in the restarted Texas race in August is a blow for his title hopes. Instead, he stayed in front for more than 90 percent of the laps and rarely had to extend himself. “It was tough… but I wasn’t going to lose control”, Newgarden said. That made it easier. “Man, I was surprised I could hold on”.
I don’t think any of us not on out there racing can properly understand the nature of short-track racing.
Next year’s Verizon IndyCar Series Iowa Corn 300 is scheduled for Sunday, July 9, 2017.
“Wow, this was really bad today”.
“They did a helluva job”. Josef deserved that big-time. He doesn’t have a win this year, but we think returning to this track should do a lot for him. “He was on his own on another planet”. “They just nailed it absolutely”.
“It was definitely a character-building day for us and the Gallagher team.” said Chilton “It was a learning experience with all the lapped cars and wave-arounds”.
Anyway, if you saw it, you saw something that used to happen all the time – remember when David Pearson won the Rebel 400 at Darlington, South Carolina by three laps?
Questions about Newgarden’s future have been whirling around for the past couple of years, and it seems inevitable that, at some point, Penske or Ganassi will come calling for his services.
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Rookie Alexander Rossi, who drives for Andretti Autosport, won the 2016 Indianapolis 500 in May and sits 10th in points. IndyCar staged nine races here, with Michael Andretti’s team winning seven, including the past six.
