In a stark contrast from the rough and bumpy street circuit, drivers now will be challenged with wrestling their cars on the 0.875-mile bull ring in Newton, Iowa. The short tri-oval has variable banking that often looks more like a superspeedway. Drivers at the “World’s Fastest Short Track” are tested mentally and physically as they make laps in under 18 seconds.
Drivers will be busy this weekend, with two races on tap. Qualifying for both races will take place tomorrow but today was all about practice.
Following the 90-minute practice session, it was Will Power who sat at the top of the time sheet. The Team Penske ace was followed by Conor Daly, teammate Scott McLaughlin, Alex Palou, and Pato O’Ward. Rounding out the top ten in the session were Marcus Ericsson, Josef Newgarden, Graham Rahal, Jimmie Johnson, and Scott Dixon.
Chevrolet had the edge in terms of manufacturers but all four Chip Ganassi Racing drivers landed inside the top ten. That was great for Honda but the Andretti Autosport stable did not fare so well. Their four drivers were 14th, 20th, 23rd, and 24th respectively. Michael Andretti’s team used to dominate this track, winning seven of the first nine races here. They have not won since 2015 though, when Ryan Hunter-Reay earned back-to-back victories.
| 2022 Iowa Speedway – Practice 1 Results | |||
| Pos | Driver | Team | Engine |
| 1 | Will Power | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 2 | Conor Daly | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 3 | Scott McLaughlin | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 4 | Alex Palou | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 5 | Pato O’Ward | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet |
| 6 | Marcus Ericsson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 7 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Chevrolet |
| 8 | Graham Rahal | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 9 | Jimmie Johnson | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 10 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Honda |
| 11 | Rinus VeeKay | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 12 | Felix Rosenqvist | Arrow McLaren SP | Chevrolet |
| 13 | Jack Harvey | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 14 | Colton Herta | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 15 | Takuma Sato | Dale Coyne w/ Rick Ware Racing | Honda |
| 16 | Christian Lundgaard | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Honda |
| 17 | Simon Pagenaud | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda |
| 18 | David Malukas | Dale Coyne w/ HMD Motosports | Honda |
| 19 | Helio Castroneves | Meyer Shank Racing | Honda |
| 20 | Alexander Rossi | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 21 | Callum Ilott | Juncos Hollinger Racing | Chevrolet |
| 22 | Ed Carpenter | Ed Carpenter Racing | Chevrolet |
| 23 | Romain Grosjean | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 24 | Devlin DeFrancesco | Andretti Autosport | Honda |
| 25 | Dalton Kellett | AJ Foyt Racing | Chevrolet |
| 26 | Kyle Kirkwood | AJ Foyt Racing | Chevrolet |
Simon Pagenaud and Newgarden won the first doubleheader event…
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