Iowa Speedway’s efforts to repave a substantial chunk of its 0.875-mile circuit are giving the NTT IndyCar Series an unusual level of grip in the turns. It’s also posed a fresh challenge for the series’ Firestone tires, which haven’t showed the same level of deterioration that has made many of Iowa’s recent races difficult to forget.
“It’s definitely changed,” said six-time winner Scott Dixon. “From the first few races we held here, you basically followed the white line and raced in packs. It was quite chaotic for such a little track.
“We had a good run over the last ten years, whether it was multi-lane, high-deg, or one of the best short track events we’ve had. With the partial repave, they’ve removed a lot of our race-ability. Maybe it’s better for another category.”
Because of the increased grip, the performance difference between new and old tires that allows for passing did not materialize during Friday’s 90-minute practice session.
“Yeah, I miss last year’s track,” the Chip Ganassi Racing driver explained. “I guess drivers call it ‘character.’ It was full of character. It has a lot of bumps. It was undoubtedly hard work. Qualifying was challenging, and the race featured multiple lanes, particularly for restarts. We will see. I hope it comes back to that. “Getting that second lane to come in will be difficult, even this weekend.”
Scott McLaughlin of Team Penske mirrored Dixon’s sentiment.
“It sucks a little bit that the repave is not great for us, but it is what it is,” he told me. “Everyone’s got the same track to deal with, so let’s see how we go.”
