NTT INDYCAR SERIES Race Report - Iowa Race 1

July 22, 2023

TRACK: IOWA SPEEDWAY
RACE: HY-VEE HOMEFRONT 250      
DATE: JULY 22, 2023
 

JOSEF NEWGARDEN 
NO. 2 HITACHI DALLARA/CHEVROLET
START - 3RD     
FINISH - 1ST     
POINTS - 2ND (-98) 

RACE RUNDOWN: Josef Newgarden and the No. 2 Hitachi Chevrolet team continued their Iowa Speedway dominance as the reigning Indianapolis 500 Champion scored his fifth win on the Newton, IA oval in Saturday's Hy-Vee Homefront 250. It marks the 28th career NTT INDYCAR SERIES victory for Newgarden and his third victory of 2023, having swept all of the oval races so far this season. After qualifying third for the first race of the doubleheader weekend, Newgarden methodically worked his way to the front of the field using front-wing adjustments and working the tools available inside the cockpit of the Chevrolet over the first half of the race. It was on Lap 121 when he was able to make the move around his teammate Will Power to assume a lead he would never relinquish. With Saturday's checkered flag, Newgarden extends his total as the winningest current American driver in the series. 

NEWGARDEN'S THOUGHTS: “It was a great day.  Look, my team is just…they are unbelievable. They gave me a great car. I show up every weekend and I feel like I have got the best of the best behind me. Team Penske, I am proud to be a part of this team and proud to have partners like Hitachi and Team Chevy. Team Chevy has been really tremendous to us, and they are always working hard, even with our feedback. They always take it and put it to use. I love Iowa and obviously it was a great day."
 

SCOTT McLAUGHLIN
NO. 3 XPEL DALLARA/CHEVROLET
START - 2ND     
FINISH - 2ND      
POINTS - 5TH (-144)

RACE RUNDOWN:  Scott McLaughlin and the No. 3 XPEL Chevrolet team tied their best oval finish of second in Saturday's Hy-Vee Homefront 250 at Iowa Speedway. It was a 1-2 finish for Team Penske with Josef Newgarden taking the win as McLaughlin closed late in the 250-lap race to make it an exciting finish. After a brief rain shower delayed qualifying for an hour and a half, McLaughlin placed his No. 3 Chevy on the front row for the second time this season. The former Australian Supercars Champion spent the opening stint focusing on tire wear while keeping race leader and teammate, Will Power, firmly in his sights. While battling his teammates for the lead, McLaughlin was caught behind a slower car while coming to pit lane for his second stop of the day, resulting in several lost seconds of lap time when returning to the track. He eventually worked his way back up to the second position and regularly applied pressure to Newgarden for the lead but was unable to make the pass for his first oval win of his career. 
 
MCLAUGHLIN'S THOUGHTS: “When I saw him coming, I was like ‘ah its on mate’. Hey, Bus Bros was 1-2, so not bad. Really happy for everyone on the XPEL Chevy. The car was great today, and the team gave me a great car. I have to thank Josef, and congrats to him for winning the race, but during the week we sat down together and really went over everything. And it helped me today. I learned a ton today, I badly want to beat that guy and I am going to be trying everything I can to beat him, but he is the epitome of a great teammate and I appreciate the help he has given me."
 

WILL POWER
NO. 12 VERIZON 5G DALLARA/CHEVROLET
START - 1ST     
FINISH - 5TH    
POINTS - 6TH (-168) 

RACE RUNDOWN: Will Power added to his record number of NTT INDYCAR SERIES P1 Awards on Saturday morning before driving his No. 12 Verizon 5G Chevrolet to a fifth-place finish in the Hy-Vee Homefront 250 at Iowa Speedway. Under a unique qualifying format for the doubleheader weekend, a two-lap run determined the starting positions for each race. Power capitalized on a stout Chevrolet to sweep the top spot for both races and now sits at 70 pole positions throughout his illustrious career. When the green flag fell, Power immediately shot to the front of the field and remained there for the 120 laps before teammate Josef Newgarden made the pass for the lead. The defending series champion would ride in the second position until making slight contact with the outside wall on Lap 146. While it resulted in a few lost positions, Power was able to soldier on to cross the finish line in the fifth position for his fourth, top-five finish of 2023. 

POWER'S THOUGHTS: "The Verizon 5G Chevy wasn't damaged too badly with the wall contact, but we definitely had a bit of push after that. I just got a little high. The car in front went up and took the air and boom. It was a pretty square it and I was worried about how much force goes through the suspension. We will probably have to change it tonight."
 

WHAT'S NEXT: The second race of the Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend begins tomorrow at 2:30 pm ET. Coverage will be carried on NBC, Peacock, Sirius XM 209 and INDYCAR Radio