Sunday's Iowa Corn 250 IndyCar race at the Iowa Speedway turned out to be one of the best experience we have had at the Newton track. The forecast for rain that had been there all week long, did not even develop. The cloud cover gave great relief to what could have been a very hot day, and the slight breeze made it very comfortable. Maybe it was just us, but everyone in our party agreed it was the easiest and most convenient flow of traffic getting into the grounds and parked, that any of us had encountered. When things start on a good note, that's is always good.
Our group of regular attendees did our usual pre-race tailgating with the American and Hawkeye flags proudly flying above.
Even the flow into the grandstand area seemed to go much better than usual and staff was all very pleasant as we made our way into our seats toward turn one. Then came the rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, and the jet fly-by--which always puts an extra beat in your heart--and it was time for racing. We noted that racing began 15 minutes earlier than scheduled due to impending weather--another unusual incident at a race, but one that we all thought to be a wise decision.
At the drop of the green flag, all 25 cars roared into turn one, only to be brought under caution before one lap was completed. Justin Wilson and Mario Moraes made contact coming out of turn four, bringing the race to a halt and both of their day done before it even began.
There was good dueling all day at the front of the pack. Early on it was two-times winner, Dario Franchitti fighting to stay ahead of Scott Dixon and "Turn-Two-Tony" Kanaan riding in third. Kanaan has crashed in turn two in previous races, thus giving him I am sure, an ominous feeling going into that corner. Dixon made the pass on Franchitti about lap 115 and then Kanaan slipped into second place.
As the race wore on, Franchetti and Kanaan paced the field much of the day. Brazilian, Helio Castroneves threw his hat into the ring, after getting out of the pits in good time, and took over the lead at lap 195 as he passed Franchetti. Bad luck would then bite Franchetti as he was off power and into the pits for a lengthy repair. This put Kanaan into the runner up spot as he dogged Castroneves. It was an exciting race between those two, until with just ten laps to go, Kanaan hit the turbo button, (yes, there really is a turbo button that the drivers are allowed to use a designated number of times during the race) and passed into the lead, never to look back. This was Kanaan's first win since 2008 and a very satisfying one no doubt as he beat his turn two jinx at the Iowa Speedway. Third place went to #8 E. J. Viso, fourth to #6 Ryan Briscoe, and rounding out the top five was pole-sitter Will Power in his #12 machine.
The race was completed in right at 1 hour and 42 minutes allowing the crowd an early exit for making their way home for a Monday morning work call. Even the exiting of the track seemed to go smoother than normal which was a nice ending to our day. It was announced later that there was approximately 5,000 sold seats that did not show for the event, and our thought is that the weather forecast had much to do about a good number of the no-shows.
If you've not attended the Iowa Speedway, you should put that on your "to do" list. It is a great facility to have right here in the Hawkeye state. You can find full results and information on the speedway and their upcoming events at www.iowaspeedway.com. Happy racing!
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