Josef Newgarden put in a dominating performance to claim victory in the opening race of the NTT IndyCar Series doubleheader at Iowa Speedway.
The 31-year-old Tennessee native started on the outside of the front row in second, but surged to the top spot on Lap 23 to lead 208 of 250 laps en route to winning the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 by 6.1784s over Pato O’Ward. It marks Newgarden’s fourth win of the season, while also becoming the driver with the most IndyCar victories at Iowa with four (11 starts).
"I always got faith every weekend I show up with @Team_Penske."
A confident @josefnewgarden talks after his second consecutive win at @iowaspeedway.#INDYCAR // @iowaspeedway pic.twitter.com/1IhJy9MnyH
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 23, 2022
Pole-sitter Will Power finished in third to give two Team Penske drivers on podium.
The No. 21 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet of Rinus VeeKay put in a respectable run to finish fourth, his second top five in the last three races. Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon was the highest finisher for Chip Ganassi Racing, with his No. 9 Honda finishing fifth.
Reigning IndyCar champion Alex Palou finished directly behind his CGR teammate in sixth, and ahead of Romain Grosjean’s No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda in seventh – his best finish on an oval.
Championship leader Marcus Ericsson finished eighth in the No. 8 CGR Honda. The Rahal Letterman Racing duo of Graham Rahal and rookie Christian Rasmussen finished ninth and 10th, respectively.
Jimmie Johnson might have endured the most adventurous day of any driver. The seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion spun in Turn 4 on Lap 16, but then a pit stop for fresh tires in high degradation conditions helped him charge back through the field, eventually finding the lead on Lap 61 during a pit stop sequence. He maintained position in the top 10 but fell down the running order late, dropping from fifth down to 11th by the time the checkered flag fell.
.@jimmiejohnson has made his way up to 5th after spinning at the beginning of the race ?
WATCH LIVE: @NBC and @PeacockTV#INDYCAR // @INDYCARatIowa pic.twitter.com/LCu9Em8sVs
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 23, 2022
Rookie Callum Ilott had the No. 77 Juncos Hollinger Racing Honda flirting with a top 10, but settled in 12th at the end.
Alexander Rossi and rookie David Malukas finished 13th and 14th, respectively. Despite a rough opening half of the race, rookie Kyle Kirkwood rebounded to put the No. 14 AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet in 15th.
There were four cautions for a total of 33 laps. The two more significant incidents began with Felix Rosenqvist, who backed his No. 7 Arrow McLaren SP Chevrolet into the Turn 2 barrier on Lap 110 and was forced into being the first driver to retire early from the race, finishing 26th. It was a similar incident on Lap 164 as driver/owner Ed Carpenter hit the Turn 3 wall, finishing 25th.
.@FRosenqvist has been seen and released after this incident at @INDYCARatIowa. #INDYCAR // @ArrowMcLarenSP pic.twitter.com/9tmksZRFWz
— NTT INDYCAR SERIES (@IndyCar) July 23, 2022
The No. 3 Team Penske Chevrolet of Scott McLaughlin was in the running for a potential top five result, but a loose right-rear wheel forced him to pit ahead of the final restart on Lap 174. He finished 22nd.
Up Next: The Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, with live coverage on NBC and the IndyCar Radio Network.
