Stenhouse Wins at Iowa in a Wild Finish

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

 

 

By Jim Pedley
Special to the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

 

(August 6, 2011)

 

NEWTON, Iowa—Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Roush Fenway Racing teammate Carl Edwards insist they like each other. But for the second weekend in a row, they sure didn’t act like it.

 

Saturday night at Iowa Speedway, Stenhouse and Edwards banged doors, fenders and feelings as they fought for the victory in the U.S. Cellular 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series race.

 

Their final banging occurred a couple of hundred feet from the finish line on the last lap, and it produced a smoky, screeching, metal-bending finish as Edwards rammed Stenhouse’s car from behind and actually pushed it to the victory.

 

“Wow,” both drivers said after climbing from their cars.

 

Stenhouse’s car had blown an engine after exiting Turn 4 and had laid down a glaze of oil on the track.

 

Edwards said he tried to go around Stenhouse but couldn’t as his car slid on the oil and his windshield filled with smoke. Stenhouse admitted to watching Edwards speeding up on him and then blocking his teammate.

 

And then, Stenhouse thanked Edwards for smashing into the rear end of his RFR Ford.

 

“If he wouldn’t have hit us, we definitely would have ended up second,” said Stenhouse, whose victory was his second of the season at the seven-eighths-mile oval. “I knew we had enough momentum to get there (the finish line). I just wasn’t sure if we were going to be first or second. It worked out that we were first.”

 

Edwards led 109 of the race’s 250 laps. Stenhouse led 25.

 

Polesitter Elliott Sadler finished third, Josh Wise was fourth and Aric Almirola fifth. Rounding out the top 10 were Reed Sorenson, Kenny Wallace, Steve Wallace, Michael McDowell and David Mayhew, who was making his first Nationwide start.

 

While the race-ending rear-end job by Edwards to Stenhouse was the final run-in between the two drivers Saturday, it was far from the first.

 

They sideswiped each other about halfway through the race. And then, after the final restart of the night with less than 25 laps to go, they went at each other several times before Stenhouse was able to break free.

 

Their physical race at Iowa came a week after they frayed each other’s nerves and tempers at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Ind.

 

Still, both said they hold no grudges against the other.

 

“Ricky and I are fine,” Edwards said. “Jack (Roush, the team owner) came over and said, ‘Hey, this is exactly what’s supposed to be happening. You’re supposed to have a young guy who’s fast and is frustrating everybody because he’s too aggressive.’ Ricky, he’s really, really fast.

 

“We had a little issue last week, we talked about it and he got excited tonight. He’s just being a little bit overaggressive.”

 

Stenhouse, the Nationwide points leader, left Iowa with a 12-point lead over Sorenson. Sadler is third, 29 behind Stenhouse.

 

Sorenson won the second of four NASCAR Nationwide Series “Dash 4 Cash” races, where a $100,000 bonus was on the line between him and three other eligible drivers. The next “Dash 4 Cash” race is at Richmond on Sept. 10.

 

 

2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series

U.S. Cellular 250

Newton, Iowa

Iowa Speedway

Race Results 

1. 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. RickyvsTrevor.com Ford
2. 60 Carl Edwards Fastenal Ford
3. 2 Elliott Sadler OneMain Financial Chevrolet
4. 7 Josh Wise iRacing.com Chevrolet
5. 88 Aric Almirola Ragu/HyVee Chevrolet
6. 32 Reed Sorenson Dollar General Chevrolet
7. 9 Kenny Wallace American Ethanol/Iowa Corn Toyota
8. 66 Steve Wallace 5-hour Energy Toyota
9. 18 Michael McDowell Pizza Ranch Toyota
10. 33 David Mayhew Rheem/Menards Chevrolet
11. 20 Drew Herring SportClips Toyota
12. 62 Michael Annett Northland Oil Toyota
13. 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Chevrolet
14. 11 Brian Scott Shore Lodge Toyota
15. 70 Scott Wimmer Foretravel Motorcoach Chevrolet
16. 87 Joe Nemechek D.A.B Constructors, Inc. Toyota
17. 51 Jeremy Clements Clements Racing Engines Chevrolet
18. 19 Mike Bliss TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet
19. 30 Mikey Kile AccuDoc Solutions Chevrolet
20. 39 Joey Gase Agrigold Seed Ford
21. 15 Timmy Hill  Lilly Trucking Ford
22. 40 Charles Lewandoski  Key Motorsports Chevrolet
23. 23 Robert Richardson Jr. North TX Pipe Chevrolet
24. 22 Sam Hornish Jr. Discount Tire Dodge
25. 16 Trevor Bayne 3M Ford
26. 14 Eric McClure Hefty BlackOut/Reynolds Chevrolet
27. 52 Tim Schendel Marr Promotions Chevrolet
28. 81 Blake Koch  Daystar.com Dodge
29. 31 Justin Allgaier Brandt Chevrolet
30. 28 Derrike Cope MAXelence.com Chevrolet
31. 1 Mike Wallace Iowa 80 Truckstop Chevrolet
32. 89 Morgan Shepherd Victory In Jesus Racing Chevrolet
33. 13 Jennifer Jo Cobb  TenForJen.com Dodge
34. 2 Jamie Dick VivaAutoGroup.com Chevrolet
35. 41 Matt Carter Lilly Trucking Chevrolet
36. 74 Mike Harmon IPT Pellet Grills Chevrolet
37. 49 Mark Green Jay Robinson Racing Chevrolet
38. 75 Johnny Chapman Fastwax.com Ford
39. 46 Chase Miller Key Motorsports Chevrolet
40. 71 Carl Long Lilly Trucking Ford
41. 42 Tim Andrews Key Motorsports Chevrolet
42. 47 Brian Keselowski Key Motorsports Chevrolet
43. 44 Jeff Green TriStar Motorsports Chevrolet

NASCAR Schedule & Weather Forecast: July 15th to 17th 2011

Photo Credit: Jennifer Coleman/ Iowa Speedway

Loudon, New Hampshire
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
NASCAR Sprint Cup/ NASCAR Nationwide Series


Friday:

10:30 am- NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice
Temperature: 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%


11:30 am- NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice
Temperature: 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%


1:40 pm- NASCAR Nationwide Series Practice
Temperature: 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%


3:10 pm- NASCAR Sprint Cup Qualifying
Temperature: 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%


Saturday:

9:30 am- NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice
Temperature: 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%


10:35 am- NASCAR Nationwide Series Qualifying
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

11:45 am- NASCAR Sprint Cup Practice
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%


3:30 pm- NASCAR Nationwide Series Race (New England 200)
Temperature: 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sunny
Chance of Precipitation: 0%



Sunday:

9:00 am- NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race (LENOX Industrial Tools 301)
Temperature: 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Rain Showers
Chance of Precipitation: 0%



Newton, Iowa
Iowa Speedway
NASCAR Camping World Truck Series/ ARCA Racing Series


Friday:

3:00 pm- ARCA Racing Series Practice
Temperature: 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 10%


4:30 pm- NASCAR Camping World Truck Practice
Temperature: 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 10%


5:30 pm- ARCA Racing Series Practice
Temperature: 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 10%


6:30 pm- NASCAR Camping World Truck Practice
Temperature: 29 degrees Celsius (84 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 10%


Saturday:

12:10 pm- ARCA Racing Series Qualifying
Temperature: 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 30%


1:35 pm- NASCAR Camping World Truck Qualifying
Temperature: 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 30%


4:15 pm- ARCA Racing Series Race
Temperature: 32 degrees Celsius (89 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorm
Chance of Precipitation: 30%


7:00 pm- NASCAR Camping World Truck Race (Coca-Cola 200 presented by
Hy-Vee)
Temperature: 31 degrees Celsius (88 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy
Chance of Precipitation: 30%

Marco Andretti Wins Long-Awaited 2nd INDYCAR Event at Iowa

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

After four events in a five-race oval stretch for the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series, the surprising victory of part-time runner Dan Wheldon and the Bryan Herta Autosport team was followed by the status quo. The following three races were won by the well-established superteams of Penske Racing and Target/Chip Ganassi Racing. The 9th round of the IZOD INDYCAR Series tour, the 7/8th mile oval of Iowa Speedway presents the 5th race on on the initial circle track stint.

Set up for 250 laps, a 25-car field of open wheel racers took grid positions for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Starting from his first-ever IZOD INDYCAR Series pole, Japanese driver Takuma Sato led the Iowa Corn Indy 250 to an orderly beginning. Though the #5 KV Racing Technology car was able to add 8 more laps for a total of 30 laps led in 2011, a typical figure spoiled Takuma Sato's time leading at Iowa Speedway. Passing Sato on lap 8, Milwaukee 225 winner Dario Franchitti rushed his #10 Target/Chip Ganassi Racing car to the front of the field. Not only did Franchitti interrupted Sato's time at the run, the Scottish demonstrated an unwillingness to allow any driver from leading the Iowa Corn Indy 250 for almost 150 laps.

As Dario Franchitti and the #10 Target/Chip Ganassi Racing team led 60% of the race distance, four cautions slowed the IZOD INDYCAR competitors. The first yellow flags during the Iowa Corn Indy 250 claimed the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing cars in varying degrees. On lap 23, driver of the team's #22 car Justin Wilson was the more fortunate after spinning through in turn 2. Suffering no major damage as a result to the lose of control, the lucky British driver endured to a 12th place finish. Justin Wilson's rookie teammate Ana Beatriz was not as fortunate in the #24 car. Colliding with the #27 Andretti Autosport car driven by former Dreyer & Reinbold Racing pilot Mike Conway, Beatriz crashed hard into the turn 2 wall.

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

Entering the race with a tie for the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series overall driver standings, the #10 of Dario Franchitti and the #12 Penske Racing car of Will Power were racing at Iowa Speedway knowing one driver would have to prevail as the sole points leader. The outcome for the points race would be realized on lap 91 of the Iowa Corn Indy 250. The #12 Penske Racing car of Power whacked the turn 2 wall laps. Occurring laps after a pit road accident when Will Power and Chip Ganassi Racing's Charlie Kimball's #83 vehicle. "The Verizon car was damaged after the incident in the pits and we just had a problem with the steering and it came around me. It's a tough result for us tonight."

As Dario Franchitti's championship prospects in the still early 2011 IZOD INDYCAR season encountered an upswing, the #10 Target/Chip Ganassi Racing would suddenly fall under attack in the Iowa Corn Indy 250 lead. Climbing from 17th place, Andretti Autosport driver Marco Andretti had set the Target car in his gun sights taking the race's lead on lap 157. While Andretti was able to pass Franchitti, the #10 car driver quickly snatched back the 1st place position on lap 161.

Photo Credit: Shawn Gritzmacher

The final caution for the race flew on lap 185 for the race's pole sitter Takuma Sato. In post-race interview, Sato responded to the late race accident saying, "I lost at the bump in Turn 2. The tires weren't up to temperature. I'm very disappointed to finish the race this way. I feel very sorry for the team and the fans." After starting 1st on the field, Sato concluded the night in 19th place.

While the KV Racing Technology #5 car was out of competition, the team's #82 car of Tony Kanaan was hovering at the front all-night long. For the Iowa Corn Indy 250, Kanaan was in position to seek redemption for possibly handling away the previous race at Milwaukee. Behind Marco Andretti on the lap 199 restart, Tony Kanaan snatched the lead four laps into the run. A battle between the Andretti Autosport #26 and the #82 KV Racing Technology Dallara-Hondas ensued through the final 10% of the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Thrilling the sizable Iowa Speedway crowd, Marco Andretti retook the lead from Kanaan five laps later as the former teammates for Andretti Autosport jousted through the late laps.

Swapping the lead several more times, the race battle between the #82 and #26 was settled with 18 laps remaining when Marco Andretti powered by Kanaan. The moment Andretti got an advantage on the #82, the #26 aggressively skated in front of the KV Racing Technology car. This was the winning move Marco Andretti used to cross the start/finish line first for the Iowa Corn Indy 250.

While Marco Andretti considers the series one race at a time, many IZOD INDYCAR Series observers questioned whether the third generation driver deserved the support he had received having only won a single INDYCAR event in 2006 at Watkins Glen. In an interview with XSL Speed Reporter last year, Marco Andretti

Somewhat unhappy with the winning pass claiming "It was pretty clean until he chopped me off.", Tony Kanaan also confessed the 24 year-old Andretti drove a great race. The second place for the KV Racing Technology team at Iowa Speedway is the best result the organization has recorded on an IZOD INDYCAR series oval.

Coming from even farther through the IZOD INDYCAR at Iowa Speedway, Scott Dixon took the 3rd and final podium position. Starting an uncharacteristic 23rd after sliding in qualifying, Dixon succeeded in outperforming his teammate Dario Franchitti who led 172 of the race's 250 laps. As Franchitti finished 5th, a 4th place result went to the impressive rookie driver JR Hildebrand. Amusingly with Hildebrand, he drove the #4 car to 4th in qualifying before he ultimated maintained his spot for the Iowa race's finish.

Concluding the running order of the top-10 of the 2011 Iowa Corn Indy 250 was Ryan Briscoe, Helio Castroneves, Ryan Hunter-Reay, James Hinchcliffe and Danica Patrick.

2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series
Iowa Corn Indy 250
Race Results

Pos # | Car # | Driver/ Nationality/ Race Team

1. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
2. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
3. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
4. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
5. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
6. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
7. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
8. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/Andretti Autosport
9. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
10. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
11. 67 Ed Carpenter/United States/Sarah Fisher Racing
12. 22 Justin Wilson/England/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
13. 19 Alex Lloyd/England/Dale Coyne Racing
14. 2 Oriol Servia/Spanish/ Newman/Haas Racing
15. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
16. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ Sam Schmidt Racing
17. 58 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
18. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
19. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
20. 34 Sebastian Saavedra/Columbia/ Conquest Racing
21. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
22. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
23. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold
24. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
25. 27 Mike Conway/England/Andretti Autosport

78 Simona de Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing (Car withdrew following driver de Silvestro not receiving medical clearance to compete. Team credited with a 26th place result.)

Sato Scales Iowa Qualifying for First INDYCAR Pole

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

After a hard-knock rookie year that resulted in the former Formula 1 driver crashed out 10 times through the 17-race 2010 IZOD INDYCAR Series season, Japan's Takuma Sato and KV Racing Technology entered 2011 ready to embrace a better on-track performance. Starting the season off with a 5th place finish on the Streets of St Petersburg event wheeling the #5 KV Racing Technology car, Sato also enjoyed some success on the Milwaukee Mile oval. Finishing 8th in the event, Takuma Sato overcame being faulted for contact with a crew member in pit lane. In the time trials for the Iowa Corn Indy 250, Sato's transition from the Formula 1 world championship to the IZOD INDYCAR tour involved a major progression. Lapping the 7/8 mile Iowa Speedway in 35.6857 seconds, sophomore driver Takuma Sato stormed a surprise pole position.

Takuma Sato's top qualifying effort came hours before a collision on track. During IZOD INDYCAR Series practice, Sato and the #77 Sam Schmidt Racing of Alex Tagliani collided. "I was approaching on the outside at a much greater closing speed because I think (Tagliani) was just coming out of the pits." Sato said regarding the accident. Alex Tagliani said overwards that the #5 car didn't gave enough room on the oval disappointed for his team.

While the presence of Takuma Sato on the pole served as unusual, the entire Friday evening qualifying session for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 took on an interesting complexion. Starting with Sato on the front row is Andretti Autosport driver Danica Patrick who was little more than 3/100th of a second slower than the #5 KV Racing Technology car. For Patrick and the #7 Godaddy.com Dallara-Honda, this is the 29 year old's highest starting spot since Homestead of 2008.

Starting directly behind his teammate, Tony Kanaan continues to the #82 Geico-sponsored KV Racing Technology race car a week after a near victory at the Milwaukee Mile. Driving for Andretti Autosport last season, Kanaan captured the win at Iowa Speedway for the team's second and final 2010 series victory.

Behind 4th place starting JR Hildebrand, Penske Racing's Will Power secured a row three starting spot for the Saturday night event. After being considered a road course warrior only, Power has been vastly improved in oval racing competition. At Iowa Speedway, Will Power has a 5th place finish in 2010 and a 9th place result during the 2008 season when he drove for KV Racing Technology.

Tied in the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR overall standings with Will Power heading into Iowa, Dario Franchitti will roll off beside his #12 car rival. James Hinchcliffe, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Mike Conway and Ryan Briscoe rounds out the top-10 in qualifying for the Iowa Corn Indy 250. Only 3/10th of a second separated pole sitter Takuma Sato and 10th place Ryan Briscoe in qualifying.

Two events of note is the presence of one front-running competitor in the rear and another series favourite on the sidelines. Almost spinning out in qualifying, the #9 car of Scott Dixon will be third to last in the starting lineup. "We are just way too loose and it was not what we're looking for." the New Zealand drive said as he prepares to launch from a 23rd place position.

Not racing at the Saturday night event on the Iowa Speedway oval will be Simona de Silvestro. The Swiss driver appeared at the race track Friday but did not receive medical clearance to drive for this IZOD INDYCAR Series event. Having undergone the standard IMPACT test, INDYCAR Medical Director Dr. Michael Olinger noted that de Silvestro was showing post-concussion symptoms following a practice crash in Milwaukee qualifying this week. Following de Silvestro's evaluation, her HVM Racing team decided to head back to their race shop and sit out the Iowa event.

Unleashing the 25-car IZOD INDYCAR Series field, the Iowa Corn Indy 250 is set to roll at 8pm Saturday night.

 

Qualifying ResultsIowa Speedway

1. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
2. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
3. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology
4. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
5. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
6. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
7. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
8. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/Andretti Autosport
9. 27 Mike Conway/England/Andretti Autosport
10. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
11. 2 Oriol Servia/Spanish/ Newman/Haas Racing
12. 22 Justin Wilson/England/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
13. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
14. 67 Ed Carpenter/United States/Sarah Fisher Racing
15. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ Sam Schmidt Racing
16. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
17. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
18. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold
19. 58 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
20. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
21. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
22. 19 Alex Lloyd/England/Dale Coyne Racing
23. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
24. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
25. 34 Sebastian Saavedra/Columbia/ Conquest Racing

78 Simona de Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing (Car withdrew following driver de Silvestro not receiving medical clearance to compete)

Iowa Corn Indy 250

Pos | Car #  | Driver/ Nationality/ Team

INDYCAR Iowa Speedway Schedule & Weather Forecast: June 24th to 25th 2011

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

Newton, Iowa
Iowa Speedway
IZOD INDYCAR/ Firestone Indy Lights


Friday:

11:00 am Firestone Indy Lights Practice
Temperature: 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

12:00 pm- IZOD INDYCAR Series Practice
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

3:15 pm- Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

4:15 pm-IZOD INDYCAR Series Qualifying
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (75 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Sun with clouds
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

6:30 pm- Firestone Indy Lights Practice
Temperature: 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy with sun
Chance of Precipitation: 0%

7:30 pm- IZOD INDYCAR Series Practice
Temperature: 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Partly Cloudy/ Night
Chance of Precipitation: 0%


Saturday:

5:40 pm- Firestone Indy Lights Sukup 100
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorms
Chance of Precipitation: 40%

8 pm- IZOD INDYCAR Series Iowa Corn Indy 250 Race
Temperature: 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit)
Sky Conditions: Cloudy with chance of thunderstorms
Chance of Precipitation: 40%

Kyle Busch Wins 9th NASCAR Nationwide Race at Iowa

By Lee Montgomery
Special to Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(July 31, 2010)

NEWTON, Iowa—Even when he doesn't get any practice, Kyle Busch still wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Busch won his ninth NASCAR Nationwide race of 2010, his sixth in his last seven starts and 39th of his career by dominating the U.S. Cellular 250 in front of 55,988 fans at Iowa Speedway.

"I really like these cars," Busch said. "It's fun, man. I've really grown accustomed to these things and have learned how to drive them. You can really drive the Nationwide cars hard because they don't have a whole lot of horsepower, so you can really try to make up a lot by being able to get more out of the car, driver-wise."

Busch missed Saturday morning's rain-delayed practice, making it to Iowa from Pocono in time for qualifying. In his first laps in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, he earned the second position. Brad Coleman practiced Busch's car.

"It would've been better if I could've sat on the pole," Busch said. "Darn Trevor Bayne."

Bayne may have won the pole, but Busch's car was clearly dominant in the race, even without Busch practicing it. Busch led four times for 209 laps.

"It says a lot about the team, it says a lot about my confidence as a driver and my confidence in the team that they can prepare great racecars—and also (backup driver) Brad Coleman and what he does. I told (crew chief) Jason (Ratcliff) before the start of this thing, 'Man, if I win this thing, I just might not practice any more.' I think I screw it up more when I practice it."

Busch restarted sixth after a pit stop for four tires with 42 laps to go, passing four cars in one lap to move to second behind Kevin Harvick, who changed only right-side tires.

"We got five, six cars in between ourselves and Kyle, and that's really what we wanted to do," Harvick said. "We just didn't expect him to pass them all in one lap. That was our best chance, to try to get in front of him, and hopefully have him get caught up in traffic."

Busch passed Harvick with 24 laps to go and pulled away for the victory, spoiling Nationwide's Dash 4 Cash program. Since Busch was ineligible because he hasn't run all the Nationwide Series races this year, an eligible driver can win $75,000 if he wins at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 6.

Harvick ended up second, with Jason Leffler third, with points leader Brad Keselowski fourth and Bayne fifth. Sixth through 10th were Steve Wallace, Michael Annett, Justin Allgaier, Matt DiBenedetto and Carl Edwards.

Iowa's second NASCAR Nationwide race saw two red flags in the first 100 laps. The first red was for Reed Sorenson's wreck in Turn 1 on Lap 42, caused by a melted bead on the right-front tire. The second came 51 laps later, when Brian Keselowski nailed a prone Colin Braun in Turn 2.

Braun, who wrecked his primary car in qualifying, had spun off the corner before getting slammed by Keselowski. Three other cars were involved, but none of the drivers were hurt.

Bayne became the youngest driver in series history to win three consecutive poles as he claimed the top spot for the 250-lap race. Bayne is the fourth driver to accomplish the feat and the first in 18 years. The others were Sam Ard, Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Michael Waltrip.

Brad Keselowski extended his series points lead over Edwards to 231 points.

Kanaan Curbs Winless Streak with Iowa Corn 250 IndyCar Win

Photo Credit: Sean Gritzmacher


Though only a 7/8 mile oval (the smallest circuit on the 2010 IRL schedule), the IZOD IndyCar Series at the Iowa Speedway has provided enough room for some entertaining events. Receiving warm accolades for being built to the specs for modern racing, including a wide pit road and a outside retaining wall built specifically with SAFER barriers in mind, the Iowa oval is a fantastic track for multi-groove racing.

Without completing a single lap, the Iowa Corn 250 fell under its first caution when the #22 car driven by Justin Wilson swept backwards up the track. Regrettably, the backward collision of Wilson caught the #32 KV Racing Technology car of Mario Moraes taking the Brazilian out of the event. Though two drivers were alright, they were also out of the event early. Disappointed for the sudden loss of control of the Dallara-Honda, Justin Wilson ended the day saying "It's obviously not how I wanted today to be and I feel sorry for everyone on the Charter car and the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing and also for Mario and his guys. He was an unfortunate bystander". Starting with some strong road course runs to the 2010 season, Justin Wilson and his Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team has found the ovals to be problematic. In the past 4 oval races on the IZOD IndyCar schedule Wilson had only one top 10 finish resulting in the Indy 500. Justin Wilson is definitely looking forward to the road course of Waltkins Glen not only for the before mentioned reason but because this was the race the Brit won last year.

Though Penske Racing's Will Power started on the pole position, the #12 Verizon car would be spending a short time amongst the front. Leading the first 32 laps for the day, the Penske Racing car of Power will be unseated at the front by the #26 of Marco Andretti. the first lead change of the race, the front position would be swapped 16 times during the Iowa Corn 250 event. Leading the most of the 250 laps was the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing #10 of Dario Franchitti. Taking the lead on lap 45, Franchitti led until a lap 52 debris caution, the second time the yellow flew on the day so far. Most cars took the opportunity to pit with exception to the #24 Dad's Root Beer car being driven for the weekend by Graham Rahal. Initially thought by observers as a bold attempt to gain track position, Rahal would confess in post-race that his presence in the lead was a result of radio troubles.

After 5 laps under green, Dario Franchitti would take the lead from Graham Rahal and the #24 Dreyer & Reinbold Racing car was required to pit lane for refueling as well as tires. Without letting Franchitti capturing on the glory for the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing team at Iowa, the #9 team car of Scott Dixon would make a competitive move on his Scottish teammate as the two Target cars swapped the lead 4 times between lap 68 to lap 116. The race was slowed again for a Sarah Fisher accident in turn 4 allowing an opportune caution where teams could pit.

Restarted on lap 112 for the Iowa Corn 250, the Target/Chip Ganassi Racing cars would soon meet a very hungry and very fast Andretti Autosport #11 car hovering in their mirrors. Tony Kanaan bolted from a 15th place starting spot in just under half the race distance with credit going to teammate Ryan Hunter-Reay for aiding the Brazilian on a race setup. Making full use of his teammate's setup, Kanaan took the lead on lap 120.

Having a terrific performance, the KV Racing Technology team had two cars within the top-10 of the running order led by the #5 Lotus Engineering car driven by Takuma Sato. Running incident-free for more than 75% of the Iowa Corn 250, the Japanese rookie's race ended on lap 17 8 when his #5 car swept into the turn 4 wall.

Through the final pit stops for the leaders under this caution for Sato, an anxious moment developed within the Andretti Autosport team. As Kanaan was being serviced by the #11 crew members, the #37 of Ryan Hunter-Reay darted into his pit and almost made contact with the #11 team's front tire changer. The incident was a near miss as crew member was not seriously hurt and both Andretti Autosport cars were initially sent back into competition. However, IRL later summoned Ryan Hunter-Reay to pit road for a drive-through penalty for making contact with pit equipment.

After the pit stop, Dario Franchitti was positioned convincingly for his 3rd win at Iowa Speedway. However, a challenge from Penske Racing's Helio Castroneves kept pressure on the Scot's #10 car. Franchitti's desire for Iowa victory ended after late in the event when his Dallara-Honda experienced gear-shifting issues regulating the 2010 Indy 500 winner into pit road and several laps down. Finishing 18th in the race, Dario Franchitti lost the overall IZOD IndyCar Series points lead falling to third as well as the AJ Foyt Oval championship points lead.

With Castroneves now in the lead in his #3 car, the #11 of Tony Kanaan begin a triumphant charge back to the front. With only 10 laps remaining, the duo of the Brazilian IndyCar drivers was resolved with Kanaan streaking by Castroneves winning the Iowa Corn 250. The first win for Kanaan since Richmond of 2008, Tony Kanaan was understandably ecstatic about being in victory lane. This victory for the #11 team was also the second win of the season for Andretti Autosport signalizing that the IZOD IndyCar series could be showing signs of having three strong superteams.

With Tony Kanaan's first win in about two years proving as a significant storyline, some special credit should be paid to the finish of KV Racing Technology's EJ Viso pulling out a brilliant 3rd place run. The last of the KV Racing Technology cars left in the Iowa Speedway event, the Venezuelan moved from 19th to score this personal-first podium position.

As Dario Franchitti falls from the top of the 2010 IZOD IndyCar series overall points lead, Will Power retakes the lead enduring the four-race oval stretch which saw the Australian nonetheless with only an 11 point lead over Scott Dixon.


2010 IZOD IndyCar Series Iowa Corn 250 Race Results

1. 11 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ Andretti Autosport
2. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
3. 8 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
4. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
5. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
6. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
7. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
8. 37 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/ Andretti Autosport
9. 24 Graham Rahal/South Africa/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
10. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
11. 4 Dan Wheldon/England/ Panther Racing
12. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ FAZZT Race Team
13. 19 Alex Lloyd/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
14. 2 Raphael Matos/Brazil/ Luczo Dragon/de Ferran Motorsports
15. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
16. 34 Mario Romancini/Brazil/ Conquest Racing
17. 36 Bertrand Baguette/Belgium/ Conquest Racing
18. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
19. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
20. 06 Hideki Mutoh/ Japan/ Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing
21. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland HVM Racing
22. 67 Sarah Fisher/United States/ Sarah Fisher Racing
23. 18 Milka Duno/Venezuela/ Dale Coyne Racing
24. 22 Justin Wilson/England/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
25. 32 Mario Moraes/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology