IndyCar weekend at Iowa: 1-10
Pato and Palou get it done.
Iowa Speedway was once an IndyCar staple. It was guaranteed to be good racing, and the crowds were energetic.
Now, it is not the same.
On track passing around Iowa is at a low, and the fan atmosphere (if you can even call it that) was nonexistent.
Before the track surface repaving in 2023, IndyCar had 1,502 passes on track, with 319 of those being for position.
After the repave in 2024, IndyCar had 192 total passes. And although those numbers rose in both 2025 races, it was nowhere close to the 2023 record.
Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward took the first race with Josef Newgarden in second, and Alex Palou won race two with Scott Dixon trailing.
RACE REVIEW: (both races combined) 7/10
For both races, the first image fans saw on television was a dead, empty crowd. Not good.
The marketing and promotion of this race was horrendous, and even if NASCAR owns the track, it is a damn shame that the IndyCar weekend was thrown to the side.
Getting off my soapbox, the racing on the track was great. IndyCar looks its best on ovals, and they were zipping around the 0.89-mile course.
The first race started right away with the usual IndyCar first-lap caution, but throughout the race, Newgarden was in control. He was on pole for the first race and was easily the best car in the field for both races. Even with the best car, he was still unable to secure a win.
Mexico’s own Pato O’Ward outlasted a surging Newgarden to get Arrow McLaren’s first win of the 2025 season in race one.
O’Ward was able to get around Newgarden off pure speed alone, as the No. 2 Penske crew had faster pit stop times all day. O’Ward is one of the series’ best talents, and anytime he wins, he brings eyes to IndyCar.
Penske was able to finish in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th with Will Power in third and Scott McLaughlin in fourth.
Scotty Mac started the day down in 27th after a qualifying crash, but muscled his way through the field by taking a higher line to get some fresh air on the car.
The first race was overall a great on-track product to watch, and FOX has finally found some momentum. They did a great job of showing on-track action, not just the leaders. Will Buxton, James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell were electric in the booth, and IndyCar fans are lucky to have them.
Alex Palou started on pole for the second race, but he would face a familiar foe throughout the race in Newgarden.
Newgarden climbed his way through the field twice on Sunday, and twice, cautions ruined his race. Newgarden was on a strategy that forced him to make pit stops earlier than most of the field, and when the yellow flag flew, he was forced to stay at the spot he came out in. Brutal.
Newgarden was the class of the field in both races, and it is a shame he has nothing but a P2 in the first race to show for it. But hey, that is racing.
Palou was able to keep the field at bay in the final laps and picked up his first short oval win of his IndyCar career. The Spaniard now has all the IndyCar Infinity Stones (Indianapolis 500 pole, Indianapolis 500 win, IndyCar Championship, road course win, street course win and a short oval win).
Scott Dixon took home second place in a race where he was practically nowhere to be seen until the last 30 laps. Classic Dixon. Alongside Dixon was Meyer-Shank Racing driver Marcus Armstrong, for a fantastic result.
The second race had more action throughout, and you could see drivers start to try and move to the second line of racing as much as they could. It is possible to make Iowa a good track again, but it will need time for the repave to settle in.
BEST DRIVER: Pato O’Ward
The Mexico native picked up a win on Saturday and a fifth place on Sunday for a great doubleheader weekend.
McLaren as a team has been on an upward trajectory this season, and picking up a win against the field (and Palou lol) is very difficult.
Out of 12 races, O’Ward has nine top-10s, seven top-5s and a pole position.
MOST DISAPPOINTED DRIVER: The Fans
Yeah, the fans are not a driver, but I sure am disappointed.
It is safe to assume that Iowa Speedway is up in the air for 2026, maybe done altogether. It is a sad reality that the repave done by NASCAR ruined an IndyCar staple in recent memory for a lot of fans.
Yes, NASCAR can do whatever they want with a track THEY OWN, but the only reason NASCAR is back at Iowa is because of the success IndyCar has had.
IndyCar proved Iowa to be a great market, and then NASCAR stole it.
Am I being petty? Sure. But why wouldn’t I be petty?
Central Indiana Sports Report with Greg Mengelt
Here are both race recaps for the Central Indiana Sports Report! These podcasts are only 20-30 minutes and are a great way to hear what storylines played out throughout the weekend.
RACE 1 RECAP: Here
RACE 2 RECAP: Here
