Let’s race (and play two) for the second consecutive year at Iowa Speedway.
The shortest track on the NTT IndyCar Series circuit again will play host to the race weekend with the biggest championship implications and the longest pre- and postrace shows. The Hy-Vee Race Weekend will feature five hours of concerts (with Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Zac Brown Band and Ed Sheeran) sandwiched around twin 250-lappers on the 0.894-mile oval.
The Saturday and Sunday races will mark the only doubleheader of the 2023 season, and possibly its most consequential championship weekend with the Indy 500 reduced from double to single points this season. More points will be up for grabs at Iowa than any 2023 race weekend, providing a double-shot of hope for those trying to catch runaway points leader Alex Palou.
With his runner-up finish at Toronto (his fourth consecutive podium and eighth consecutive top five), Palou has opened a 117-point lead over Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon with seven races remaining. But Palou is a relative newcomer to ovals with only one top 10 (a sixth last year) in four starts at Iowa.
Though Dixon is winless at Iowa in 17 starts, the six-time series champion has an average finish of 6.5 there.
The track located 35 miles east of Des Moines is the best on the circuit for Josef Newgarden, who is 126 points behind Palou at third in the standings. Newgarden has four victories and six podiums in the past 10 races at Iowa.
With Simon Pagenaud continuing his recovery from a practice crash at Mid-Ohio, Conor Daly will be driving the No. 60 Dallara-Honda for Meyer Shank Racing this weekend.
IndyCar also has announced the strengthening of its rear wheel bearing retaining nuts for Iowa Speedway, which will play host to the first oval races since a tire flew over the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grandstands from a crash during the Indy 500.
Here are the details and IndyCar start times for Iowa Speedway this weekend (all times are ET):
IOWA SPEEDWAY INDYCAR START TIMES
TV: Saturday race at 3 p.m. ET on NBC; Sunday race at 2 p.m. ET on NBC. Both races also will be streamed on Peacock. Leigh Diffey is the announcer with analysts Townsend Bell and James Hinchcliffe. Dave Burns and Kevin Lee are the pit reporters. Click here for the full NBC Sports schedule for IndyCar in 2023.
Peacock also will be the streaming broadcast for both practices and qualifying and the race. Click here for more information about how to access Peacock.
POSTRACE SHOW ON PEACOCK: After the race’s conclusion, an exclusive postrace show will air on Peacock with driver interviews, postrace analysis and the podium presentation.
INDYCAR RADIO NETWORK: Mark Jaynes is the announcer with analyst Davey Hamilton; turn announcers Jake Query, Nick Yeoman and Michael Young; and pit reporters Alex Wollf, Joel Sebastianelli and Georgia Henneberry. The IndyCar and Indy NXT practice, qualifying and race sessions will air live on network affiliates, SiriusXM 160, racecontrol.indycar.com and the IndyCar app powered by NTT Data.
COMMANDS TO START ENGINES: 3:01 p.m. Saturday; 2:25 p.m. Sunday
GREEN FLAGS: 3:06 p.m. Saturday; 2:30 p.m. Sunday
GRAND MARSHALS: Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark (Saturday), Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz (Sunday)
RACE DISTANCES: Both races are 250 laps/223.5 miles on the 0.894-mile oval.
TIRE ALLOTMENT: Fourteen sets available for use during the event weekend.
FORECAST: According to Wunderground.com, it’s expected to be 80 degrees Saturday with an 8% chance of rain at the green flag. On Sunday, it’s expected to be 82 degrees with a 15% chance of rain at the green flag.
PRACTICE: Friday, 4:30 p.m. ET (Peacock)
PRACTICE RESULTS: Speeds from Friday’s session
QUALIFYING: Saturday, 9:30 a.m. (Peacock), single-car runs for two laps (the first sets Saturday’s race lineup; the second for Sunday’s race lineup)
STARTING LINEUPS: Race 1 l Race 2
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 28 cars entered at Iowa
INDY NXT RACE: Saturday, 11:10 a.m. (75 laps/67.05 miles), Peacock
INDY NXT ENTRY LIST: Click here to view the 16 drivers racing at Iowa.
INDYCAR IOWA SPEEDWAY HY-VEE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
(All times are ET)
Friday, July 21
3:15-4 p.m.: Indy NXT practice
4:30-6 p.m.: IndyCar practice (Peacock)
6:30-7:15 p.m.: Indy NXT qualifying
Saturday, July 22
9:30-10:30 a.m.: IndyCar qualifying, Race 1 and Race 2 (Peacock)
11:10 a.m.-12:10 p.m.: Indy NXT race (75 laps, Peacock)
12:50-1:50 p.m.: Carrie Underwood concert
3 p.m.: IndyCar Race 1 (250 laps, NBC, Peacock)
5:30-7 p.m.: Kenny Chesney concert
Sunday, July 23
10:05-10:15 a.m.: Warmup, Group 1
10:20-10:30 a.m.: Warmup, Group 2
Noon-1 p.m.: Zac Brown Band concert
2 p.m.: IndyCar Race 2 (250 laps, NBC, Peacock
5:15-6:45 p.m.: Ed Sheeran concert
2023 SEASON RECAPS
ROUND 1: Marcus Ericsson wins wild opener in St. Petersburg
ROUND 2: Josef Newgarden wins Texas thriller over Pato O’Ward
ROUND 3: Kyle Kirkwood breaks through for first career IndyCar victory
ROUND 4: Scott McLaughlin outduels Romain Grosjean at Barber
ROUND 5: Alex Palou dominant in GMR Grand Prix
ROUND 6: Josef Newgarden wins first Indy 500 in 12th attempt
ROUND 7: Alex Palou wins from the pole in downtown Detroit
ROUND 8: Alex Palou rebounds from crash to win Road America
ROUND 9: Alex Palou charges to Mid-Ohio victory
ROUND 10: Christian Lundgaard earns first career victory in Toronto
INDYCAR COVERAGE ON NBCSPORTS.COM
Bobby Rahal opens up on going through “hell” in May
Team Penske tire changer Caitlyn Brown makes Indy 500 history
Inside Team Penske’s bid to win another Indy 500 for “The Captain”
Annual photo shows women having an impact on Indy 500 results
Roger Penske feeling hale at another Indy 500 as Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner
Honda needed 45 seconds to approve Graham Rahal racing a Chevy at Indy
A.J. Foyt takes refuge at Indy 500 while weathering grief of wife’s death
Gordon Johncock: The most unassuming Indy 500 legend
Alex Palou on his Indy 500 pole, multitasking at 224 mph and a Chip Ganassi surprise
Marcus Ericsson, engineer Brad Goldberg have ties that run very deep
New competition elements for 2023 include an alternate oval tire
Indy 500 will be Tony Kanaan’s final race
IndyCar drivers say Thermal Club could host a race
IndyCar team owners weigh in on marketing plans, double points
Alexander Rossi fitting in well at McLaren
Phoenix takes flight: Romain Grosjean enjoying the pilot’s life
Helio Castroneves says 2023 season is “huge” for IndyCar future
How Sting Ray Robb got that name
Kyle Larson having impact on future McLaren teammates
Simon Pagenaud on why he likes teasing former teammate Josef Newgarden
HOW TO WATCH INDYCAR IN 2023: Full NBC Sports schedule