IndyCar taking unique approach to qualifying for Iowa races

By Asher Fair | Jul 16, 2020

IndyCar, Iowa (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /

IndyCar is set to use a traditional qualifying session this weekend at Iowa Speedway, but with a unique spin on it due to having two races.

For the second consecutive weekend, IndyCar is set to run a doubleheader, this time at Iowa Speedway for the first time in the track’s history.

The four-turn, 0.894-mile (1.439-kilometer) oval in Newton, Iowa was originally scheduled to host just one 300-lap race on Saturday, July 18, but due to the coronavirus pandemic and the many races which had to be axed from the schedule, IndyCar gave the bullring-type track a doubleheader with two 250-lap races, the Iowa IndyCar 250s.

For this past weekend’s doubleheader at Road America, IndyCar had two separate qualifying sessions, both on the same day as their corresponding race.

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That is not the case for this weekend. There is just one qualifying session for this weekend’s doubleheader, but that qualifying session is set to determine the starting lineups for both of these 250-lap races.

Like every oval qualifying session, sans the unique four-lap format used for Indianapolis 500 qualifying, each driver is set to complete a two-lap run, and the session is slated to be a single-car session. But the speed of the first lap will be the only speed used to set the starting lineup for the first race, while the speed of the second lap will be the only speed used to set the starting lineup for the second race.

So while unlikely, we could potentially end up seeing the driver with the slowest average speed take the pole position for one of the two races while the driver with the highest average speed fails to even qualify on the front row for either race.

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This lone qualifying session is scheduled to take place on Friday, July 17, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Gold beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET.

The first Iowa IndyCar 250 race is scheduled to take place that evening, and it is set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET. The second Iowa IndyCar 250 race is scheduled to take place at the same time on Saturday, July 18, and it is also set to be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network.