The NTT IndyCar Series returns to Newton, Iowa, this Friday to kick off a weekend of open-wheel racing at the Iowa Speedway. Qualifying for the Indy NXT by Firestone 100 race and autograph sessions with both Indy NXT and NTT IndyCar drivers will take place on Friday. Qualifying for the two NTT series races will take place on Saturday morning, followed by the Indy NXT by Firestone 100 at 12:30 p.m. and the NTT Series Synk 275 at 4:30 p.m. The NTT Series Farm to Finish 275 will cap off the weekend on Sunday, starting at noon. The current forecast calls for thunderstorms on Friday, so that might throw a wrench in the schedule for NXT qualifying.

Indy NXT By Firestone 100

The Indy developmental race on Saturday will feature a battle between top NXT Series teams Andretti Global and HMD Motorsports. Both teams have two drivers in the Top Five of the points standings. Andretti’s Dennis Hauger has had a dominant start to the 2025 season. In eight starts, he has already racked up six poles, seven Top Five finishes, and five wins. Hauger leads teammate Lochie Hughes by 47 points in the standings. Hughes has two poles, eight Top Five finishes, and two wins.

IndyCar NXT driver Dennis Hauger drives around Turn 8 during the Detroit Grand Prix. Junfu Han-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

HMD hopes to cut into Andretti’s 103-point lead in the team standings this weekend. Caio Callet (288) and Josh Pierson (224) are third and fifth, respectively, in points. Callet has seven Top Five finishes and one win to his credit, while Pierson has finished in the Top Five four times. Keep an eye out for Myles Rowe of Abel Motorsports on Saturday, as well. He has six Top Five finishes this year and is poised to break through and take the checkered flag at some point this season.

NTT IndyCar Series Synk 275 and Farm To Finish 275

The NTT Series doubleheader weekend at the Iowa Speedway will kick off on Saturday with the Synk 275 and culminate with the Farm to Finish 275 on Sunday. It is a rare opportunity for the NTT Series drivers, as it is the only doubleheader weekend on the 2025 racing schedule. Double the races means double the points up for grabs, so teams will definitely have this weekend circled on their calendars.

The NTT Series has been dominated thus far by Álex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing. Through ten races, Palou holds a 113-point lead in the standings. He has six wins and eight Top Five finishes, and he has taken the pole in three races. The three-time points champ has been strong in road races, but finally broke through and won his first oval race at Indianapolis in May. Despite not being a big oval fan, he did have the second-fastest test time at the track.

The fastest test time belonged to Conor Daly (#18 in the standings). His only two Top Ten finishes this year have been on ovals — at Indianapolis and Illinois. Daly’s test has made him a dark-horse pick to break through and pick up a win in one of the races this weekend. Kyle Kirkwood (second in points) already has an oval victory in Illinois on his résumé this year, one of three wins so far this season. He would love to cut into Palou’s point lead this weekend. Two other names to watch this weekend are Pato O’Ward (five Top Five finishes this year) and Josef Newgarden. Newgarden has six wins at the Iowa Speedway, including both races in 2023.

End Of My IndyCar Iowa Motor Speedway Rant

Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden. George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Most IndyCar fans will all have their eyes on Palou and Kirkwood (Andretti Autosport) after their fast starts to the season. I think both will finish in the Top Ten in both races, but I don’t see either winning a race this weekend. Look for Daly (Juncos Hollinger Racing) to get his third Top Ten finish of the year in one of the two races. O’Ward (McLaren) and Scott Dixon (Ganassi) seem like locks to log Top Ten finishes in both races, as well.

My money is on someone from Team Penske taking each of the two NTT races. After Newgarden won one of the races in 2022 and both races in 2023, his Penske teammates Will Power and Scott McLaughlin took the two races last year. All three struggled at times during testing, but Team Penske always seems to excel at Iowa. I will go with Newgarden and Power to take the victories in Iowa this year. Expect Hauger to continue his dominance in the NXT race.

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NEWTON, Iowa — The most successful IndyCar driver in Iowa Speedway history and the best IndyCar Series driver this season will start on the pole for the two races of the Sukup IndyCar Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway.

Six-time Iowa Speedway winner Josef Newgarden of Team Penske will start on the pole for Saturday’s Synk 275.

IndyCar Series points leader Alex Palou of Chip Ganassi Racing will start on the pole of Sunday’s Farm to Finish 275.

Newgarden claimed the 19th pole of his IndyCar career, tying him with Danny Sullivan for 16th on the all-time list, with the fastest first lap of a two-lap qualification effort.

Newgarden’s first-lap speed was 183.999 miles per hour around the .894-mile Iowa Speedway oval in the No. 2 Astemo Chevrolet for Team Penske.

Palou had the fastest second lap of any driver in the two-lap format at 184.014 miles per hour in the No. 10 DHL Honda for Chip Ganassi Racing. Palou enters the weekend with a 113-point lead over Kyle Kirkwood in the battle for the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series Championship.

This is perhaps the most unique IndyCar qualifying format outside of the Indianapolis 500 as each driver complete two laps at speed with the first lap filling the field for the first race of the doubleheader. The second lap completes the starting field for the second end of the doubleheader.

Each qualifying attempt started on the second time past the flag stand.

The top five starters for the Saturday’s Synk 275 include Newgarden on the pole, Conor Daly’s No. 76 Chevrolet for Juncos Hollinger Racing with a fast lap at 183.714 mph, Felix Rosenqvist’s No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda at 183.645 mph, Palou’s No. 28 Honda at 183.596 mph, and Pato O’Ward’s No 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at 183.096 mph.

“Unfortunately, the cars are just so close,” Newgarden said. “Very close today. I don’t want to say it was easy, but they’re kind of easy to drive in this state. That’s why you saw the lap times so very, very, very close, and you sort of prioritize lap one, lap two.

“Definitely with the hybrid usage, depending how you use it throughout the run, it’s going to favor lap one or lap two, and then each one is important because it dictates the grid for each race.

“I think our lap one was really solid. I don’t know that we could have done much better except being riskier and putting something more aggressive on the car.

“Then lap two was good as well. So, we’re in the mix. It’s certainly a tough qualifying session because you got to get it just right.”

The top five for Sunday’s Farm to Finish 275 include Palou’s 184.014 mph, Rosenqvist’s 183.975 mph, David Malukas No. 4 A.J. Foyt Racing Chevrolet at 183.369 mph, Newgarden’s No. 2 Chevrolet at 183.316 mph and Nolan Siegel’s No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet at 183.194 mph.

“I prefer if it’s not a doubleheader,” Palou said. “Like today I’m happy, but I’m not over the moon because we’re starting fourth. We wanted to celebrate, but the 2 car (Newgarden) were celebrating and taking the pictures.

“We’re, like, ‘Oh, this feels weird.’

“Yeah, it’s good. At least we got pole in one of those.”

Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin crashed on his first qualification lap when he lost control in Turn 1 and backed into the wall. He will start last in the 27-car field in both races.

Because track owner NASCAR repaved the lower lane in the turns with a different surface for the NASCAR Cup Series race, it created a tremendous challenge for the IndyCar race. Two different track surfaces wreak havoc on the grip level for the Indy cars.

IndyCar had a high-lane session in Saturday morning’s practice session and forced the drivers to run in that area. Although it helped with the grip level, the race may be a different scenario.

“It’s not an exact science,” Newgarden said. “They’re in a tough spot right now with this formula. I think the only way to get people to go up top is to take downforce off right now.

“One thing doesn’t work at every track are. The formula that’s currently in place here, if you want people to go find different grip and to use the second lane, I think you have to take downforce off.

“I said I don’t want to talk too early because you never know. This could be a great race. It’s one thing to say a prediction in here and then all of a sudden, we have an amazing race. That’s why I say it’s not an exact science.

“You almost have to run the race to see that the package and formula work. I don’t think it’s probably exactly where it needs to be, but let’s give it some time. We’ll find out here in a couple of hours.”

Newgarden also believes any future races at Iowa Speedway should be a one-race format, instead of a doubleheader.

“I don’t know we need doubleheaders anywhere,” Newgarden said. “We just need enough tracks and enough different track types. I think that’s the correct formula for us.

“Doubleheaders really got introduced at times through necessity on the schedule, but I think ideally you shouldn’t need them.”

Josef Newgarden and Alex Palou will be the polesitters for this weekend’s Sukup INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway.

In qualifying, Team Penske driver Newgarden earned the top spot for today’s Synk 275 powered by Sukup with a lap of 183.999 mph. Palou, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES points leader who drives for Chip Ganassi Racing, grabbed the No. 1 starting spot for Sunday’s Farm to Finish 275 powered by Sukup with a session-best 184.014.

SEE: Qualifying Results Race 1 | Qualifying Results Race 2

Today’s race (5 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Sports app, INDYCAR Radio Network) will be the 11th race of the season. Sunday’s race will be at 1 p.m. on the same broadcast outlets.

Coincidentally, Newgarden and Palou will each start fourth in the race where they aren’t the polesitter.

Qualifying was based on two-lap runs, with the first lap setting the table for Race 1 and the second lap determining where the driver will start in Race 2. Newgarden is a six-time series race winner at this short oval.

Newgarden’s pole was his first of the season and the 19th of his career. That ties him with Danny Sullivan for 16th place on the sport’s all-time list.

Palou earned his fourth pole of the season and the 10th of his career. He became the 42nd driver to score double-digit poles in INDYCAR. His other poles this season came at Barber Motorsports Park, on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course and last weekend at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He has a series-high six race wins and leads Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood by 113 points with a pole point earned here.

Juncos Hollinger Racing’s Conor Daly will join Newgarden on the front row for today’s race; Felix Rosenqvist of Meyer Shank Racing w/Curb-Agajanian will be alongside Palou when the green flag drops Sunday.

Scott McLaughlin and Will Power won last year’s races at this .894-mile oval. McLaughlin will start at the tail end of both fields this weekend after crashing in Turn 1 on his first lap. He was not injured.

Josef Newgarden is on pole for the Synk 275 powered by Sukup at the Iowa Speedway on Saturday, July 12.

Newgarden averaged a speed of 183.999 with a time of 00:17.4914. He will be joined by Conor Daly on the first row. Felix Rosenqvist will start third and Alex Palou will be fourth.

Will Newgarden get his first win of the season? Follow along for live updates.

Nathan Brown is your best IndyCar follow, and keep up with coverage throughout the season with IndyStar’s motorsports newsletter.

IndyCar starting grid for Synk 275 at Iowa Raceway on July 12, 2025

Row 1

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1, Josef Newgarden

2, Conor Daly

Row 2

3, Felix Rosenqvist

4, Alex Palou

Row 3

5, Pato O’Ward

6, Scott Dixon

Row 4

7, Will Power

8, Nolan Siegel

Row 5

9, Santino Ferrucci

10, David Malukas

Row 6

11, Marcus Armstrong

12, Louis Foster

Row 7

13, Alexander Rossi

14, Graham Rahal

Row 8

15, Marcus Ericsson

16, Robert Shwartzman

Row 9

17, Callum Ilott

18, Kyle Kirkwood

Row 10

19, Christian Rasmussen

20, Devlin DeFrancesco

Row 11

21, Christian Lundgaard

22, Kyffin Simpson

Row 12

23, Colton Herta

24, Sting Ray Robb

Row 13

25, Rinus Veekay

26, Jacob Abel

Row 14

27, Scott McLaughlin

Scott McLaughlin crashes in qualifying

Scott McLaughlin ran into the wall on his first lap. He’ll start at the back of the field.

IndyCar schedule at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, July 12

10-10:30 a.m.: IndyCar high-line practice (two 15-minute split-field sessions), FS2

10:45-11:30 a.m.: IndyCar full-field practice, FS2

Noon-1 p.m.: Indy NXT race, 75 laps, FS1

1:30-2:30 p.m.: IndyCar qualifying, FS1

5-7:30 p.m.: IndyCar race 1, 275 laps, Fox

IndyCar schedule at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, July 13

1-3:30 p.m.: IndyCar race 2, 275 laps, Fox

What channel are IndyCar races at Iowa Speedway on?

TV on Saturday: Coverage begins at 5 p.m. ET, Saturday, July 12, 2025, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 5:20 p.m. Will Buxton is the play-by-play voice, with analysts James Hinchcliffe and Townsend Bell. Kevin Lee and Jack Harvey are the pit reporters.

TV on Sunday: Coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 13, 2025, on Fox. Green flag is scheduled for 1:20 p.m.

How can I stream the IndyCar races at Iowa Speedway?

FoxSports.com, Fox Sports app.

How can I listen to IndyCar races at Iowa Speedway?

IndyCar Nation is on SiriusXM Channel 218, IndyCar Live and the IndyCar Radio Network (check affiliates for each race)

2025 IndyCar Series schedule

The 2025 IndyCar Series schedule includes 17 races, all televised on Fox. (Times are ET; %-downtown street course, &-road course, *-oval)

March 2, St. Petersburg, Florida % (Winner: Alex Palou)

March 23, Thermal, California & (Winner: Alex Palou)

April 13, Long Beach, California % (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood)

May 4, Birmingham, Alabama & (Winner: Alex Palou)

May 10, Indianapolis & (Winner: Alex Palou)

May 25, Indianapolis 500 * (Winner: Alex Palou)

June 1, Detroit % (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood)

June 15, St. Louis * (Winner: Kyle Kirkwood)

June 22, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin & (Winner: Alex Palou)

July 6, Lexington, Ohio &, 1 p.m.

July 12, Newton, Iowa *, 5 p.m.

July 13, Newton, Iowa *, 1 p.m.

July 20, Toronto %, noon

July 27, Monterey, California &, 3 p.m.

Aug. 10, Portland &, 3 p.m.

Aug. 24, Milwaukee *, 2 p.m.

Aug. 31, Nashville *, 2:30 p.m.

IndyCar drivers for 2025

(Team and drivers; *-Indianapolis 500 only)

IndyCar Series championship points 2025

(Through 10 of 17 races)

Honda is a perfect 10-for-10 in 2025, including both oval wins this season at Indianapolis Motor Speedway by NTT INDYCAR SERIES championship leader Alex Palou and at World Wide Technology Raceway by Kyle Kirkwood.

But Iowa Speedway has been Chevrolet territory, with nine straight wins. Team Penske has dominated, claiming eight of those, including a 2024 doubleheader sweep by Scott McLaughlin and Will Power, and 2023 weekend sweep by Josef Newgarden.

Power and Arrow McLaren driver Pato O’Ward also have finished second in five of the last seven Iowa races, while Penske has also scored 11 NTT P1 Awards in the last 13 races here. However, only one pole-sitter has won at Iowa in the last 21 attempts – Newgarden in 2020.

Can Honda break Chevy’s grip? Will Penske stay near-perfect in Iowa?

The Synk 275 powered by Sukup starts at 5 p.m. ET Saturday, with the Farm to Finish 275 powered by Sukup taking the green flag at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Both races air on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

Favorites

Josef Newgarden (No. 2 Astemo Team Penske Chevrolet)

Despite a brutal stretch with finishes 25th, 25th and 27th in his last three starts this season, Newgarden could be the comeback story of the weekend. He has dominated at Iowa in the past with six wins in 16 starts, including a 2023 sweep and 1,847 laps led at the .894-mile short track, including nine of his last 13 starts leading 111 or more laps. He’s been especially strong in Race 1, with four straight top fives compared with two top-five finishes in Race 2, both being wins.

Scott McLaughlin (No. 3 XPEL (Race 1), Gallagher Insurance (Race 2) Team Penske Chevrolet)

McLaughlin, like Newgarden, has suffered bad luck on circle tracks this season. He crashed on the pace lap at Indy and suffered a mechanical DNF at WWTR. Also, he enters with a string of finishes of 30th, 12th, 24th, 12th and 23rd, respectively, in the last five races this season. Still, he won Race 1 at Iowa last year, earning his first oval win, and followed that with a third-place finish in Race 2. He’s riding a streak of five straight top-five finishes at Iowa.

Pato O’Ward (No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet)

O’Ward enters Iowa as a clear contender, boasting four podium finishes in his last six starts at the short oval. He won Race 2 in 2022 and finished runner-up in Race 1 last year. His Race 1 record is especially strong, with finishes of fourth, second, third and second, respectively. Though Race 2 has been more up-and-down (including a win and a 12th), his oval form this season – third in the “500” and runner-up at WWTR – makes him one to watch.

Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet)

Power finally broke through for his first Iowa win last year in his 18th start, capping a strong recent run at the track. He’s landed five podiums in his last seven Iowa races, including three runner-up finishes. Power has been dominant in Race 2, with finishes of second, second, second and first since 2020. Race 1 has been less consistent, with results of 21st, third, fifth, and 18th. Still, his Race 2 form makes him a serious threat.

Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Fresh off his Indy 500 win, Palou is building momentum on ovals. He finished second in Iowa’s Race 2 last year and has two podiums in his last three Race 2 starts. While Race 1 has been less kind with no top-fives in four tries, Palou has shown strong pace. He crashed while running in the top 10 in Race 1 last year. Can Palou end Chip Ganassi Racing’s recent Iowa drought (0-for-18 since 2009)?

Sleepers

David Malukas (No. 4 Clarience Technologies Chevrolet)

Malukas has quietly built a solid oval résumé. Though last year’s Iowa outings with Meyer Shank Racing yielded finishes of 26th and 13th, he posted back-to-back eighth-place finishes in Race 2 with Dale Coyne Racing in 2022 and 2023. His Race 1 results of 14th and 12th were less impressive but consistent. Malukas also shined at the Indy 500 with a runner-up finish and showed speed at WWTR, qualifying fourth and leading 67 laps before a late mistake dropped him to 12th. He’s a dark horse with upside.

Scott Dixon (No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda)

Dixon may be winless in 21 Iowa starts, but don’t count him out. The six-time series champion has quietly strung together nine straight top-six finishes at the short oval, including a pair of runner-up results. Despite Iowa being one of only five active tracks he hasn’t conquered, Dixon’s consistency keeps him in the conversation. He’s not a favorite, but he’s absolutely a sleeper with the experience and pace to steal a win.

Santino Ferrucci (No. 14 Sexton Properties/AJ Foyt Racing Chevrolet)

Ferrucci showed promise last season with a sixth and 11th place at Iowa, his and AJ Foyt Racing’s first races at this oval with a Team Penske technical alliance. Strong top-five finishes in the Indy 500 and at World Wide Technology Raceway this year make him a driver to watch this weekend.

Colton Herta (No. 26 Gainbridge Honda)

Herta showed strong pace at Iowa last year, leading 86 laps in Race 1, his best showing in four attempts, before finishing 11th. He improved in Race 2 with a solid fifth-place finish, following a seventh the year before. Herta’s qualifying has been impressive, too, with six top-six starts in his last eight visits. However, Andretti Global Andretti drivers are 0-for-11 at Iowa since winning seven of the first nine races at the bull ring. But Andretti Global has won two of the last three oval races in the series, with Herta victorious in the 2024 season finale at Nashville Superspeedway and Kirkwood winning last month at WWTR.

Marcus Ericsson (No. 28 Delaware Life Honda)

Ericsson has been solid at Iowa, never finishing worse than 11th until a 23rd-place result in Race 2 last year. He posted strong runs with a fourth and ninth in 2023 and followed with a ninth-place finish in Race 1 last year. Consistent and competitive, Ericsson remains a contender.