I was able to attend the Friday night portion of the Iowa Speedway events last weekend for the USAC races and IndyCar Series qualifying. IndyCar used a new qualifying format by dividing the field into three heat races based on their practice times. The finish of the heats determined the starting grid for Saturday night. This is the first time the series has experimented with this format which had mixed reviews from team owners and drivers. The first heat only saw one pass for position as Graham Rahal won with J.R. Hildebrand making the only pass for position on the track for third place. The second and third heats were more exciting as Tony Kanaan raced from the second row to win the second heat, and Dario Franchitti passed Marco Andretti on lap eight and pulled away for a convincing win. Helio Castroneves said it best after the races, “I like it, but I don’t love it. It’s like Mom making you eat your vegetables.” But Ryan Briscoe had the idea of giving the first two heat race winners a new set of tires and allowing them to tag the tail of the fast heat for a chance to advance even more in the lineup.
The heat races were a gimmick, I liked it, but I’m not sure it sold more tickets, and we will have to see how it did on TV. Dario Franchitti had a engine fail before the race started, Will Power crashed, James Hinchliffe crashed, and the Andretti team of Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andrettin getting a 1-2 finish. It was worth the wait after a rain delay.
The USAC Challenge Midget and Silver Crown series’ competed after the IndyCar heat races. It was a pair of drivers familiar with victory lane at Iowa grabbing the wins. Bobby Santos III won the 30 lap midget race, he has won two Silver Crown races in the past, and Bobby East won his third career Silver Crown race at the 7/8 mile oval. They become three time winners at the track, a feat only accomplished by Ricky Steenhouse Jr. winning three NASCAR Nationwide series events.
The Midget race was full of excitement with six lead changes. Darren Hagen lead at the start and was passed by Cody Armstrong on lap three. After a caution Hagen used the restart to get back by Armstrong, but Armstrong took the lead again on lap nine and pulled away, but on lap 18 something mechanical went wrong for Armstrong and he had to pull in.
Inheriting the lead on lap 19 was Mario Clouser who had worked his way past the leaders from his fifth starting position, but in the end he couldn’t hold off Bobby Santos III as made the winning pass on lap 23 and pulled away.
The 100 lap Silver Crown race wasn’t quite as busy up front as pole sitter Kody Swanson grabbed the lead, but lurking right on his tail was Bobby East who seemed to have a strategy to save his tires a bit for the second half of the race.
East passed Swanson on lap 56 and pulled away for the win beating Swanson by eleven seconds. Working their way up through the field was former series champions Levi Jones who started seventh and found his way to third, and Jerry Coons Jr. who started ninth and clawed his way up to fourth.
USAC Midget Results: 1. Bobby Santos, 2. Mario Clouser, 3. Brad Kuhn, 4. Darren Hagen, 5. Adam Kramer, 6. Bobby East, 7. Tracy Hines, 8. Kody Swanson, 9. Bryan Clauson, 10. Tanner Swanson
USAC Silver Crown results: 1. Bobby East, 2. Kody Swanson, 3. Levi Jones, 4. Jerry Coons Jr., 5. Russ Gamester, 6. A.J. Fike, 7. Bud Kaeding, 8. Bobby Santos, 9. Brian Tyler, 10. Taylor Ferns
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