Rossi and NAPA Racing Team Finish Sixth at Iowa
Alexander Rossi and the NAPA AutoCare crew took home a sixth-place finish after 300 laps of racing under the lights at Iowa Speedway.
The Iowa 300 turned out to be a somewhat unusual race weekend for the NTT Data IndyCar Series. From scorching temperatures and heat advisories on Friday to thunderstorms and rain delays on Saturday, the fans and drivers endured a myriad of weather challenges.
Rossi had some challenges himself, trying to keep within striking distance of points leader Josef Newgarden. While his No. 27 NAPA AUTO PARTS Honda wasn’t as fast previous race weekends this year, he came home in sixth position – matching his best finish at Iowa Speedway (2016).
“Tonight was a (points) hit,” said Rossi. “We knew this was going to be a hard one for us and it was. We got as many points as we could and that kind of became the name of the game from there on. From where we knew we were yesterday, I think the team did a good job of maximizing what we had. This is one of the tracks where we are missing something to the competition.”
The start of the race was delayed four and a half hours due to severe weather, including lightning and heavy rain. The green flag finally waved at 11:45 p.m. ET. With a few yellow flags and a brief red flag for a light shower, Team Penske’s Newgarden came home the winner, with Scott Dixon getting second for Chip Ganassi Racing. Rossi is now 29 points behind Newgarden and remains second in the championship standings.
Next up is the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio, where Rossi won last year’s race from the pole position. The race will air Sunday, July 28 on NBC and the INDYCAR Radio Network at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Start / Finish: 6 / 6
Points Earned: 28
Points Standing / Total: 2nd / 458 pts.
Next Race: Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course – Sunday, July 28 at 3:45 p.m. ET
How to Watch or Listen: NBC at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 28; INDYCAR Radio Network Sirius 214//XM 209
NAPA: @NAPARacing
Alexander Rossi: @AlexanderRossi
Andretti Autosport: @FollowAndretti
Andretti Autosport View All
Andretti Autosport, led by racing legend Michael Andretti, boasts a wide racing portfolio rooted in tradition and designed for success.
Under the banners of Andretti Autosport and Avalanche Andretti Formula E, the Indianapolis-based team fields multiple entries across the INDYCAR SERIES, Indy Lights, the FIA Formula E World Championship and the IMSA Prototype Challenge LMP3 division. The team also competes as Walkinshaw Andretti United in the Australian Supercars category through partnership with Walkinshaw Racing and United Autosports additionally the team fields an entry in the Extreme E championship via Andretti United Extreme E.
The global racing enterprise boasts four INDYCAR SERIES championships, five Indy Light titles, one Pro Mazda championship, a Silver Class GT4 Championship and has captured victory five times at the famed Indianapolis 500. The team also holds two X Games Gold Medals and five U.S. rallycross championships.