IndyCar with rare late start at Iowa Speedway

NEWTON - When the spotlight on IndyCar racing fades, the lights of Iowa Speedway will be shining bright.

That is due to a rare evening start for the open-wheel racing circuit.

After four years as a Sunday afternoon race, the IZOD IndyCar Series Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be held Saturday night. It is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., becoming just the second evening race on the 17-race schedule. The only other evening start was June 11 for the Firestone twin 275s at Texas Motor Speedway.

According to a track employee, the move was a joint decision to enhance the event, noting that racing at night is an important trait of auto racing in Iowa.

Drivers seem to be excited for the late start. Dario Franchitti, who is tied atop the overall season points standings with Will Power, has had favorable experiences at Iowa Speedway, winning in 2007 and 2009 with top-five starts all three times he has raced here. The timing will add to the exciting atmosphere.

"But I think Iowa really puts on good races, and it's a night race," Franchitti said, "it will add an extra dimension to it this year."

Driver Oriol Servia said he loves night races. Servia, who is third in points, said it provides a different atmosphere for fans to enjoy the race. They can be festive during the day and not be concerned about work the next day, if it had been on Sunday. The later start decreases the stress on race day.

"You can sleep a little more and relax and just have more time to prepare and not rush before the race," Servia said. "For me, I wouldn't have every race Saturday night, but I would definitely have more than we have. So I always welcome the ones that come this way."

The short track and the infamous bump located between Turns 1 and 2 can be challenging to drivers. Graham Rahal said the bumpy .875-mile oval could be worse when the sun sets.

"It's a place that's very physically demanding," said Rahal, who finished ninth in last year's race won by Tony Kanaan. "Mentally demanding, and I think being under the lights this year is going to make it even tougher."

Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe noted for a portion of the race drivers will have the sun glaring directly into their eyes, hindering the driver's sight for a half lap. Drivers then find themselves in shade before dealing with the sun again. The race will finish under the lights.

"Track conditions change with the temperature changing," Briscoe said. "Definitely the hardest part with that race is the sunlight blinding for a segment."

With the unseasonably cool weather Iowa has experienced recently, temperature changes may not be an issue. Danica Patrick, coming off a fifth-place finish at last week's race in Milwaukee, said if Saturday is similar to earlier in the week there won't be much difference.

“Usually, the only time it comes into play is when it's really hot in the day and very sunny and there's a lot of track temperature, and then at night it cools off a lot and the track temperature really drops,” Patrick said.

She said the move might become an attraction for the race in the future, although she said Iowa has already produced impressive crowds. The fans might benefit the most from the change.

“More than anything, night racing is just cool to watch,” Patrick said. “Our cars look good. I think we look even faster than we are, even faster than we look during the daytime. Hopefully, it's even a little more entertaining for fans.”