After a rare weekend off, the IndyCar Series is ready for their inaugural race at the new Iowa Speedway. Located in the middle of America's corn belt and about 30 miles east of Des Moines, in the town of Newton, Iowa. The Iowa Speedway is a 7/8ths of a mile oval that should present one of the best driver challenges on the Indy Car Series circuit.

"I've been to Iowa testing and I love the place. I think it's going to be an exciting race for the 7-Eleven team and I can't wait to go there,” said Tony Kanaan, currently trailing point leader Dario Franchitti by just 12 marker. “It's in the middle of nowhere with corn all around but they sure got it right. It's a fun race track. With the nature of the track and type of racing our cars are capable of producing, it will be an exciting race and people will have a blast.”

The ‘nature' of the track features progressive banking and the latest generation of the SAFER barrier. In hopes of encouraging side by side racing, Iowa Speedway designers (including NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace), incorporated progressive banking into the 60 foot wide racing surface.

The lower line is banked at 12 degrees, with the middle line 13 degrees the highest groove banked at 14 degrees. Ideally, this will allow drivers to choose between the shorter, yet flatter line, or taking the long way through the corners, but getting more banking to help them run a faster overall speed.

Ganassi Racing driver Scott Dixon is one of just a few drivers to have actually driven on the track. He performed a feasibility test last year, before the track was fully completed.

"The facility, even though it was not quite finished yet at the time, looked great,” said Dixon. “The track is unique. I think it's not like any other that we run on. I think more racetracks that we get to go to with different character, different kind of size, configuration for us is very good…having a track under a mile in length while still providing the banking and the progressive corners, will enable us to race side by side, and I think that will make it a huge race and extremely close with a lot of passing for the fans to watch."

When Dixon ran his laps last summer, the track had its SAFER barrier in place, but no fencing. Unlike most facilities where the Steel And Foam Energy Reduction system was installed in front of existing concrete walls, the Iowa Speedway SAFER is supported by concrete footings and steel backing posts. The fence is then attached to the support post for an integrated system.

While it is hoped the safety systems will not be used, similar tracks like Pikes Peak and Richmond have produced very close racing and the crashes that often result. And like the the other short tracks, traffic will be a major factor in the race. Unfortunately, no one really knows enough about the track yet to even decide what will be the best way to pass slower cars. There have never been more than two cars on the track at a time in any previous testing.

They will get an opportunity to work on this when the IndyCar Series hosts an ‘Open Test' for four hours on Friday afternoon. Not part of the official race weekend activities, all 18 entrants are expected to take advantage of the track time to familiarize themselves with the oval.

“Normally when I go to a new track, I go around in a regular car to get a feel for the track,” said Darren Manning of Foyt Racing. “We're fortunate to have an Open Test for half a day before the weekend. Usually it's tough going to a new track because you're limited on your tire allocation so you don't want to waste your tires pounding around lap after lap.”

Driving for one of the smallest teams in the series, Manning is hopeful that the new track will give him a better opportunity to win.

“It makes for a more level playing field because no team has a lot of data on the track. Many of the teams we're competing against have worked together for years so they have the advantage on us now. However, when we go to a new track like Iowa, their advantage is diminished a bit so it plays into our hands."

The Iowa Speedway event kicks of a stretch of five straight weekends on the race track; with all of the events being held on the more challenging short ovals and road courses. After Iowa, the series heads to the shortest track of the season at Richmond, then on to the Watkins Glen road course.

The Nashville SuperSpeedway is actually 1.3miles long, but it's concrete surface makes it seems much tighter. A new event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course concludes the busiest series of races for the IRL in 2007 on July 22nd.

The off weekend preceding Iowa left little time for actual relaxation for the IndyCar Series drivers. Darren Manning and Buddy Rice went to Las Vegas to do some gambling. Sam Hornish, Jr., continued his stock car training by running second in the ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway, and Tony Kanaan hung out with buddy Rubens Barrichello.

Barrichello first joined Kanaan for a few days of relaxation in Kanaan's Miami area home, before the duo headed for the US Grand Prix in Indianapolis. In between, Kanaan ran the open test at Mid-Ohio along with all the other IndyCar Series drivers. Also at the USGP were Franchitti, Marco Andretti, Ed Carpenter, and Indy Pro Series point leader, Alex Lloyd – who besides racing himself was watching long time friend Lewis Hamilton win his second GP in as many weeks.

Team owner AJ Foyt, did what he usually does with a break, he worked on his ranch. Foyt, spent the weekend on a tractor, mowing wild grass before he heads to Iowa on Thursday afternoon.

Iowa Speedway Schedule of events – All times Central USA

Friday, June 22

9:30 - 10:15 a.m. Indy Pro Series practice
11:15 a.m. - Noon Indy Pro Series practice
1:15 p.m. Indy Pro Series Iowa 100 SWE Pole Qualifying
2:30 - 6:30 p.m. IndyCar Series Open Testing

Saturday, June 23

10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. IndyCar Series practice (two groups)
12:50 - 1:10 p.m. Indy Pro Series final practice (two groups)
1:30 - 3:30 p.m. IndyCar Series practice (two groups)
3:45 p.m. Indy Pro Series Iowa 100 pre-race
4:10 p.m. Indy Pro Series Iowa 100 (115 laps/100 miles) 5:15 p.m. IndyCar Series AAMCO Transmissions Pole Qualifying

Sunday, June 24

11:15 a.m. Iowa Corn Indy 250 pre-race
Noon Iowa Corn Indy 250 (250 laps/218.75 miles)

ORS / CAPSIS International