Felix Rosenqvist prepares for the highest points-paying weekend of the year as the NTT INDYCAR SERIES moves into an important double-header event at Iowa Speedway for rounds 11 and 12 of the 2025 season.
Featuring two races across Saturday and Sunday, the Iowa meeting marks the only double-header on the INDYCAR schedule, making for a particularly intense weekend on the “The Fastest Short Track on the Planet”.
At just 0.875 miles (1,4 km), the Iowa Speedway oval is the shortest circuit on the INDYCAR calendar, traditionally producing thrilling action and wheel-to-wheel drama.
However, a repave last year changed the complexity of the racing, making it harder to overtake on the outside “high line”. That means qualifying could be of extra importance this weekend, especially with one single session on Saturday setting the grids for both races in a matter of seconds.
Each driver will complete two consecutive qualifying laps, with lap one counting towards the Race 1 grid, and lap two towards the Race 2 line-up.
“Iowa is an intense little track which used to see the most overtakes all season, but now it’s one of the hardest places to pass,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “That could well change again this year with a recent test there and an additional high-line practice session on Friday, but we won’t really know until the races, so I think there will be an inevitable added focus on qualifying this weekend.”
Rosenqvist arrives in Iowa on the back of two strong races, scoring his and Meyer Shank Racing’s first podium of the season at Road America and a P6 result last time out at Mid-Ohio.
Now, he hopes to build on that in the up-coming double-header that could prove crucial for the Swede’s chances of a top five championship finish.
“There’s not much practice this weekend, basically just one session on Friday, so it’s important to have a solid package out of the box,” Rosenqvist concludes. “You need to have done your homework and be confident straight away in the early parts of the weekend when there’s little but very important running. Qualifying could determine your entire weekend in a couple of laps if the races turn out like last year.
“You have to just get on with it and normally that’s a kind of challenge that I enjoy.”
Both races this weekend are run to a distance of 275 laps.
TIME TABLE
All times local (U.S. Central)
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 11-12
INDYCAR Race Weekend
Iowa Speedway (USA)
Friday July 11
High-Line Session: 2:45-3:15 pm
Practice 1: 3:30-5:00 pm
Saturday July 12
Qualifying: 11:00 am-12:00 pm
Race 1 (275 laps): 4:20 pm
Sunday July 13
Race 2 (275 laps): 12:20 pm
TIMING: INDYCAR App / indycar.com
EVENT DATA: view here
HOW TO WATCH: view here
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS: view here