Felix Rosenqvist left this weekend’s NTT INDYCAR SERIES double-header at Iowa Speedway with a best result of 13th in the first of two 250-lap races, retiring from the second with a mechanical issue.
Rosenqvist put in a strong qualifying effort at the short oval, taking 11th on the Race 1 grid and a convincing fifth for Sunday’s Race 2.
In a relatively static first race on Saturday evening, Rosenqvist finished 13th, slipping back on a pair of restarts as the action did heat up in the closing stages.
“Not my greatest race,” says Felix Rosenqvist. “We had a good car, but kept losing positions on the restarts. I didn’t go on the high line, didn’t want to risk it to be honest, but it seemed to work for quite a lot of people. The pace was good; just couldn’t really go anywhere. It’s very hard to overtake here now on that second lane.”
In Sunday’s Race 2, Rosenqvist then was forced to retire with a mechanical failure. From his P5 starting slot, he held position on the opening stint, before dropping into the outer edges of the top ten following the first round of pit stops as an untimely caution period came into play.
The #60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda was later retired in the pits on lap 185 of 250.
“We started out pretty good today, sitting P5 on the opening stint,” Felix Rosenqvist concludes. “Then on the first sequence we lost a lot – we’ll have to see what happened there. I think we were a little slow in the pits and we lost a few spots, and then we lost a few more on the restart. Then we had a mechanical failure and had to retire the car. Not ideal, but pretty encouraging pace overall this weekend, although naturally we’d hoped for more.”
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES is back on track next weekend, July 19-21, for the annual trip across the border to Canada and the streets of Toronto.
RESULTS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | Rd. 10-11
Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend
Iowa Speedway (USA)
Race 1
1: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, 250 laps
2: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren, +0.481s
3: Josef Newgarden (USA), Penske, +1.517s
4: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, +5.004s
5: Rinus VeeKay (NED), ECR, +6.565s
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13: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, +12.465s
Race 2
1: Will Power (AUS), Penske, 250 laps
2: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, +0.391s
3: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, +2.365s
4: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, +2.532s
5: Colton Herta (USA), Andretti, +4.436s
—
DNF: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, +66 laps
CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS
NTT INDYCAR SERIES | After 11/17 races
1: Alex Palou (ESP), Ganassi, 379 p.
2: Will Power (AUS), Penske, 344 p.
3: Pato O’Ward (MEX), Arrow McLaren, 327 p.
4: Scott Dixon (NZL), Ganassi, 322 p.
5: Scott McLaughlin (NZL), Penske, 315 p.
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11: Felix Rosenqvist (SWE), Meyer Shank Racing, 214 p.