Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato in the No.11 Deloitte Chip Ganassi Racing Honda says he is excited to get back to racing in Iowa this weekend.
The NTT INDYCAR SERIES veteran finished the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in seventh place in May.
Speaking ahead of the double-header race weekend, Sato said:
I’m excited to get back to racing at Iowa this weekend. This track is such an iconic short oval. It is super bumpy with high banking and multiple lanes available, which means a great race all the way to the end. It is just non-stop cornering with usually the highest lateral G-load records during the season. It’s only 18 seconds per lap in qualifying and that’s really challenging. We had an encouraging test last month, covered many items by splitting all four cars with teammates so we are looking forward to putting good things together. I am also extremely delighted with another opportunity to work with the team and drive CGR’s beautiful No. 11 Deloitte Honda car. I really appreciate the support of Deloitte as our title sponsor once again. Lastly, it’s going to be a hot weekend, as well as the season’s only doubleheader, so lots of action will be guaranteed
Scott Dixon in the No.9 PNC Bank Honda heads to Iowa searching for his first career victory here.
The Iceman heads into the weekend in second place in the championship albeit 117 points behind his teammate Alex Palou.
Looking ahead to race weekend Dixon said:
I think what everybody has done for this event with the entertainment is a cool aspect of it. The weather actually looks quite cool and mild, which is also fantastic for day racing. It’s always a fun race, but a difficult one with people coming and going all the time. It makes it a lot of fun to drive, but also for everybody to watch. It’s not been super spectacular for us, but we had a fourth and a fifth there last year for some decent results. I think we could have had a podium in that last race there, but just couldn’t find the pace on that last restart. We had a test there that was quite good for areas we’ve been trying to improve. Hopefully, that plays true for all of us.”
Whatever happens this weekend, Alex Palou will leave Iowa with his championship lead intact and following his second place finish in Toronto last weekend he will be hoping to return to victory lane.
The Spaniard has two chances to win with races on Saturday and Sunday.
Speaking ahead of the race, Palou said:
I’m really excited for Iowa and to have back-to-back races, especially because we are coming off a good race in Toronto that could have been a lot worse. We’ve tested at Iowa and we’re now hoping to take another step forward from last year. We also have a great opportunity to win $1 million dollars for the team, The American Legion and myself. We need to win one of those for that bonus and to continue going after this championship.”
Marcus Ericsson in the No.8 Huski Iced Spritz Chip Ganassi Racing Honda heads to Iowa in fourth place in the championship following his sixth place finish last time our in Toronto.
This weekend is definitely one of the highlights of the year. It’s a really fun short oval and the racing is always great with plenty of overtaking and action in general. The fact that there are two races in one weekend makes it tough for the teams and drivers, but I really enjoy that challenge. For us on the 8 car, we’ve had a couple of tough weekends. Even though we had a strong race in Toronto, the ending there wasn’t what we wanted. So, we’re very focused and determined to have a strong weekend and score some big points.”