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IndyCar will return to race at Iowa next season after a year away, increasing the number of anticipated oval venues to four in 2022.
The return of the 0.875 mile oval – with a 30,000 person capacity – has been made possible thanks to Rahal Letterman Lanigan team sponsor Hy-Vee, a supermarket chain based in the midwest and headquartered in Iowa.
Team owner Bobby Rahal himself has been involved in the discussions in a bid to help the return of the speedway, and its comeback was announced in a press conference on Thursday attended by team boss and series owner Roger Penske, Graham and Bobby Rahal, Hy-Vee chairman Randy Edeker and Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds.
Iowa will be stage to a double-header weekend in 2022, with races on July 23 and July 24.
Hy-Vee confirmed as part of the announcement it would back a full-time Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry in 2022, which is expected to be the team’s anticipated third car in an expansion for next season
The news comes ahead of the last oval round of the 2021 season at Gateway, where Romain Grosjean will make his race debut on a track only turning left.
Iowa joined the IRL IndyCar calendar in 2007, the year before reunification with Champ Car, and has appeared on the calendar every year since until 2021 when it was dropped alongside another short oval in Richmond.
Andretti Autosport has seven wins at the venue but Penske has been the most successful recently, winning four of the last five races – including the last three in a row with Josef Newgarden (twice) and Simon Pagenaud.
This season the IndyCar Series raced on the Texas, Indianapolis and Gateway ovals but series owner Roger Penske has spoken of his desire to increase the number of similar venues on the calendar in the coming years.
The new deal is made possible by a multi-year lease IndyCar agreed with NASCAR, which owns the track, in order to give the open-wheel series control over the event.
“Over the years, Iowa has proven to be a fitting showcase for North America’s premier open-wheel series,” Penske said regarding the latest announcement. “A key oval and a hallmark on our schedule, we deeply missed seeing our fans in Iowa this year and look forward to what’s ahead.”
Early reports suggest the calendar – expected to be revealed later this month, or in early September – won’t feature any other new venues apart from Iowa.
