IndyCar
IndyCar Preview: PNC on Both Cars at Iowa
Chip Ganassi Racing fans will be seeing double this weekend as the NTT IndyCar Series takes to the 7/8-miles Iowa Speedway oval on Saturday night.
The No. 10 CGR Honda, driven by rookie Felix Rosenqvist, will be carrying the Orange and Blue livery and sponsorship from Pittsburgh headquartered PNC Bank.
PNC Bank is the primary sponsor of the No. 9 CGR Honda driven by 5-time and defending NTT IndyCar Series Champion Scott Dixon.
PNC is using the racing sponsorship to increase their exposure and name-awareness as they continue to grow from Pittsburgh’s hometown bank to the 5th largest bank in the country.
Rosenqvist will be making his first start in the PNC colors and his first start at Iowa Speedway.
“We tested at Iowa Speedway just the other week prior to Toronto and I learned a lot,” said Rosenqvist, who is coming off a top 5 finished on the streets of Toronto. “Scott (Dixon) come to help with the setup on the No. 10 car, which was great. I’ve never been to Iowa so to have him come set up the car was really, really helpful.”
Dixon, who has 9 top-10 finishes in 12-starts at Iowa, has never won at Iowa and has a best finish of third on “The Fastest Short Track on the Planet”.
“Iowa is such a tough track for racing Indy cars,” said Dixon. “You have very high G-force loading and there is always a lot of action on that little bullring-style track. You really have to be on your game with traffic and the quick lap times.”
Chip Ganassi Racing has two wins at Iowa Speedway with the late Dan Wheldon taking the checkered flag in 2008 and Dario Franchitti winning in 2009.
“It’s got a lot more character having weathered in over the years,” said Dixon. “I really love this event and especially the fans that attend, they really love IndyCar racing and show their support.”
The race is moving back to a night race this year after having run on Sunday the past couple of years.
“I’m glad we’re back to a Saturday night race,” said Dixon, the winningest active driver on the circuit with 45-wins. “This track always presents a unique challenge.”
Rosenqvist is happy to have a team and teammate with the experience to guide a rookie through his inaugural season.
WASHINGTON D.C. (August 22, 2026) – Alex Palou’s blistering lap of 56.8993 seconds in the No. 10 OpenAI Chip Ganassi Racing Honda puts the four-time NTT IndyCar Series Champion on the pole position for Sunday’s Freedom 250 on the streets of Washington D.C.
“Incredible,” said Palou. “My car was on rails. Super-fun lap, super-fun car to drive. Couldn’t be happier. Looking forward to tomorrow. Tomorrow is going to be a long day, man, 250 miles.”
Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood lines up second after a lap of 57.4661 in the No. 27 Sam’s Club Honda.
“P1 both first and second group, and the last one Alex Palou is just a legend and goes faster on his one-lap dash than he did the whole rest of the run, I think,” Kirkwood said. “He made us look silly out there.”
Scott McLaughlin spoiled the Honda party up front, putting the No. 3 PPG Chevrolet third on the grid after a fast lap of 57.4200.
Palou’s CGR teammates Scott Dixon and Kyffin Simpson did not fare as well as their teammate.
Dixon was on a lap that would have allowed him to transfer into the next round of qualifying, when Simpson hit the wall, triggering a red flag which cancelled Dixon’s lap. The No. 9 PNC Bank Honda will start 14th.
Bringing out the red flag penalized Simpson of his two fastest laps so the No. 8 Sunoco Honda will start last in 25th.
Coverage of the Freedom 250 starts at 11:30 a.m. on Fox and IndyCar Radio with the green flag waving in our nation’s capital at 1 p.m.
MARKHAM, ONTARIO (August 15, 2026) – The NTT IndyCar Series is making it’s first visit to a new street circuit in Markham, Ontario but a familiar face topped the speed charts after the first practice.
Four-time Series Champion Alex Palou turned the fastest lap around the 12-turn, 2.19-mile temporary street course, a 1-minute, 14.9915-seconds (100.811 mph) lap in the No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda.
A.J. Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collett was second quick with a 1-minute, 15.0454-seconds (100.739) in the No. 4 Chevrolet.
Louis Foster was third quick in the No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda at 1:15.0278 (100.702) followed by Team Penske’s Scott McLaughlin 1:15.2981 (100.401). Will Power rounded out the Top 5 at 1:15.3152 (100.378).
Palou’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammates were not as strong. Six-time Series Champion Scott Dixon was 20th at 1:16.4583 (98.877) in the No. 9 PNC Bank Honda. Kyffin Simpson was 24th at 1.17.3893 (97.688) in the No. 8 Sunoco Honda. Simpson made contact with the wall at Turn 6, causing damage to the rear suspension. Simpson limped to pits for repair and returned to action later in the session.
Practice 2 is set for 2:30 p.m. as delayed track construction forced officials to cancel Friday’s activities and condense Saturday’s schedule. NTT P1 Pole Qualifying is set for 6:30 p.m. ET
MARKHAM, ONTARIO (August 14, 2026) – Issues with the completion of the temporary street circuit in Markham Ontario has forced the NTT INDYCAR SERIES first practice to be moved to Saturday as all of Friday’s on-track activity had to be scrubbed from the schedule.
“INDYCAR is incredibly disappointed that our promoter was not able to complete the track build on time, despite significant support from our team on site,” INDYCAR President J. Douglas Boles said. “Ontario has always been a magnificent market for our sport and the number of spectators that attended today is a shining example of that. New events can always pose logistical challenges and we join in the frustration of our loyal fans and apologize.”
Green Savoree Promotions also issued a statement.
“Ensuring the safety of the drivers and the completion of the certification process of competing on a brand-new racetrack delayed all on-track activities today. Today’s sessions have been rescheduled to Saturday, August 15, to allow for further track preparations.”
“We greatly appreciate all the fans who made it out to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham today and chose to spend the day with us. The attendance and support were overwhelming.”
The revamped schedule calls for the first practice to take place at 10:00 a.m. followed by a second practice at 2:30 p.m. and P1 Pole Qualifying at 6:30 p.m.
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