WEST DES MOINES, Iowa — IndyCar drivers have arrived here in Iowa for the Sukup IndyCar Race weekend, checking out the area and, of course, checking out the track. Several drivers attended the media luncheon on Thursday at Ramco Innovations in West Des Moines.

Iowa Speedway has hosted IndyCar events since 2007. There have been 21 events and they’re adding a few more this weekend.

In five of the last six years, Iowa Speedway has had two IndyCar Series races in one weekend. That makes it the only doubleheader for the IndyCar Series.

“You get the opportunity to get a lot of points. This weekend matters maybe more than any other weekend of the year for us,” IndyCar Series driver Kyle Kirkwood, who has three wins so far this season, said. “It is so physically demanding we get to do it twice, and the day that we’re usually recovering, we’re back in the race car racing. This is a really good weekend for us to create some kind of opportunity.”

“You could just aim for a double podium or just double top five like this. Just could have a really good points weekend. I really pray that that’s the case for us,” Will Power, a winner last year at Iowa Speedway, said. “Be smart. All the things that make race wins happen.”

The track at the Iowa Speedway is known as “the fastest short track on the planet.” The 275 lap races will serve as the 11th and 12th rounds of the 2025 NTT IndyCar Series season.

“This is one of the most physical tracks,” IndyCar Series driver Graham Rahal said. “It’s not a lot of time off, right? I mean, a lot of turning all the time, the very short straightaways, a lot of intensity, normally very hot. It should be actually pretty beautiful this weekend. But this is a tough place.”

The NTT IndyCar Series doubleheader begins Saturday with the Synk 275 Saturday at 4pm. Then the Farm to Finish 275 race will be Sunday at noon. 

The Indy NXT race will take place Saturday at 12:30 pm. 

Practice on Friday will be open to the public with free admission.

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