For this weekend’s upcoming IndyCar doubleheader at Iowa Speedway, there will be just a single qualifying session to determine both grid orders.
Scheduled for Saturday morning, a few hours before the first of two races, drivers will complete two consecutive times laps during their solo qualifying runs.
The times from the first lap will determine the order for Saturday’s race, and the times from the second lap will set the order for Sunday.
The single qualifying session helps shorten track time during the weekend, which is packed full of concerts to entertain fans throughout each afternoon.
It is not the first time this format has been used, but the lack of doubleheader weekends this season means that it is the first time it will be put to use this year.
When the format was employed at Iowa in 2020, the last time the series visited the short oval, Conor Daly earned pole for the first race and Josef Newgarden took the top spot for the second.
The lineups were quite different between the two races despite the two laps being run back to back, and multiple drivers had to start from completely opposite ends of the grid for the two events.
With qualifying taking place at 9:30 AM local time, track conditions will likely be very different compared to the races, which are scheduled to be run in the heat of the afternoon.
The heat itself could be a big factor for the weekend, with temperatures expected to be around 95°F (35°C) with high humidity in time for Saturday’s race.
