The NTT IndyCar Series has announced that two drivers will receive grid penalties for the first race of this weekend’s double-header event from Iowa Speedway.
Graham Rahal and Kyffin Simpson will both have to start further back than their qualifying position for Saturday evening’s race.
They both fell foul of the engine regulations that limit the number of engine each entrant can use per season after taking on new Honda power plants after the recent Mid-Ohio race.
Honda struggled earlier in the season, and had to replace multiple engines up and down the grid in the early portion of the season.
Those early replacement are now resulting in penalties for drivers that use Honda power plants as they continue to require new components due use throughout the season.
Once each entry has to use more than four engines, it receives a grid drop for each successive engine and the entry stops earning manufacturer points.
Rahal and Simpson will each drop nine grid spots for Saturday’s race, with the larger penalty coming into play due to the race taking place on an oval.
In fact, Rahal and Simpson each received grid penalties for the Detroit GP due to taking additional engines, and they are matched up again this weekend with another grid drop.
The penalties only apply to the first race of the weekend, and do not affect Sunday afternoon’s race.
Qualifying for the Hy-Vee double-header events takes place at 2:45 PM central time Saturday afternoon, with the first race taking place at 7:00 PM.
