Not too long ago, NASCAR made the decision to partially repave the Iowa Speedway tracks before its inaugural Cup Series race. The reason? Many believed that it was indeed unconventional and unstable. Despite the criticism of the decision to only repave parts of the track, the race still ran for the Iowa Corn 350. In the end, everything seemed to work out for the drivers and their cars, so all’s well that ends well, right?

Not exactly, because the partial repave now has serious implications for any other racing events at Iowa Speedway, such as the planned IndyCar race. And they definitely saw some predicted trouble in the problem zones that NASCAR did not.

NASCAR to blame for unstable tracks post the IndyCar race

IndyCar drivers, who were scheduled to race at Iowa Speedway shortly after the NASCAR Cup Series event, expressed concerns about the re-pavement. They felt that the extra weight of their hybrid engines, combined with the newly laid pavement, would inevitably create a challenging combination for their heavier cars. Which it did as there were reports of crashes from drivers in IndyCar during the race all said to be caused due to their inability to smoothly maneuver the cars over the tracks.

Alex Palou, the runner-up at the IndyCar Iowa race, went as far as to compare it to running a MotoGP race on dirt. “It’s a shame we didn’t put on a better show,” Palou lamented. He then added, “I’m sure everybody would agree it was a very boring race to drive. Even when leading, being in the middle of the pack yesterday, I don’t know, the Indy cars we had, the package of IndyCar tire, aero, engine, whatever we had on track this weekend, it was impossible to make it run. So, I don’t know. It was never an issue before. It was a repave for our cars. But having that said, we’ve seen other series here run well.”

Will Power, the race winner, suggested that the extra weight from IndyCar’s hybrid engines might be the culprit. He questioned, “I just wonder if we’re just too heavy? The car is simply too heavy now”. Even Scott McLaughlin tried to take the high road and admitted that the blame cannot be solely on the tracks. Acknowledging that a re-pavement had to happen at some point, it was just their misfortune that they couldn’t adjust to it in time.

The Iowa Speedway was built in 2006 and has never given a fresh coat of asphalt ever since. Surely the track was worn down, especially due to the harsh winters in the city. However, due to a time constraint, NASCAR made the uncanny decision to repave only parts of it, turning the entire track into a rollercoaster ride for any other vehicle. Only the repaved sections were designed to provide more grip, while the original pavement in the top groove would offer less grip, resulting in an imbalance that the IndyCars crew were clearly not ready to face.

So were the crashes truly NASCAR’s negligence in the end? They were indeed warned about it before by many insiders of the community. A little late than never, but the partial re-pavement had raised many red flags among many within NASCAR as well, and now it’s all coming down to a big ‘I told you so!’ moment for NASCAR. If you remember well, the drivers and critics alike had made a point that the tracks would cause havoc one way or another.

Many have given a warning about the tracks!

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Even before the race, several top NASCAR drivers had repeatedly expressed concerns about the track and said that it would affect the performance of the cars. Christopher Bell and Ryan Blaney had warned that the corners of the tracks were ruined and it was going to make it feel like a one-groove racetrack. Even the veteran driver Kevin Harvick went as far as calling it “one of the biggest F-ups in the whole year.” on his podcast as he lamented about these so-called “improvements”. Sadly, their predictions proved accurate.

Furthermore, drivers like Denny Hamlin had also suggested that the new surface might force drivers to “force whoever is on top of you into the not-so-good grip,” potentially leading to more aggressive and dangerous racing. As the partial repave created a chaotic patchwork of fresh and aged asphalt, which has now led to unpredictable handling and increased the risk of incidents that could have been easily avoided.

In the end, NASCAR’s controversial decision has backfired and now the motorsports community unleashing a collective glare towards them for the accidents that occurred during the IndyCar race. As everyone waits for their response on the situation, the focus will continue to be on how the new surface will affect racing in future events and whether it will still live up to the track’s reputation as a fan-favorite short oval.