INDYCAR: Series to use Phoenix aero at Iowa

The Verizon IndyCar Series has chosen the same short oval aerodynamic specification used at the 1.0-mile Phoenix venue for this weekend's visit to the 0.875-mile Iowa circuit.

The Phoenix race aero spec was developed after IndyCar's spring training event where Chevy and Honda teams ran with maximum downforce and gave the series feedback that centered on making a reduction; the series responded by mandating a slightly lower number – approximately two percent below the maximum – to address the issue.

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With the series headed to its second short oval of the year, IndyCar aerodynamic development director Tino Belli gave RACER a look into where the Phoenix aero spec originated, the series' efforts to manage the extra downforce Chevy and Honda have found in 2016 and how the spec was developed prior to the Iowa race.

"We should be close to the maximum downforce we had at Iowa last year," Belli said. "When we tested at Phoenix, we actually used Iowa's specification, and with all of the [aero kit] updates this year, the [revised] specification should bring us back to a similar position to what they had last year. And not everybody used the maximum allowable downforce at Phoenix, but a similar upper limit has been specified [for Iowa].

"We tested with Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Dixon earlier in the year at Iowa and scanned three downforce levels, had a meeting with both of them and all their engineers, and Chevy, Honda and Firestone, and collectively decided the best maximum downforce level to use was what we had last year."

Belli says IndyCar had its test drivers evaluate a low-downforce configuration as a potential aero spec for the race, but it did not receive favorable reviews.

"We listened to the drivers and some of the issues they had at Phoenix, so that's why we went to Iowa to try some of the suggestions we were given," he said. "We tried going down, less and less, and Dixon and Hunter-Reay did not think that was the right direction to go for the race here."

Practice for the Iowa Corn 300 starts Saturday morning at 11 a.m. ET.