It’s a two-for-one weekend on tap for the NTT INDYCAR SERIES at Iowa Speedway.

The Synk 275 presented by Sukup will be held at 5 p.m. ET Saturday, with the Farm to Finish 275 presented by Sukup set for 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Both races will air live on FOX, the FOX Sports app and the INDYCAR Radio Network.

SEE: Event Details

The action starts with practice at 3:30 p.m. ET Friday on FS2. The NTT P1 Award qualifying session to set the starting order for both races is noon Saturday on FS1.

Chip Ganassi Racing’s Alex Palou (No. 10 DHL Chip Ganassi Racing Honda) enters the weekend with a 113-point lead over Andretti Global’s Kyle Kirkwood (No. 27 Sukup Honda). As this weekend offers two of the four remaining oval races this season, the results of these two drivers will go a long way to deciding the series championship.

Palou, the winner of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge in May, does not have a short oval victory among his 17 career race wins, although he led 103 laps and finished second in Iowa’s second race last year. Kirkwood, a five-time race winner, captured his first oval win in last month’s race at World Wide Technology Raceway.

A look at five additional key storylines heading into the weekend:

Dixon Still Impressing

With 59 career NTT INDYCAR SERIES race victories, it would seem Chip Ganassi Racing’s Scott Dixon has won at every track offered to him. But the six-time series champion hasn’t, and this weekend offers Dixon another chance to check one off the list.

For reference, Dixon has won 25 series oval races on 14 different tracks. His 20 road course wins have come at eight different venues, and 14 times he has conquered the seven street circuits.

That’s 29 different tracks, including wins on both the oval and the road course at Twin Ring Motegi and both of Detroit’s offerings (the Belle Isle circuit and the downtown street course).

It’s not as if the driver of the No. 9 PNC Bank Chip Ganassi Racing Honda has been a slouch at Iowa’s .875-mile oval – he certainly hasn’t been. While competing in all 21 series races held since 2007, he has finished in the top six 16 times, including the past nine races, with a pair of second-place finishes mixed in. He also has won the pole three times.

Iowa is one of five active tracks where he has not won. The others: the Streets of St. Petersburg, Barber Motorsports Park, Portland International Raceway and The Thermal Club.

O’Ward a Double Winner at Iowa

Team Penske is winless this season, but its drivers have won eight of the past nine series races held at Iowa Speedway, including a sweep of the past two doubleheaders.

Oddly, Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward is the only non-Penske driver in this field to have won a series race at this track, having captured the second race in 2022 after Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden crashed in Turn 4 late in the race after leading 148 laps.

O’Ward, who is third in the standings after 10 races, also won the INDY NXT by Firestone races in 2018 at Iowa.

The driver of the No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet will celebrate his 100th series start Saturday. He will become the ninth active driver with as many.

The Kings of Corn Country

Team Penske drivers haven’t just regularly visited Iowa’s victory lane in recent years: They have done so in commanding fashion.

Consider this nine-race stretch where one of the team’s three drivers have won: They have led 1,922 of the 2,350 laps. That’s 81.8 percent, a staggering figure even for an oval as short as this one.

Newgarden has led 1,224 laps of the total (52 percent), but he hasn’t had the only team car at the front of the field. As a group, there have been 13 instances where at least one driver has led at least 50 laps in a race. Newgarden has done that seven times, Will Power three, Scott McLaughlin twice and Simon Pagenaud once.

Driving for three different teams since 2012, Newgarden has led 1,699 laps at this track. By comparison, the driver with the second-highest career total is Helio Castroneves with 644.

The other drivers in this weekend’s field have combined to lead 502 laps at this track.

Iowa Is Chevrolet’s Recent Playground

Honda has had Chevrolet’s number this season in the engine manufacturer battle, stringing 11 consecutive race wins together beginning with Colton Herta’s victory in last year’s season-ending race at Nashville Superspeedway.

But Iowa Speedway represents a golden opportunity for Chevrolet to score its first win of the season. Chevrolet has won the past nine races at this track: Five by Newgarden and one each by Pagenaud, O’Ward, McLaughlin and Power.

Honda’s domination this season is an aberration given the competitiveness of the five previous seasons. In those 82 races, Honda won 42, Chevrolet 40, with each manufacturer alternating as the season leader dating to their 7-7 tie in 2020.

Honda has won the past three oval races with three different drivers: Herta at Nashville, Palou in the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge and Kirkwood at WWTR. Conor Daly (No. 76 Juncos Hollinger Chevrolet) had the fastest lap in last month’s test at Iowa Speedway.

Weekend Modifications Tied to Downforce, Tires

INDYCAR has provided teams will a host of modifications for this weekend’s doubleheader to enhance the thrill of oval-track racing.

Dependence on aerodynamic downforce will be moved from the underwing of the cars to their rear wins. This will increase drag, benefiting a trailing car as it follows more closely.

INDYCAR will set weekend engine boost levels to the same number used in the Indianapolis 500.

Firestone is providing a different tire combination that was used last year at Iowa Speedway. This configuration will feature left-side compounds and construction to be the same as was used in this year’s “500.” Right-front tires will be of the same compound but different construction from last year’s Iowa races and last month’s test.

The popular high-line practice used on oval tracks will be extended, with teams allowed to make setup changes during the session.