Newton, Iowa – (Saturday, July 23, 2022) – Takuma Sato and his Dale Coyne Racing with RWR team didn’t have the race they were hoping for on Saturday at Iowa Speedway after placing 21st, but a strong run in the final stint of the 250 lap race gives them hope for the final round of the doubleheader on Sunday.
- Earlier in the day Sato qualified ninth for the first race of the weekend aboard his #51 Deloitte Honda.
- Unfortunately for Sato, he fell out of the top 10 at the start of the race and was running 21st by the time he entered pit lane for his first stop of the race on Lap 57.
- Sato then returned to pit lane for his second stop on Lap 117 and was once again running 21st when he made what would be his penultimate stop on Lap 171.
- The two-time Indy 500 Champion had to make an unscheduled stop on Lap 184 for a new front wing following contact with another competitor, which put him several laps down.
- Sato has a best result of third (2018) at Iowa Speedway and has led 59 laps at the short oval throughout his career.
- In 11 races this season, Sato has a best finish of seventh at the GMR Grand Prix and a best start of second in Detroit.
- Sato will be starting fifth for Sunday’s Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300.
Takuma Sato #51 Nurtec ODT Honda – Dale Coyne Racing with RWR
“We had a good qualification this morning and started P9 for today’s race. Unfortunately, from the first lap I went backwards. It was impossible to hang on with the understeer I had. It looked like we were going to have a long, long day. Then we had a small incident during the race that was my fault, and I damaged the front wing. I had to come back to the pits for a new wing. The car felt completely different afterwards as the balance was better. I think we were one of the fastest cars in the entire last stint. So that’s encouraging for tomorrow. Anyhow, I’m happy to be back in Iowa, in the Deloitte car today but I’m also looking forward to tomorrow as we go back to our purple Nurtec ODT car, and we’ll be starting from the fifth position. It’s looking very positive.”
dalecoyneracing.com 