HPD Trackside -- Iowa Corn 300 IndyCar Race Report
Continuing to show the short oval form he demonstrated throughout practice and qualifying, Mikhail Aleshin led the way for Honda on Sunday at Iowa Speedway, finishing fifth in the Iowa Corn 300, the second and final short track event in the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series.
Starting ninth, Aleshin was one of only four other drivers able to maintain pace and finish on the lead lap with eventual race winner Josef Newgarden after 300 circuits of the banked, 0.894-mile Iowa Speedway oval.
Despite starting well back in the field, 17th, in just his second short-oval appearance, Indianapolis 500 winner and series rookie Alexander Rossi produced the performance of an oval racing veteran, as his Andretti Autosport Honda was particularly strong during the second half of the race and he methodically worked his way forward to finish sixth.