Following last weekend's ABC Supply Wisconsin 250, the Verizon IndyCar Series traveled to Newton, Iowa for the second consecutive short oval on the 2015 calendar at Iowa Speedway.
Polesitter Helio Castroneves was unable to hold off the two Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Tony Kanaan and Scott Dixon who picked him off in the opening few laps of the 300-lap event - proving the dominance of the Ganassi cars this weekend.
Beyond losing the lead immediately to the top Ganassi drivers, Team Penske was struck with a major negative blow.
On Lap 10, Juan Pablo Montoya apparently suffered a broken suspension component, sending him straight into the Turn 2 wall.
This meant Montoya would earn only six points for finishing dead last (24th) for the race, creating massive championship implications for the Colombian as his near-perfect season came screeching to a halt.
Green flag racing returned on Lap 25 of 300 - but it was short lived.
Debris on track was the reason for a subsequent yellow flag after Graham Rahal, Charlie Kimball, and Stefano Coletti went tire-to-tire on the exit of Turn 2, and there simply wasn't enough room for the three of them. Kimball sustained damage to the left side of his front wing and Coletti narrowly missed the inside wall; he was able to rejoin the track without trouble.
The green flag was waved on Lap 35 and racing-as-normal got back underway.
At Lap 66, Castroneves went through on Scott Dixon who had been battling his Ganassi teammate for the lead, while Kanaan remained in control of the race. Just three laps later, Helio blew by Kanaan to take over the race for himself.
The race quickly reached the Lap 100 mark, and, following the first sequence of green flag stops, polesitter Castroneves inherited the lead. He was followed closely by Josef Newgarden of CFH Racing and Kanaan.
At Lap 108, Justin Wilson made contact with the wall to bring out another full course caution. Pippa Mann in front of him got loose, causing the air being directed to his front wing to drastically change, turning him into a passenger.
Much of the field, including Josef Newgarden, came in for service under the yellow. Newgarden beat Castroneves and Kanaan on the race off pit lane to remain in the lead, with Dixon in fourth and Ryan Hunter-Reay advancing one spot to fifth.
On Lap 122, the green flag came back out, and young American Josef Newgarden went back to battling with Helio Castroneves - who, per Race Control, will have his pit exit review post-race by INDYCAR.
At Lap 150 of 300, the halfway point of the race, Graham Rahal had advanced to fifth as he worked to storm to the front after starting 17th. Sebastien Bourdais, having started last after crashing during his qualifying attempt, ran 12th. The top-three continued to be Castroneves, Newgarden, and Kanaan.
The next yellow came out at Lap 171 and continued the common theme of cars going into the wall after disruption of turbulent air from the car in front of them. Charlie Kimball slapped the wall, bringing his race to an end, bringing out the fourth yellow of the race, and bringing the majority of the field in for service under yellow.
Graham Rahal, upon attempting to leave his pit stop, stalled due to what seemed like gearbox issues, costing the Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing entry valuable time.
Green flag racing returned, but Tony Kanaan's night came to a crushing end. He entered pit lane with a major car issue; his Chevrolet-powered car was turned off, he stepped out of the car, and his fantastic weekend came to an extremely disappointing end.
Soon after, the next yellow came out. Stefano Coletti spun and made contact with the inside wall just before the 200-lap mark.
At Lap 250, Ganassi was struck with a massive blow. Championship-contender Scott Dixon saw his race come to an end with mechanical issues. That left rookie Sage Karam as the only Ganassi entry left - and he ran comfortably in the top-three.
Lap 262 saw the next yellow come out as Takuma Sato smacked the wall in Turn 2. Rahal, after his earlier troubles in the pits, was greatly helped by this. A sprint to the checkers was ahead.
In the latest stages of the race, Ryan Hunter-Reay remained in the lead, closely followed by Josef Newgarden. Rahal had again returned to the top-10 - a stunning performance from him after a handful of heartbreaks throughout the 300-lap race.
Hunter-Reay took the white flag - then the checkers, ahead of Newgarden, winning for the first time since he won the very same race last year.
Rounding out the top-five was Newgarden, Karam, Rahal, and Munoz. Polesitter Helio Castroneves crossed the line 11th.
Andretti Autosport, with Hunter-Reay winning again, has now won seven out of nine times at Iowa Speedway - including the last six in a row.
Next up for the Verizon IndyCar Series is the Honda Indy 200 at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Follow @VAVELIndyCar on Twitter for coverage leading up to Mid-Ohio, and don't miss our #VAVELIndyCar Twitter chat on Tuesday, July 28 from 6-8 pm ET.
Aaron Durant is the editor of the VAVEL USA Racing section. Follow him on Twitter at @DoubleA291.