Pagenaud holds on for Iowa I victory

Simon Pagenaud came from the last starting spot before holding off Scott Dixon in the final laps to win the opener of IndyCar’s doubleheader Friday night at Iowa Speedway in Newton, a race that drove home the importance of the new Aeroscreen designed to protect drivers from flying debris.

Pagenaud was sent to the back after a fuel pressure issue forced him to scrap his qualifying attempt. He wound up stretching his tires with a unique strategy — and got a little bit of luck along the way — to give team owner Roger Penske his first IndyCar win since purchasing the series late in 2019.

The win also snapped a sweep of the first four races by Fox Chapel native Chip Ganassi’s team. Dixon still gave him a second-place run after three wins to start the season, while rookie Oliver Askew rounded out the podium.

Formula One

Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel gave struggling Ferrari a boost with the fastest time in a rain-soaked second practice for the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest. Ferrari needs to bounce back from a demoralizing Styrian GP in Austria last week, when Vettel and Charles Leclerc crashed into each other on the first lap and went out. Defending F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, who was fastest in the first practice for Mercedes, was one of seven drivers not to post a time in Friday afternoon’s second session.

NASCAR

The massive grandstands at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth are two-thirds of a mile long and were empty for the previous race there. On Sunday, the NASCAR Cup Series race becomes the first major sporting event in Texas in more than four months to allow spectators. No spectators are allowed Saturday for the Xfinity and Trucks series races at the tracy, but those attending Sunday will be required to wear facemasks, which can be removed when in their seats and socially distanced from others not in their immediate group.