NEWTON, Iowa — Some of the best drivers in the world will compete at Iowa Speedway during Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend. Several people are working behind the scenes to ensure they're safe and successful.
With so much to focus on during a race, drivers rely on their team to put them in the best position to win. The most visible part of the team is the pit crew. But high above the stands are the spotters. They serve as a second set of eyes for their drivers by telling them what's working, what's not and what to look out for.
"We work with the team to communicate with the driver, changing strategies, changing track conditions," said spotter Clay Filson. "You're going to help them get into the pits cleanly, hopefully get out of the pits and here in a place like Iowa, blend on the back straightaway where the cars are already well up to speed."
Filson is a spotter for INDYCAR driver Graham Rahal. Before that, he was a spotter for Rahal's father Bobby at one point.
Filson said the relationship between spotter and driver is based on trust and honesty.
"I've literally known Graham his whole life, so we have a good relationship as friends and fellow professionals," Filson said. "It makes communication easy. In fact, part of the spotting thing is really taking as much information, condensing it down as simply as possible because you don't want to be a distraction. What [the drivers] are doing is all encompassing, requires their concentration, so you have to communicate effectively, efficiently and honestly."
While many spotters prefer to go unnoticed, their efforts do not.
Another key role player you may not notice is the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team. Like any medical team, they have to be ready to spring into action and swiftly evaluate the situation because a driver's life could depend on it.
"Our job as the AMR INDYCAR Safety Team is to respond immediately to all incidents on the racetrack," said INDYCAR Senior Director of Track Safety Tim Baughman. "We of course look for things like driver level of consciousness, and fire. Our responses are seconds not minutes."
The team is made up of several units that work together to assess and respond to crashes.
"We all have predetermined assignments," said Baughman. "Those predetermined assignments include the dispatch protocol. So here on an oval, it's a yellow, yellow, yellow. All the trucks roll. The first truck goes to the car, the second truck goes to the point of impact and the third truck then works in between to make sure all bases are covered, that all drivers are taken care of, all fires addressed."
But the job doesn't end there.
"It's not just taking care of the driver, we have to take care of the car and then get the track returned to racing," said Baughman. "Our job is to minimize the number of yellow flag laps out there. People who come watch a race want to see the drivers race, they don't want to see a yellow flag with us out there working."
Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend features a doubleheader. The Hy-Vee Homefront 250 presented by Instacart will take place Saturday, July 13 at 7 p.m followed by the Hy-Vee One Step 250 presented by Gatorade on Sunday, July 14 at 11 a.m.