Tom Enge averaged about a bite of his meaty sandwich per lap as the No. 4 Panther Racing car sped around Iowa Speedway. That was about 18 seconds between bites. source: indycar.com / Dave Lewandowski The construction worker (not the race car driver) spent his lunch hour (extended a few minutes by the action on the 0.88-mile racetrack) watching Vitor Meira put the Honda-powered Dallara through its paces during a full day of Firestone tire and IndyCar Series aerodynamic testing. "This is awesome; they're so fast," said Enge, whose initial impressions were echoed by dozens of others spectators. "I can't wait for them to come back." Neither can Meira and Scott Sharp, who was invited by Rahal Letterman Racing to give his short-track set-up input in the No. 15 car. The inaugural Iowa Corn Indy 250 presented by Ethanol is scheduled for June 24, 2007. "I was impressed with how smooth the track is," Meira said. "I think it will be a real exciting short-oval race. With the amount of downforce that we're studying and we think we'll run, there definitely will be lots of side-by-side racing. It will really make it a fun race." Both drivers pounded out laps on an overcast and chilly day using a variety of Firestone Firehawk compounds. Firestone engineers were seeking comprehensive data - in concert with aero packages - to develop the correct level of grip for the racing on the variably banked oval. "We were really pleased to test on a short oval and on a new track on our schedule next year," said Sharp, a free agent after his two-year deal with Fernandez Racing expired at the end of the season. "It's very impressive. Already the speeds we can turn, we're envisioning the kind of race we're going to have here. It will be extremely tight. I imagine you'll see three- or four-tenths of a second separating the entire field. It will be like some of our wild races have been on a big track."
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