Iowa Speedway

Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile (1.4 km) paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, United States, approximately 30 miles (48 km) east of Des Moines. It has over 25,000 permanent seats as well as a unique multi-tiered Recreational Vehicle viewing area along the backstretch.

Iowa Speedway
"The Fastest Short Track on The Planet "
LocationNewton, Iowa
Time zoneGMT-6
Capacity30,000[1]
OwnerIowa Speedway, LLC
(subsidiary of NASCAR)[2]
OperatorIowa Speedway, LLC
Broke groundJune 21, 2005
OpenedSeptember 15, 2006
Construction cost$70 million
ArchitectPaxton Waters Architecture
Rusty Wallace
Former namesQuad Cities International Raceway Park (planning stages name)
Major eventsIndyCar Series
Iowa Corn 300
NASCAR Xfinity Series
CircuitCity.com 250
U.S. Cellular 250
NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series
M&M's 200
D-shaped oval
SurfaceAsphalt
Length0.875 mi (1.4 km)
Turns4
BankingTurns: 12°-14° (Progressive)
Frontstretch: 10°
Backstretch: 4°
Race lap record17.2283 (Hélio Castroneves, Team Penske, 2014, IndyCar Series)
Road Course
SurfaceAsphalt
Length1.3 mi (2.09 km)
Turns9
BankingTurns 1–2: 12–14°
Frontstretch: 10°
Backstretch: 4°
Race lap record41.709 (Jon Fogarty, GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, 2007, Daytona Prototype)
Websitewww.iowaspeedway.com

History
Flagstand

The track opened in September 2006 with the Soy Biodiesel 250, won by Woody Howard, for the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Four Champions playoff. The Indy Racing League announced a race there on June 24, 2007, the Iowa Corn Indy 250, which was won by Dario Franchitti, who barely nipped Marco Andretti at the finish line. The track also secured a combined NASCAR Camping World East-West race where results counted towards both series' championships.[3] That race delivered a dramatic battle between 17-year-old Joey Logano from the Busch East Series, who defeated Daytona 500 champion Kevin Harvick, 1998 West Series champion, who represented the West Series at the end of the race. The track was awarded a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and a NASCAR Nationwide Series race in 2009.

On July 5, 2011, it was announced that the Manatt family, builders and primary owners of the Iowa Speedway, through the holding company U.S. Motorsports Corporation, had sold their majority interest to the Clement family, owners of Featherlite Incorporated.[4] "It was our privilege to help build the track five years ago, and like a proud parent, we've enjoyed watching it thrive and grow," said company president Brad Manatt. Featherlite Incorporated already has a long-standing relationship with NASCAR. Many race teams use Featherlite Trailers and Featherlite Coaches for the transport of cars and staff. Rusty Wallace will remain a minority owner in the track.[5]

Following news of financial issues at the track, the facility was purchased by NASCAR by November 2013.[6][7]

The track has periodically been rumored as a candidate for a NASCAR Cup Series race; in 2013, a bill to allow $8 million in upgrades to the speedway toward that goal began circulating in the Iowa Legislature.[8]

In April 2020, the NASCAR-sanctioned races at Iowa for the 2020 Xfinity and Truck seasons were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Only the ARCA Menards Series and IndyCar races were held in July, with an extremely reduced number of spectators. After the races, it was reported that the track is for sale following the 2020 season.[9][10] Iowa Speedway will not host an IndyCar, NASCAR Xfinity Series or NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race in their 2021 seasons.

In December 2020, the ARCA Menards Series announced that Iowa Speedway will host one race on their 2021 schedule in July.[11]

Other events

The facility also hosts several driving schools year-round, such as the Rusty Wallace Racing Experience and The Formula Experience, where visitors have the opportunity to experience the speedway from behind the wheel of a race car.

Track length and layout
Iowa Speedway layout

The track was designed with influence from Rusty Wallace and patterned after Richmond Raceway as a D-shaped oval, a short track where Wallace was very successful.

The track length is disputed by the two major series that run at Iowa. The NASCAR timing and scoring use a length of 0.875 miles (1.408 km).[12] The IndyCar Series timing and scoring use a length of 0.894 miles (1.439 km).[13]

Races

Former

Notes
  1. "Iowa Speedway Adds Seating for June IndyCar Series Race". Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  2. "About the Speedway: Iowa Entertainment, Events, Racing, Concerts". Iowaspeedway.com. Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  3. "NASCAR : NASCAR Drivers, Race Standings & News". NASCAR.com. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  4. "New Owners for the Iowa Speedway". Associated Press via KTVO-TV. 2011-07-05. Archived from the original on 2011-10-08. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  5. "Iowa Speedway sold to Clement family". Associate Press via Yahoo Sports. 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2011-07-05.
  6. "NASCAR buys Iowa Speedway, bolsters Heartland track". Nascar.com. 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  8. "Iowa Senate bill gives $8 million to Newton speedway to attract Sprint Cup races". Blogs.desmoinesregister.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
  12. Iowa Speedway at NASCAR.com
  13. 2015 IndyCar race result at Indycar homepage

References

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