Iowa Speedway facts for kids
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D-shaped oval
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| Location | 3333 Rusty Wallace Drive, Newton, Iowa, 50208 |
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| Time zone | UTC−6 / UTC−5 (DST) |
| Coordinates | 41°40′40″N 93°0′52″W / 41.67778°N 93.01444°W |
| Owner | NASCAR |
| Broke ground | 21 June 2005 |
| Opened | 15 September 2006 |
| Construction cost | $70 million USD |
| Major events | Current: NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 (2024) IndyCar Series Hy-Vee Homefront 250 (2007–2020, 2022–present) Hy-Vee One Step 250 (2020, 2022–present) Former: Rolex Sports Car Series (2007) |
| D-shaped oval | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.875 mi (1.408 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Banking | Turns: 12–14° Frontstretch: 10° Backstretch: 4° |
| Race lap record | 0:17.4908 ( Ryan Briscoe, Dallara IR-04, 2008, IndyCar) |
| Road Course | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 1.300 mi (2.092 km) |
| Turns | 9 |
| Banking | Turns 1–2: 12–14° Frontstretch: 10° Backstretch: 4° |
| Race lap record | 0:41.624 ( Michael Valiante, Riley MkXI, 2007, DP) |
Iowa Speedway is a famous race track in Newton, Iowa. It's a special type of track called a "short track" because it's 7⁄8 mile (1.4 km) long. Since it opened in 2006, many exciting races have happened here.
Big racing groups like NASCAR and IndyCar hold events at Iowa Speedway. NASCAR has owned the track since 2019. The track can hold 30,000 fans. Besides the main oval, there are also seven different road courses. One of these is a 1.3-mile (2.1 km) "roval", which mixes parts of the oval with an infield road course.
Building the track wasn't easy. There were plans for a bigger track that didn't work out. Then, a shorter track was proposed in 2003. After some delays, construction began in 2005. The first races took place in September 2006. NASCAR later bought the track in 2013 to help it stay open.
Contents
About the Track
Track Shape and Size
The main track at Iowa Speedway is 7⁄8 mile (1.4 km) long. It has special sloped turns called "banking." The front straight part of the track slopes 10 degrees. The back straight slopes 4 degrees. The turns have a progressive banking system, meaning the slope changes from 12 to 14 degrees.
Different racing groups measure the track slightly differently. NASCAR says it's 0.875 miles long. IndyCar measures it as 0.894 miles (1.439 km). Besides the main oval, there are also seven road course layouts. These use parts of the main track and special infield sections.
Getting There and What's Inside
Iowa Speedway is easy to get to because it's near Interstate 80. It's about 35 miles (56 km) east of Des Moines, the capital city of Iowa.
The track has 30,000 seats for fans. There are also 28 luxury suites, which are like fancy viewing boxes. For big IndyCar races, extra temporary suites are sometimes added.
Track History
Building the Speedway
Early Ideas and Challenges
Back in 2000, there was an idea to build a much bigger track in Newton. It would have been 1 mile (1.6 km) long and cost a lot of money. The plan needed help from the county and a state program called Vision Iowa. However, this idea didn't work out.
Later, a businessman named Jerry Lowrie took over the project. He faced challenges, including concerns from local residents about noise and traffic. The project also needed money from Vision Iowa, but the funding wasn't enough. Eventually, Lowrie left the project. Another person, Larry Clement, tried to get private investors, but Vision Iowa still wouldn't give money without knowing who the investors were. So, this plan also failed by 2002.
New Plans and Construction Begins
In 2003, a new plan was approved for a smaller, 7⁄8 mile (1.4 km) track. This one would cost $30 million and have 25,000 seats. It was led by Paul Schlaack. The city of Newton agreed to invest money, but only if Schlaack found enough other investors first.
Famous NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace was announced as the main designer in June 2003. The project faced more delays in 2004 because they still needed more money. By 2005, they finally had enough funds, but the cost had grown to $70 million. The opening was pushed back to 2006.
A special sales tax break bill was passed to help the project. This was the first of its kind in Iowa. Groundbreaking for the track happened on June 21, 2005. People were excited because the track was expected to help the local economy. This was especially important because the city's biggest employer, Maytag, was closing its factory.
The first races were scheduled for September 15, 2006. The track also secured a large loan from Wells Fargo. There were even talks about adding a water park and hotel nearby. In August 2006, it was confirmed that the Indy Racing League (IRL) would hold a race at the track in 2007.
First Races and New Owners
Iowa Speedway officially opened on September 15, 2006. Woody Howard won the very first race. The next year, the track held its first big IRL race, which Dario Franchitti won. In 2009, NASCAR started holding races for its second-tier (now Xfinity Series) and third-tier (Craftsman Truck Series) events at the track.
A few years later, the original owners sold most of the track to the Clement family. In 2013, the track faced financial problems. As a result, NASCAR bought the track for $10 million. NASCAR chairman Brian France hoped the track could host special NASCAR races in the future.
Over the years, different people have been president of the track. David Hyatt became president in 2018. He also hoped to bring a NASCAR Cup Series race to Iowa Speedway. By 2019, he thought it was very likely to happen by 2021.
Recent Times and Big Comeback
In 2020, many races were canceled or had fewer fans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. There were rumors that the track might even close. However, former general manager Craig Armstrong said it was just a "temporary setback." He hoped the track would still host smaller races.
When the track fully reopened in July 2021, attendance was low. But a month later, IndyCar announced it would return in 2022 with two races on the same weekend. This was great news!
Then, in October 2023, there was exciting news. NASCAR announced that Iowa Speedway would host its first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race in 2024! This was a huge step for the track. In February 2024, Eric Peterson became the new president of Iowa Speedway.
Exciting Events
NASCAR Races
Since 2024, Iowa Speedway hosts the annual Iowa Corn 350. This is a major NASCAR Cup Series race. Before 2024, the track hosted annual NASCAR Xfinity Series races from 2011 to 2019. It also held NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series events from 2009 to 2019. The Xfinity Series plans to return in 2024.
IndyCar Races
The IndyCar Series (which used to be called the Indy Racing League) started racing at Iowa Speedway in 2007. In 2020, because of the pandemic, IndyCar decided to hold two races on the same weekend, called a "doubleheader." They liked this format so much that they kept it when IndyCar returned to the track in 2022.
Other Races
Iowa Speedway has also hosted many other exciting races. These include events from the ARCA Menards Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, the Pro Mazda Championship, and the USF2000 Championship.
Fastest Laps
Here are some of the fastest official race laps recorded at Iowa Speedway as of June 2019:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
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| D-Shaped Oval: 1.408 km (2006–present) | ||||
| IndyCar | 0:17.4908 | Ryan Briscoe |
Dallara IR-04 | 2008 Iowa Corn Indy 250 |
| Indy Pro Series | 0:19.791 |  Alex Lloyd |
Dallara IPS | 2007 Iowa 100 |
| Star Mazda | 0:22.052 |  Sage Karam |
Star Formula Mazda 'Pro' | 2012 Iowa Star Mazda round |
| NASCAR Truck | 0:23.747 | Chandler Smith |
Toyota Tundra | 2019 M&M's 200 |
| US F2000 | 0:23.881 | Sage Karam |
Van Diemen DP08 | 2010 Iowa US F2000 round |
| NASCAR Xfinity | 0:23.916 | Elliott Sadler |
Chevrolet Camaro SS | 2018 U.S. Cellular 250 |
| Road Course: 2.092 km (2006–present) | ||||
| DP | 0:41.624 | Michael Valiante |
Riley MkXI | 2007 Iowa 400k |
| Grand-Am GT | 0:45.663 | Kelly Collins |
Pontiac GXP.R | 2007 Iowa 400k |
See also
In Spanish: Iowa Speedway para niños
