The 2024 Cup Series season has not yet been fully released, though we have had several tidbits inserted into our brains such as the All-Star Race returning to North Wilkesboro as well as the return to the Indianapolis 400 on the oval.
NASCAR today announced that it is bringing its first-ever NASCAR Cup Series race to Iowa Speedway on Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 6:00 p.m. CT on USA Network. This inaugural Cup Series race in Iowa Speedway culminates a weekend that will also include the NASCAR Xfinity Series at 2:30 p.m. CT on USA Network and ARCA Menards Series racing on June 14-16, 2024.
Iowa Speedway will see the return of the NASCAR Xfinity Series on June 15th, 2024. The most recent winner of the Xfinity event at Iowa is current Cup Series driver Chase Briscoe who won the U.S. Cellular 250 in July of 2019. The 2020 events were canceled due to Covid restrictions. The ARCA Menards Series will start the festivities on Friday, June 14th 2024.
Iowa Speedway successfully hosted the Xfinity Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series from 2009-2019, while the ARCA Menard Series has competed at the track in all but one season since the facility opened in 2006. Yet, since the racetrack opened in 2006, and was acquired by NASCAR in 2013, placing a Cup Series race at the venue had yet to materialize – until June 16, 2024.
“This is a dream come true,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, Iowa Speedway’s co-founder and designer. “This track was built with the intent of hosting a NASCAR Cup Series race one day, and to finally see it come together is a testament to the tenacity of the great race fans in Iowa.”
The track, dubbed “The Fastest Short Track on the Planet”, is a state-of-the-art 7/8-mile asphalt paved tri-oval racetrack and motorsports facility located in Newton, Iowa. The track features 12-14 degree progressive banking on either side and a 30,000 fan capacity.
Serving as the entitlement sponsor for the Cup Series race is Iowa Corn, which consists of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and The Iowa Corn Promotion Board (ICPB), works to develop and defend markets, fund research, and provide education about corn and corn products. The Iowa Corn Growers Association (ICGA) is a 7,000-member strong grassroots-driven organization, headquartered in Johnston, Iowa, serving members across the state, and lobbying on agricultural issues on behalf of its farmer members to create opportunities for long-term Iowa corn grower profitability. For more information, visit iowacorn.org.
“Iowa Corn is no stranger to racing and the Iowa Speedway as we helped introduce farmer produced biofuels to consumers through race sponsorships for a dozen years,” shared Craig Floss, Chief Executive Officer of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and the Iowa Corn Promotion Board. “By bringing the NASCAR Cup Series to Iowa, farmers are able to showcase the power and performance of Sunoco Green E15 at the fastest short-track on the planet, which is surrounded by corn fields, the very source of that amazing, renewable, homegrown and affordable biofuel.”
