As announced earlier this week, Nascar will be returning to Iowa speedway next year. The big Nascar weekend will run from June 14th to the 16th in 2024, and this time Nascar is bringing the big boys with them for the weekend as the Nascar Cup Series will make their Iowa Speedway debut.
Iowa Speedway was opened in 2006, and is a 0.875 mile asphalt oval with 12-14 degree banking in the turns, 10 degrees on the front stretch, and 4 degrees on the backstretch. The Speedway was partially designed by Nascar legend Rusty Wallace, who was a majority owner until 2013 when the track started to experience financial trouble and was purchased by Nascar under subsidiary name, Iowa Speedway LLC. Iowa’s design was intentionally made to be similar to Richmond International Speedway, where now minority owner Rusty Wallace had great success in his career.
Iowa Speedway is no stranger to big events. The IndyCar series has had a marquee weekend there since the track’s inception. The ARCA Menards series, Nascar Craftsman Truck series, and Nascar Xfinity series have also run at Iowa starting in 2009; ARCA Menards still runs at Iowa and will be the first event during the big Nascar weekend, however, Xfinity and Trucks last ran Iowa in 2019 (2020 canceled because of Covid pandemic). The Xfinity series will return next year as the second event of the big weekend, however, it is unknown when or if the truck series will return.
Iowa Speedway has a seating capacity of 25,000 fans and has a unique, multi-tiered RV parking/observation lot on the backstretch which contributes to another 5,000 fans for a total of 30,000. The area around the track offers plenty of restaurants and hotels for the fans, and the track itself abuts Iowa Municipal Airport, making for easy arrival and departure for both fans and drivers.
Many people complain when new tracks get added to the Cup series, but like it or not, this is good for the sport and the Series. It adds a new excitement and a freshness to the schedule. NASCAR certainly does a lot of things wrong, but the adaptation of the schedule over the last few seasons is one they have gotten right. So sit back, relax, and enjoy it!
