Iowa Speedway

Motorsport venue
Name = Iowa Speedway| Time = GMT-6
Location = Newton, Iowa


Image_caption = "Rusty Wallace Signature Series Track"
Capacity = 30,000 [cite web |url=http://www.iowaspeedway.com/newsline/news.asp?newsID=150 |title=Iowa Speedway Adds Seating for June IndyCar Series Race |accessdate=2007-06-01]
Owner = U.S. Motorsport Entertainment Corp.
Operator = Iowa Speedway
Broke_ground = June 21, 2005
Opened = September 15, 2006
Closed =
Construction_cost= $70 million
Architect = Paxton Waters Architecture
Rusty Wallace
Former_names = Quad Cities International Raceway Park "(planning stages name)"
Events = IRL IndyCar Series
Iowa Corn Indy 250
IRL Firestone Indy Lights
Iowa 100
ARCA RE/MAX Series
Prairie Meadows 250 (2007)
Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series
Iowa 400 (2007)| Layout1 = Tri-oval
Surface = Asphalt
Length_km = 1.4
Length_mi = 0.875
Turns = 4
Banking = Turns: 12°-14°
Frontstrech: 10°
Backstrech: 4°
Record_time = 0:17.6484
Record_driver = Scott Dixon
Record_team = Chip Ganassi Racing
Record_year = 2007
Record_class = IRL IndyCar Series
Layout2 = Road Course
Surface2 = Asphalt
Length_km2 = 2.09
Length_mi2 = 1.3
Turns2 = 9
Banking2 = Turns 1&2: 12°-14°
Frontstrech: 10°
Backstrech: 4°
Record_time2 = 0:41.709
Record_driver2 = Jon Fogarty
Record_team2 = GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing
Record_year2 = 2007
Record_class2 = Daytona Prototype

Iowa Speedway is a 7/8 mile long paved oval motor racing track in Newton, Iowa, approximately convert|30|mi|km|0 east of Des Moines. The track was designed with influence from Rusty Wallace and patterned after Richmond International Raceway, a short track where Wallace was very successful. It has over 25,000 permanent seats as well as a unique multi-tiered Recreational Vehicle viewing area along the backstretch.

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 has secured a combined NASCAR Grand National Busch East-AutoZone West race where results will count towards both series' championships. [http://www.nascar.com/2006/news/headlines/cup/12/11/iowa.speedway/index.html nascar.com article "Iowa Speedway hoping for NASCAR cornucopia"] ] 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 has been awarded a NASCAR Nationwide Series race for 2009. An agreement has been reached with the IRL that will see three more years racing at Iowa from 2009 onwards.

References

External links

* [http://www.iowaspeedway.com/ Speedway website]
* [http://www.trackpedia.com/wiki/Iowa_Speedway Trackpedia guide to driving this track]