Iowa Speedway is set to return to NASCAR’s schedule for the 2024 season, including a first-ever visit for the NASCAR Cup Series to the .875-mile racetrack, NASCAR announced Oct. 3.
The Cup Series’ inaugural event at the track is set for Sunday, June 16, with a 7 p.m. ET start time.
It’s part of a three-day weekend including the NASCAR Xfinity Series and the ARCA Menards Series on June 14-15.
“We’re really excited to be heading to Iowa Speedway,” Ben Kennedy, NASCAR svp of racing development and strategy, said in a release. “The first time in what will be the 76-year history that we’ve had a (Cup) race at Iowa Speedway, and the first time in a really long time that we’ve had a (Cup) race in the state of Iowa, so we’re excited to get there.
“We talk a lot about the racing product and what that looks like, and we hear from a lot of our fans that would like to see more short tracks. And then we also hear how good intermediate racing is with this Next Gen car. And I think Iowa in a lot of ways shows both the short track as well as an intermediate race track in the way that it races. I’m so excited to see it on the schedule.”
The track opened back in 2006 and hosted the Xfinity Series as well as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series every year from 2009 to 2019. The ARCA Menards Series has also raced there every year since 2006 with the exception of 2014, and the track has hosted the NTT IndyCar Series 19 times since 2007, including doubleheader weekends for the past two seasons.
“This is a dream come true,” Rusty Wallace, Iowa Speedway’s co-founder and designer, said. “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.”
Chase began working with Frontstretch in the spring of 2023 as a news writer, while also helping fill in for other columns as needed. Chase is now the main writer and reporter for Frontstretch.com's CARS Tour coverage, a role which began late in 2023. Aside from racing, some of Chase's other hobbies include time in the outdoors hunting and fishing, and keeping up with all things Philadelphia sports related.