NEWTON, Iowa — The NASCAR Cup Series is set to compete at Iowa Speedway for the first time next season, the series announced Tuesday.
This inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa is set for June 16, 2024. The weekend will also include the NASCAR Xfinity Series and ARCA Menards Series racing on June 14-16.
“Today’s announcement is an exciting one for NASCAR and for race fans in the state of Iowa,” said Ben Kennedy, NASCAR’s Senior Vice President, Racing Development and Strategy. “They have long sought a NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, and we’re happy to deliver that for them. We fully expect this to be one of the most highly-anticipated dates on the 2024 schedule and an amazing weekend of NASCAR racing in The Hawkeye State.”
“The things Iowans value most are what NASCAR represents best—hard work, family, and community—which is exactly why our partnership has always been a natural fit,” Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds said. “We’re thrilled to bring a NASCAR Cup Series race to Iowa Speedway next summer and for this incredible opportunity to introduce millions of racing fans to our great state.”
Iowa Corn will be the title sponsor for the first-ever Cup Series race at Iowa. The name and logo of the Cup Series race will be announced in the near future.
“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.”
Iowa Speedway successfully hosted the Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from 2009-2019, while the ARCA Menards Series has competed at the track in all but one season since the facility opened in 2006. Yet, since the race track opened in 2006, and was acquired by NASCAR in 2013, placing a Cup Series race at the venue had yet to materialize, until now.
Iowa Speedway is the latest new venue added to a season schedule as NASCAR continues making bold moves with its schedule, entering new markets and engaging new audiences with its premier series, the sanctioning body brought the Cup Series to the streets of downtown Chicago earlier this year and began its season with an exhibition race on a temporary oval inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum since 2022.
Now, NASCAR is bringing a Cup Series race to Iowa Speedway’s 7/8th-mile tri-oval, considered one of the most challenging short tracks in the country. The race will feature the best drivers in the world vying for a ‘win-and-you’re-in’ berth to the Cup Series Playoffs.
“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.”
Of the drivers projected to compete in th Cup Series next year, 19 have won at Iowa Speedway in other NASCAR national and touring series, including Brad Keselowski, who joined NASCAR and state dignitaries for the announcement Tuesday on the Iowa State Capitol steps.
“For years, the Iowa community has patiently waited for the NASCAR Cup Series to come to town,” said Keselowski. “It is with great pleasure for all of the racing community to announce they will finally see that dream come together. Iowa truly is a hotbed for motorsports fans, I saw that enthusiasm firsthand in 2009 for the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series race, and can’t wait to see the atmosphere on race day in 2024.”