(The Center Square) – The NASCAR Cup Series is coming to Iowa Speedway next year, bringing the potential for approximately $100 million in economic impact, according to Gov. Kim Reynolds.
NASCAR announced a June 2024 race at Iowa Speedway in Newton. The speedway is about 30 miles outside of Des Moines.
“Today’s announcement is a triumph for incredible race fans around the world,” said Ben Kennedy, the senior vice president of racing development and strategy for NASCAR on Tuesday. “They have long sought a NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway and I am happy to finally deliver that for them. We fully expect this to be one of the most highly anticipated events on the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule and another exciting race for our NASCAR fans.
NASCAR is partnering with Iowa Corn in the race, according to Kennedy.
Reynolds said Newton and the surrounding area would see an economic boost from the event.
“On average, NASCAR premium events generate approximately $100 million in economic impact per cup event for its racing communities,” the governor said. “And with an increase of new fans attending races in person and more than three million TV viewers on average tuning in per minute last year, fans from coast to coast will experience racing through the Iowa lens. As governor, I am confident that not only will we meet the expectations of NASCAR and its fans, we will exceed them.”
Also in attendance was 2012 NASCAR Cup Series Champion Brad Keselowski, who has also been a three-time winner at Iowa Speedway.
“I was a big advocate for the cup series to come race here from day one,” said Keselowski. “The first day I got to come to this racetrack and see how beautiful the facilities are, how well laid out they are with the interstate and airport adjacent to them, just really well thought out from top down, the fan experience. And just thinking about the fan experience, part of what makes this, for me, such an easy event to get behind is just that: the fans that come out.”
NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace is designing the track.
“This is a dream come true for me as a track designer to finally get a cup race here at Iowa,” Wallace said. “And there’s one thing I do know: we’ve seen enough races here in Iowa to know it’s gonna put on one heck of a cup race. There’s no doubt about that.”
