Iowa Speedway Officially Added to 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule

Iowa Speedway will officially host a NASCAR Cup Series race weekend during the 2024 season, marking the first-ever NASCAR Cup Series event held at the 0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa. The announcement was made in a press conference with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on Tuesday.

“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.”

The announcement confirms an initial report from Jeff Gluck and Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic from Monday.

“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 NASCAR Cup Series event at Iowa Speedway will take place on Sunday, June 16th, and Iowa Corn will serve as the entitlement sponsor of the NASCAR Cup Series race.

“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.”

In addition to the NASCAR Cup Series, the ARCA Menards Series will run on Friday, June 14th, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will compete at the facility on Saturday, June 15th.

According to a press release, on-sale ticket information for the first-ever Cup Series Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway will be announced in the near future. Today, fans can put down a $25 deposit for priority access to purchase tickets before the public on-sale at iowaspeedway.com.

Iowa Speedway was a fixture on the NASCAR Xfinity Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedules from 2009 until 2019, but the facility has not hosted a NASCAR race weekend since the 2019 season.

Chase Briscoe won the last contested NASCAR Xfinity Series event at the facility in 2019.

1989 NASCAR Cup Series champion and NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace came up with the unique design of Iowa Speedway, which opened in 2006.

For the legendary racer, Tuesday's announcement was the culmination of a dream.

“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.”

The facility has played host to the NASCAR Xfinity Series, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NTT IndyCar Series, and ARCA Menards Series. Through the years, the speedway has had excellent support from the race fans in the Iowa area. Now, those fans will be rewarded with a NASCAR Cup Series race.

While the full 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is expected to be released this week, we have had several announcements relating to the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series schedule over the last few weeks.

In addition to Iowa, the LA Memorial Coliseum will remain the host for the season-opening exhibition event, the Busch Light Clash.

North Wilkesboro Speedway will also continue on as the venue for the NASCAR All-Star Race in 2024.

NASCAR will also return to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400 in 2024 after the crown jewel event served a three-year hiatus.

Photo Credit: Matt Sullivan, Getty Images