Iowa Speedway has hosted plenty of auto racing since it first opened in 2006. And the NASCAR Xfinity Series has had plenty of history at the track. Now it is time for some new history.
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After the 2019 season, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Craftsman Truck Series went away from racing at the facility.
However, in 2024, the Xfinity Series will be making its return to the Newton, Iowa track. But it won't be alone. In a historic move, the track announced that in 2024, the NASCAR Cup Series will make its debut at the seven-eighth-mile oval.
We're taking the show to Iowa!
The NASCAR Cup Series will race at @iowaspeedway for the first time on June 16, 2024! pic.twitter.com/enwGkyLt91
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) October 3, 2023
The Cup event is set for Sunday, June 16, at 7 p.m. ET. A Sunday night race on Father's Day will be a perfect debut for Iowa and the Cup Series.
With the full schedule expected to be announced this week, NASCAR and Iowa's announcement comes at the perfect time.
If you build it, they will come.
See you next June, @NASCAR 👋 pic.twitter.com/y39LYwHi2H
— Iowa Speedway (@iowaspeedway) October 3, 2023
Ben Kennedy, NASCAR's senior vice president of racing development and strategy, was excited about the opportunity to finally give the great NASCAR fans in the state a Cup race.
"Today's announcement is an exciting one for NASCAR and for race fans in the state of Iowa," Kennedy said. "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."
Not only was Kennedy excited about this event, but so was NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, who famously helped design the Iowa track.
"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," Wallace told Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass.
The famous "Field of Dreams" quote, "If you build it, they will come," now holds true for NASCAR.
