A NASCAR first – full ownership of a racetrack.
Just before the Thanksgiving holiday, NASCAR said it purchased Iowa Speedway for an unspecified amount. The agreement departs from the usual France family practice of gathering racetracks under the independent International Speedway Corporation that controls Daytona, Homestead, Talladega and Watkins Glen among other premier venues. Instead, a new wholly owned NASCAR subsidiary, Iowa Speedway, LLC, takes control effective immediately. The France family of course controls NASCAR, but they have not been able to escape the negative effects of a shrinking blue-collar fan base hurt from the ongoing effects of the Great Recession, which in turn has hurt the racing business.
The facility, located 30 miles east of Des Moines in Newton, formerly the home of Maytag until Whirlpool closed its factories and moved the work to Mexico, is a fast, .875-mile asphalt paved tri-oval designed by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace and patterned after the Richmond track Wallace was so successful running on. There is also a road course.
The Speedway released its 2014 schedule earlier this month, with big three weekends, one each in May, July and August, but no Sprint Cup race. The schedule includes two Nationwide Series races, a combination Camping World Truck Series and IndyCar Series weekend, plus two additional K&N Pro Series support races. NASCAR said it has no plans for Iowa Speedway to host a “in the immediate future.”
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
