According to the Mighty Des Moines Register, tonight's NASCAR Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway will be sold out by race time. 55,000 people are expected to pack in for the festival of paint swap.
Last year's race at Iowa was the only 2009 Nationwide race to sell out. The IndyCar race in June at Iowa Speedway sold about 40,000 tickets, but an estimated 5,000 were no-shows at race time. Officials blamed a forecast of 80% chance of rain for keeping thousands of season ticket holders away from the IndyCar race.
Tonight's Nationwide race airs at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 2. Look for Rusty Wallace to be in a grand mal froth over all the cats in the stands and on the track. The 2009 Iowa Nationwide race featured TWELVE cautions, which insane commentators here called "about the right number."
In June, Iowa Speedway president and CFO Jerry Jauron said he will certainly answer the phone if NASCAR calls about a Sprint Cup race, but for now they are focusing on packing the house and putting on the best possible events for everything currently at the speedway. That will help generate interest in the speedway among many sanctioning bodies, including NASCAR, he said.
Read Jauron's comments on ticket sales for IndyCar and NASCAR HERE.
The reason competitors called it the "right number" was because otherwise they'd have been fined! I'd love to see cup at Iowa, but sadly, it's not owned by ISC or SMI, and since NASCAR's scheduale is, with IMS, Pocono, and Dover the exceptions, controlled by those two, a Cup race is unlikely... but it would probalby sell out even if they expaneded the seating.
Posted by: Dylan | July 31, 2010 at 01:50 PM
Iowa will have a Cup race at Iowa by 2012.
Things are a changin' in NASCAR-land. Places like Pocono and Loudon and Fontana and Michigan and Dover are going to see their race dates cut down soon.
NASCAR needs new markets. They need fresh markets. They need a jolt of energy to a stale schedule and a fanbase that seems a little bored by Cup. Going to a Iowa or a Nashville or a Kentucky or a Elkhart Lake, is exactly what they need right now. And those places would sell out in about 10 seconds if Cup comes there.
Posted by: Jim Bob | July 31, 2010 at 04:47 PM
I was there... and it was so cool seeing that size of a crowd!
Posted by: Catie R | July 31, 2010 at 11:52 PM
If there is a cup race at the Iowa speedway in 2012 it will definetly sell out in a matter of hours. I am a season ticket holder in the Newto club, I have been asked by many when cup would be there. I said wuith Rustys reputation and what hee has done so far with amazing races and the turn out of the crowd, I am sure in time there is no doubt in my mind as much as the big drivers like the track.
Posted by: Gator | August 21, 2010 at 11:58 AM
I believe you, Gator. Tracks like Iowa Speedway where fans seem to actually want to have a Cup race put pressure on tracks that have Cup races to step it up. If Iowa sells out its TWO Nationwide races in 2011, it'll be hard for NASCAR not to give them a Cup/Nationwide doubleheader in 2012, IMO.
Posted by: pressdog | August 21, 2010 at 12:09 PM