Iowa Speedway - Fertile Ground

Low Impact

John Neil Wells was struggling with the right-front spindle on his dirt track Modified. The car had crashed the week before, and the bent assembly was reluctant to come off the A-arms.

"I'll get it," he said. "Or someone will come along to help. That's the thing about racing that people on the outside don't comprehend.

"We may be competitors, but we help each other."

Apparently, that is as true for tracks as it is for racers.

Wells was racing that night at the Iowa State Fairgrounds, a track whose history with motorsports goes back to the '20s.

The track is typical of where stock car racing began in America. Long before there were dedicated speedways like Daytona or Darlington, there were clay ovals at fairgrounds where cars and horses shared the same soil.

It is still that way at Iowa Fairgrounds, where the track shuts down for most of August so it can be used for harness racing during the annual state fair.

Contrast the old fairgrounds to the new Iowa Speedway just a half-hour down the road in Newton. Opened in late 2006, the 78-mile paved oval is a state-of-the-art facility that was designed with help from retired Winston Cup champion Rusty Wallace.

Mick Trier said he wasn't sure what impact a shiny new speedway might have on his weekly show at the historic state fairgrounds and on racing at two other dirt tracks he promotes nearby.

"But it's been great," he said. "I can always tell when there is a race at Newton because we begin getting phone calls from people coming in from out of town. They want to make a full weekend of racing and are looking for things to do on Friday night.

"They call asking what we run, when we run, and how to get to the track. It hasn't been a bonanza, but it has been noticeable."

Wells figured the big track helps racing for everyone.

"It can't do anything but help," he said. "It raises awareness of racing throughout the region."

Trier said the paved oval hasn't drawn any fans away from his dirt ovals.

He still gets about 120 cars a night at the fairgrounds and about 3,000 people buy tickets for the grandstands or the pits. He runs IMCA rules, and the fields include everything from Late Models to trucks.

"These are grassroots racers and race fans," he said. "Most of the people who are regulars come here because they have a favorite driver. As long as their driver is racing, they'll be here."

He said most of his fans and drivers come from less than 20 miles away from the track, which means that the escalating cost of fuel isn't expected to have a huge impact on racers or his fan base.

"What we may pick up fan-wise is a few folks who may go to Iowa Speedway, get excited about racing, and want to see it again on a more regular basis," he said.

The buzz from the new speedway may even help racers at other tracks.

"The new track has a lot of people talking about racing," said Greg Cox, who races a Modified at the fairgrounds and other local tracks. "I think that could become an icebreaker when a driver goes to talk to a potential sponsor. If people already are talking about racing, it may be easier to direct the conversation to the local track.

"I haven't seen that yet. And most of my sponsorship for this season was already committed before Iowa Speedway opened last fall. But I think it could make a difference for next year."

--JFB