IOWA

[jethro10]

Hello,
So,who can tell me why a Nascar bloke designed Iowa, and its IRL, not nascar racing there....

J

[kingfloopy]

I live close to the track so maybe I can answer this. First, Rusty raced in NASCAR, but the body itself didn't have anything to do with the design. Second, the seating capacity at the track is below the levels for NEXTEL Cup and probably the Busch series too, granted seats can be added, but that would require a commitment from NASCAR first. Third, the Cup and Busch series schedules are full and there are other tracks like Nashville and Kentucky waiting to receive races. The truck series is a potential to race in Iowa, but they are probably waiting to see how the track works out and shapes up first. I imagine that if the races go well this year we could see NASCAR adding a truck race in the near future.

J.D.

[ss_collins]

dodge weeklies?

[StuiE]

I think ARCA races there too

[kingfloopy]

I don't think they have Weekly races, the track is too big and most racing in a similar style is done on dirt tracks around here. They do have Grand Am, ARCA, Hooters ProCup, ASA, and USAC events though. They also have a lot of driving schools operating there.

J.D.

[jethro10]

Originally Posted by kingfloopy

I live close to the track so maybe I can answer this. First, Rusty raced in NASCAR, but the body itself didn't have anything to do with the design. Second, the seating capacity at the track is below the levels for NEXTEL Cup and probably the Busch series too, granted seats can be added, but that would require a commitment from NASCAR first. Third, the Cup and Busch series schedules are full and there are other tracks like Nashville and Kentucky waiting to receive races. The truck series is a potential to race in Iowa, but they are probably waiting to see how the track works out and shapes up first. I imagine that if the races go well this year we could see NASCAR adding a truck race in the near future.

J.D.

But apart from that were in with a chance you think!
A shame, because I rather like the idea of this. A Bigger richmond with variable banking sounds rather good.

[muggle not]

The competition is fierce in trying to get a nascar date. The odds are strongly against Iowa getting Nascar to race there. Actually, the odds are great for any track.

[Hazza]

Yeah.

They got rid of the rock,didn't they? And they dumped a Martinsville date at one point, iirc.

[StuiE]

They dropped the Martinsville Busch date for '07, as it didn't have enough spectators, though it wasn't on a Cup weekend either..

[kingfloopy]

I remember last fall on the local news they had a lot of talk about NASCAR taking a look at the track and that they were paying attention to what was going on there. So they are aware of the track and I imagine aware that there is interest in adding a NASCAR race there. Like I said previously I believe there is a very good chance of getting a truck series race as that series schedule is still largely open to add a race or two (I think they had 27 races at one point).

J.D.

[Knowlesy]

Iowa would really struggle to get on the Cup (or Busch) roster. It's a shame as the ARCA race they held last year was quite good.

Maybe we will see it in a few years, but not too soon.

[muggle not]

Not everyone wants Nascar. Some politicians in Washington State have been very derogatory:

Looks like Washington (State Of) thinks Nascar is just a bunch of rednecks and they are about to reject a Nascar track:

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/l...tory/6379922p-

http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/l...-5690592c.html

Chopp was dismissive when asked about Petty, a hugely popular figure known as “the King” in the world of racing.

“You mean the guy who got picked up for DUI?” the House speaker asked. Chopp quickly added that he’d only heard about a drunken driving incident and wasn’t sure if it were true.

Still, the speaker made it clear he wasn’t impressed.

“He’s not a member of the House, last time I checked,” Chopp said.

Chopp has said repeatedly that no House Democrats have pushed him to support the NASCAR track. He says he doesn't hear from anyone about it. At a press availability earlier this month, when asked about NASCAR — as the Longview Daily News reported —

he pulled out a Wall Street Journal article sent to him by a legislator describing the rowdy crowds at the Talledega Speedway in Alabama.
The article reported that "hard-drinking" fans "whoop it up for days."

"These people are not the kind of people you would want living next door to you," Seaquist said. "They'd be the ones with the junky cars in the front yard and would try to slip around the law."
__________________

[kingfloopy]

I'm not sure where to begin with that other than saying it makes me rather angry and if I was Richard Petty I'd sue for slander.

NASCAR doesn't need really need to go to Washington anyway. Like I said previously the Kentucky and Nashville tracks would be a much better market anyway and are itching for a Cup race.

J.D.

[Jacko44]

Originally Posted by StuiE

They dropped the Martinsville Busch date for '07, as it didn't have enough spectators, though it wasn't on a Cup weekend either..

Plus the racing was terrible seeing as there were 19 cautions or something! I don't know if there was more than 15-20 green flag laps in a row at any stage.