IOWA SPEEDWAY INDYCAR TESTING BODES WELL FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S IOWA CORN INDY 250
Jun 18, 2012
IOWA SPEEDWAY INDYCAR TESTING BODES WELL FOR NEXT WEEKEND’S IOWA CORN INDY 250
New cars, new format, same great race
NEWTON, Iowa — June 16, 2012 — When the last of the nineteen IZOD IndyCar race teams that practiced last Tuesday and Wednesday at Iowa Speedway had packed up and left the Newton facility’s infield garage area, a consensus among many observers had already been formed: The 2012 edition of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 weekend on Friday and Saturday, June 22-23, was destined to be one for the record books.
While record speeds were achieved in the Tuesday morning test session, and participating IndyCar drivers agreed that the ‘aero package’ on their new chassis/engine combinations worked very well on Iowa Speedway’s fast 7/8-mile paved tri-oval, the track’s CEO Doug Fritz was enthusiastic about the increased entertainment value for race fans.
“There is nothing more exciting than IndyCars on a short oval track, and Iowa Speedway is a prime example of that,” Fritz said. “From the test results this past week, it is clear that IndyCar’s new racecar is going to be perfectly suited for our track, and with all of the stars and cars of the series on hand, the three 30-lap qualifying heat races on Friday and the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Saturday are going to be exciting from start to finish.”
In addition to a successful test of the new series racecar, IZOD IndyCar teams reported that the ‘bump’ in turn 2 of the compound-banked oval track was much improved due to some asphalt remediation work undertaken by Iowa Speedway’s Operations Department. The anticipated result will be fast, tight and close racing among top series drivers in the 250-lap contest, including defending Iowa Corn Indy 250 champion Marco Andretti, 2010 Iowa winner Tony Kanaan, and newly crowned and 3-time Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti.
“We think Iowa Speedway is a great place for us,” said IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard. “I think first and foremost, you have great fans that sell it out. I go back to how we define our sport – we have to be the fastest and most versatile racecars in the world, and the fact that the drivers are doing the speeds they’re doing on the ovals is a huge part of our sport.”
Fritz indicated that good seats were still available for both the Friday and Saturday events of the Iowa Corn Indy 250 weekend, but with the outstanding competition in the Indy 500 and at Texas Motor Speedway last Saturday night, advance ticket sales are really beginning to heat up on the track’s official website, www.iowaspeedway.com.
“Tickets to Friday or Saturday night’s shows start at just $20, and with the line-up of events, concerts and Casey’s General Stores Fan Walk activities, that’s a great value for race fans,” Fritz noted. “If you’ve never seen IndyCars at night on a short-track, at speeds approaching 200 miles per hour, you owe it to yourself to buy a ticket and experience the thrill in person!”
Season, event weekend, and single race ticket packages are on sale; reserve your tickets today by calling 1-866-RUSTY-GO, or visit www.iowaspeedway.com.
About Iowa Speedway
Iowa Speedway is a state-of-the-art 7/8 mile asphalt paved tri-oval race track and motorsports facility located just 30 miles east of Des Moines at I-80 Exit 168 in Newton, Iowa. The track is owned and operated by U.S. Motorsport Corporation and designed by former NASCAR Champion Rusty Wallace, now an anchor and analyst for ABC-TV/ESPN. Call 1-866-RUSTY-GO, or visit Iowaspeedway.com to learn more.
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