IRL eyes Iowa race

UPDATE #4 The IndyCar Series has agreed to a race date at Iowa Speedway, the seven-eighths-mile oval that is being built in Newton, Iowa. Although the IRL schedule has not been announced, the addition should increase the schedule to 15 races after dropping to 14 this season.

05/26/06 The seven-eighths-mile speedway, which is currently under construction near Newton, Ia., is located along Interstate 80 about 30 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa Speedway is expected to be completed in time to hold races in September. It will have 25,000 permanent seats.

05/25/06 A reader writes, Dear AutoRacing1, I was raised in Iowa and lived there for 20 years. There are less than 3 million people in the whole state. I cannot imaging an IRL race getting more than 5000 in attendance.

The Iowa Cubs cannot even fill their 12,000 seat stadium with regular attendance of around 5000. Greyhound park in Waterloo closed after just a few years of operation. The Knoxville Raceway has 24,000 seats – it is the third largest outdoor facility in Iowa (behind the football stadiums at Iowa and Iowa State). As much as I have a place in my heart for Iowa, it is not the place the IRL should be looking. Is this a desperate move to find another NASCAR subsidized/associated event? What was the attendance of the 1989-91 Des Moines Grandprix? Randy Stocker

05/25/06 Will this be the Carb Day announcement? The new Iowa Speedway in Newton will host an Indy Racing League event in 2007, league officials confirmed to the Indy Star. The seven-eighths-mile track east of Des Moines will be one of the smallest tracks on the circuit. A race date could not be confirmed. Indy Star

05/09/06 IRL officials will do a feasibility test at the new IRL TV announcer Rusty Wallace's Iowa Speedway the first week of August. The track east of Des Moines hopes to host an Indy-car race in 2007. Wallace calls the IRL cars Hot Rods. Where does the IRL find these announcers?