Thoughts on Iowa

UPDATE Finally, did you know this is one of the IRL’s favorite stops on the circuit? In Kansas I was told by an IndyCar employee that when they came into Newton and saw posters in every window and “I am Indy" flags flying around the square, along with the hospitality our city provided, they were overwhelmed.

They know the series has something special here. We can help improve our reputation by all of the season ticket holders getting to the track very early on Sunday. This will help to alleviate traffic problems. IndyCar has worked hard to improve their part of the event, let’s do the same for them. Newton Daily News

06/19/08 A reader writes, I just wanted to pass along my thoughts regarding Iowa Speedway. I was a die-hard CCWS fan and am trying to take unification in stride but tracks like Iowa make the process more difficult.

The second installment of the Iowa Corn Fest/Crash Fest will take place this weekend at the tiny Iowa Speedway. Unless you are a freak who likes crashes and numerous cautions last year's race was a bore to say the least. Hopefully the future will bring change and leave Iowa Speedway in the cornfields. Unification (I use that word loosely) has brought a renewed hope to open wheel racing in America. Now is the time to capitalize on that hope and bring the Indy Car Series to tracks that deserve to host Indy Car Series events.

Sorry Iowa, but your track is not one of them. Rusty Wallace designs a race track for Indy Cars about as well as he commentated Indy Car Series events on TV. With successful venues such as Road America, Portland and Cleveland available it makes no sense to continue racing at such a hokey circuit as Iowa. Continuing to race at Iowa Speedway makes the task harder of presenting the Indy Car Series as a world class event.

Tiny ovals like Iowa make the Indy Car Series seem irrelevant in the world of motorsports. Hopefully 2009 will see the real race venues back on the schedule and the full throttle miniature ovals left where they belong. In the cornfields. Chris Kleibor

Dear Chris, Some fans like the short bullrings and do not get dizzy watching cars going in circles. They like seeing the cars all the time, something they cannot do on street and road circuits. Mark C.