NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace was slated to be in Newton this afternoon to take another spin around the Iowa Speedway he designed. The first level of paving on the 7/8ths mile oval is complete and construction crews are awaiting the green flag from Wallace to apply the final two levels.
Iowa Speedway general manager Todd Melfi says Wallace will get a feel to see if there are any dips or bumps on the track. Melfi says Wallace can feel things that a regular person can’t because he’s an experienced driver. Melfi says they’ll tear up and redo any part of the track where Wallace finds a problem.
Melfi says it is the third time Wallace has tested the surface. He drove it once on dirt, then when the rock was down. Melfi says once all the dirt was moved construction on the facility moved quickly. He says they moved over one million cubic yards of dirt and got all the utilities underground and then started shaping the track.
The track will open for the Richard Petty Driving Experience in August and host its first race in September.