Retired NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace quit the competition last year, but he was driving around a track in Iowa Thursday. Andy Vertrees, Chief Operating Officer at the Iowa Speedway in Newton, says they wanted Wallace’s input before they started paving, since Wallace helped design the track.
“Right now it’s a dirt track,” Vertrees confirms. Wallace drove around it in a Monte Carlo, about 85 miles an hour, and found a spot coming out of turn two that he didn’t like, so they brought heavy equipment in to rip it out and redesign that stretch of the track.
That kind of professional feel for the track is the reason Vertrees says Wallace will be back. “He’ll be back each layer of pavement, all the way to the finish,” Vertrees says, explaining they’ll put down three layers of pavement on the track and have Wallace give each a test drive before it’s finished.
Vertrees says the speedway’s on track to be completed in plenty of time for its scheduled mid-September debut. September 15th is the date. Vertrees says the first day will feature the Hooters Pro Cup Series race, the following day heat races in three classes and on the 17th they’ll have the USAC Midget Series, sprint races, and the USAC Silver Crown Series. The organizers just announced season tickets for the track will go on sale next week.
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Schedule for Iowa Speedway