Rusty Wallace and Dale Earnhardt Jr. aren’t the only ones racing around the Iowa Speedway in Newton. On Monday, three dozen recruits attending the Department of Public Safety academy will be on the Iowa Speedway track for emergency vehicle training. Jessica Lown is a spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Safety.
"They’ve got the track for high speeds," Lown says, "and they’ve got a nice, flat, open cement pad area in the center of the track – so you don’t have to worry about pedestrians getting in the way or blocking off a road in a town somewhere." The Iowa Speedway is offering the track for the training free of charge.
The 36 recruits are training to become state troopers, DCI agents, and investigators for the State Fire Marshall’s office. The recruits will be asked to maneuver the emergency vehicles around obstacle courses and handle the vehicle at various speeds.