Iowa Speedway still a testing ground under Small

NEWTON - Iowa Speedway is a testing ground.

That statement can mean many different things. Headed into 2015, it means Iowa Speedway President Jimmy Small and his staff are trying to figure out the best way to reach NASCAR, IndyCar, ARCA and USAC fans in Iowa.

It means Finger Eleven, Blues Traveler and John Michael Montgomery playing concerts after races. It means new concessions. It means new fan outreach campaigns. It means whatever it takes to help the Rusty Wallace-designed track live up to all the things the founders said it would when it opened in 2006.

Into the second year of his tenure, Small still is learning what it can mean.

'We want people to trust us because we're working every day to put together a show, a weekend that we would all want to enjoy or that would make the hair on the back of our neck stand up,” Small said. 'That's what we're always looking to do.

'We benefit from putting ourselves - and I've really been emphasizing this message - we're all race fans. That's what brought us here, that's why we work here; that's why we're passionate about what we do.”

Small and his senior staff - communications director Edward Williams, Vice President Trent Staley, marketing director Tami Hansen and ticketing director Chris Baker, among others - went gonzo in that effort last year.

They went to Chicagoland Speedway and Kansas Speedway specifically to experience a race weekend as fans. They went through the ticket lines, rode the trams, bought concessions and did the fan walks. A group of the staff even camped out at Kansas last fall during the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

All that to improve a race weekend in Newton.

'Obviously we're seeking to be the source of inspiration, but there are a lot of talented people across our industry doing neat things,” Small said. 'We love the opportunity to be fans for a weekend and put ourselves in the shoes of a fellow fan.

'We did everything, all in an effort to experience what a fan would in these other markets and listen to feedback we'd hear directly or indirectly. Everything is inspirational. That's how we've all looked at it, and it never ends.”

How all that research and work plays out will be seen starting Saturday when cars get on track at Iowa Speedway for the first time in competition (an Xfinity Series tire test was held May 5 at the track).

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West cars will practice, qualify before their race at 8 p.m. - a race which will feature several members of the 2015-16 NASCAR Next class, including dirt track standout Rico Abreu, Jesse Little, Dalton Sargeant, Nicole Behar and others.

Xfinity Series cars will practice twice and qualify (at 4:45 p.m.) for their race on Sunday. Cedar Rapids natives Landon Cassill and Joey Gase will be in competition. Cassill is the only NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular - though he collects points in the Xfinity Series as he runs there full time as well - competing in Sunday's race.

With no Cup stars like Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano or Kyle Busch in the field, it's almost a certainty an Xfinity regular will be in Victory Lane on Sunday afternoon. The exception could be Erik Jones, who collects points and is running the full Camping World Truck Series schedule.

The exclusivity of Iowa being the only stand-alone Xfinity Series race to run on a Sunday provides ample opportunity for Iowa Speedway to stay unique - and yes, even be that testing ground for young drivers trying to steal the spotlight 12 hours after the Sprint All-Star race runs in Charlotte.

'It really speaks to our focus here on wanting to make names,” Small said. 'What better way to make names than at a speedway that features Xfinity Series as its highest level of racing, with IndyCar as well, and have it on a Sunday afternoon? It's the only Sunday race of the year, after the All-Star race. It's just really neat and something we're glad to have.”

The Xfinity Series race on Sunday is set for 1 p.m. and can be seen on Fox Sports 1.

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com