Inaugural Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend at Iowa Speedway Produces Positive Results
August 18, 2022 | By Penske Entertainment
More Than 80,000 Fans Over Three Days Witness Thrilling Racing, Great Music and More in INDYCAR’s Return to Iowa
With one of the largest crowds in the history of Iowa Speedway, Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend made a positive impact locally and drew rave reviews from across the globe following three memorable days of thrilling racing, amazing music and great food in Newton, Iowa.
An enthusiastic crowd attended Free Family Friday on July 22 to begin the entertainment-filled weekend. Saturday, July 23 was a sellout as a packed house of more than 38,000 witnessed the first NTT INDYCAR SERIES race of the weekend – the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash, along with the first Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires race at Iowa Speedway since 2018. Saturday’s capacity crowd also enjoyed a pre-race concert from country music superstar Tim McGraw and a post-race live performance by Billboard record-holding country music duo Florida Georgia Line.
The Iowa Speedway grandstands were packed again on Sunday, July 24 as three-time Grammy award-winning artist Gwen Stefani hosted a matinee concert before the final race of the weekend – the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google – and nine-time Grammy-nominated country music star Blake Shelton rocked the Hy-Vee trackside stage after the race. The three-day total of more than 80,000 fans in attendance represented one of the biggest weekends in the 16-year history of Iowa Speedway.
In addition to the world-class racing and premier music, Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend also delivered a diverse and unique dining experience for its fans. Dozens of food trucks participated in the Hy-Vee Food Truck Challenge all weekend long. Fans in attendance determined the winner with onsite voting and on Sunday afternoon the top three trucks were announced just before Shelton took the stage. Serving Mexican-American cuisine with a truck based in Newton, Iowa, Kiki’s was crowned champion of the Food Truck Challenge as the local winners took home the $25,000 grand prize.
With both NTT INDYCAR SERIES races televised live on NBC, the viewership results were strong throughout Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend. Both races significantly outperformed the Total Audience Delivery (TAD) results from the 2020 doubleheader weekend at Iowa Speedway, which was aired live on NBC Sports Network. The Saturday race drew a TAD (television plus digital audience) of 957,000 while Sunday’s race posted a TAD of 743,000.
The inaugural Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend also delivered some of INDYCAR’s top social media engagement results of the year. Across all social channels, the weekend surpassed total engagement from the most recent NTT INDYCAR SERIES doubleheader in 2021. With more than 142,000 video views, Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend also posted the series’ top results on TikTok in 2022.
The action on the track also delivered impressive results. With wheel-to-wheel racing at the “Fastest Short Track on the Planet,” the action kept fans on the edge of their seat throughout the weekend. After Hunter McElrea won the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires race on Saturday, both NTT INDYCAR SERIES races featured plenty of passing and great racing all over the 7/8 of a mile oval. Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden produced his fourth career victory at Iowa Speedway in the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 presented by DoorDash, while Arrow McLaren SP’s Pato O’Ward scored his first series win at Iowa on Sunday in the Hy-Vee Salute to Farmers 300 presented by Google. The two races produced a total of 1,584 on-track passes and an average of 3.23 passes per each green flag lap.
Among all the positive results from Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend, perhaps the most impactful numbers will come from the true economic impact of the event. With capacity crowds and visitors from across the U.S. and even overseas traveling to attend the event, hotels, restaurants and businesses in Newton, Des Moines and throughout central Iowa benefitted from the return of INDYCAR to Iowa Speedway. Those results will be felt throughout the local region until the next green flag flies at Iowa Speedway for the 2023 Hy-Vee INDYCAR Race Weekend. Stay tuned for the release of those dates in the near future.