Take The Wheel, Melt Your Face In A Real Race Car At The Iowa Speedway
By Ben Jones|Published April 17, 2021
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Ben Jones
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Ben Jones is at heart an adventurer who delights in inspiring others. A former reporter and photojournalist, he explored towns large and small as a Wisconsin correspondent for USA Today. He later became a lead photographer and senior copywriter for an award-winning destination marketing agency, before founding Boldland Creative, a company that produces photography, video, and other content for travel destinations. Jones has completed photography and content projects in more than 15 states and when he’s not looking through a camera or at his Macbook you’ll find him exploring the world’s lakes and forests.
If you’re looking for a big thrill, hang on. For dear life, that is. The Iowa Speedway offers a chance to be a passenger in a real Nascar-style race car. Or if you’re really daring, there’s an opportunity for you to take the wheel and turn some laps!
Interested in losing your yellow rookie stripe? Do you have what it takes to handle one of these beasts? Here’s the scoop on an Iowa experience that might just melt your face.
The experience takes place in Newton, Iowa, about 30 miles east of Des Moines. Here you'll find the Iowa Speedway, known as the "Fastest Short Track on the Planet." How fast is this track? Indy cars have turned 17 second/ 186 mile-per-hour laps on this .894-mile oval. Here's a race day memory.
The track is as legit as they get. It's owned and operated by the U.S. Motorsport Corporation and was designed by NASCAR champion/all-around legend Rusty Wallace.
Several experiences are available at the 25,000-seat speedway. You can do a ride along, riding shotgun in a real NASCAR Sprint Cup car. There’s a TRD Race Motor under the hood that has previously competed in a NASCAR race.
But maybe you want a little more. Maybe you have a little need for speed and need to mash your own foot on the gas pedal of one of these monsters. You're in luck – experiences are available that allow you to drive a car with a crate motor making nearly 500 horsepower!
You can choose an experience that involves as few as four laps, but many participants advise others to chose a bigger experience, with more laps. At the speed of these cars, the laps go quickly and you won't want it to end!
You don’t need any race car experience to participate in the experience, just a driver’s license – you must be 18-years-old to drive the car or 14-years-old to ride. Looking for more thrills? Here are 10 more adventures for Iowa thrill-seekers.
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