April 25, 2024

IndyCar's doubleheader at Iowa Speedway will have fans in the stands

Numbers will be limited, COVID-19 health guidelines followed

By Jocelyn Sheets

NTT IndyCar Series head to Iowa Speedway on July 17-18 for a doubleheader of racing but under the COVID-19 health guidelines and protocols. There will be a limited number of fans allowed in th grandstand and all fans will have temperatures taken before entering. IndyCar made the announcement Thursday. (Newton News)

Fans will be in the stands at Iowa Speedway when the NTT IndyCar Series comes racing July 17-18 at the Newton racetrack.

IndyCar announced Thursday that it and Iowa Speedway will observe safe social distancing and provide enhanced hygiene and safety precautions for all fans in attendance at the event. They will be following the guidance of public health officials, medical experts and local, state and federal authorities.

Only a limited number of tickets will be available for the upcoming race weekend with each group of fans in attendance separated by at least six feet of distancing at Iowa Speedway, in order to align with Iowa state COVID-19 guidelines.

All previously purchased tickets for the July 17 and 18 race weekend will be honored by Iowa Speedway, including season tickets. Seating will be reassigned for all existing ticket holders in order to follow safe social distancing guidelines.

About 5,000-6,000 tickets will be available each night at the Iowa track that is the shortest track — 7/8-mile —the IndyCar series races on and has more than 25,000 permanent seats. The IndyCar doubleheader, which is on the series’ regularly scheduled stop, is because the early-season races canceled by the pandemic.

The July race weekend features two full points races for the NTT IndyCar Series on back-to-back nights – the Iowa IndyCar 250s.

The first of two 250-mile races under the lights at the Speedway will be Friday, July 17. On Saturday, July 18,is the ARCA Menards Series Shore Lunch 150 in the afternoon, followed by the second Iowa IndyCar 250 race that night.

Ticket holders will be notified about their specific seat locations in the coming days, and tickets will either be emailed or printed and distributed beginning July 1.

A limited number of remaining tickets for the race weekend will then go on sale at9 a.m. on June 26, and fans will be able to secure their seats online through www.iowaspeedway.comor by phone at 866-787-8946. Single-day tickets start as low as $15 for July 17 and $20 for July 18, while all two-day ticket packages include a 10% discount.

Tickets to the Iowa Speedway luxury hospitality suites will also be available for purchase, along with weekend camping and parking options. Safe social distancing protocols will also be in place for suite ticket holders and for all of the camping options at Iowa Speedway.

Iowa could be the second weekend in a row the IndyCar drivers will have spectators for their races. When IndyCar opened its COVID-19-delayed season on June 6 at Texas there were no fans in the grandstand and no spectators will be allowed at the road course race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 4.

Tickets are being sold for races July 11-12 at Road America, a four-mile, 14-turn road course in Wisconsin where fans can more easily be spread out.

At Iowa, as part of the enhanced health and safety measures for the event weekend, all guests will be screened in their vehicles with contactless temperature checks before entering the parking areas. Only essential racing personnel will have access to the infield.

Hand sanitizer and face coverings will be distributed to each guest when they enter the track, and enhanced cleaning and sanitizing procedures will be implemented throughout the facility over the course of the weekend.

Additional protocols and guidelines for guests planning to attend can be found at www.iowaspeedway.com.