"A lot of questions to answer on that" - NASCAR VP addresses potential full repavement of Iowa track after Ryan Blaney’s historic victory

Reigning NASCAR Cup Series champion Ryan Blaney returned to victory lane at a partially repaved Iowa Speedway, scripting history as the inaugural winner of the Iowa Corn 350 Cup race. Prior to the race weekend, track images from the 0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa, created a buzz on social media.

The NASCAR-owned track was partially repaved in the turns with only two of the three lanes getting a fresh coat of asphalt. Contrary to the predictions, the short track hosted an exciting race, promoting multi-groove racing.

NASCAR SVP Elton Sawyer explained that their goal was to race on the old asphalt when they announced Iowa Speedway's inclusion in the Cup Series calendar. However, the turns needed repaving, leading to a rushed job to ensure the track was ready for the event.

As the event surpassed expectations, Sawyer mentioned there is significant internal dialogue about whether the track should be fully repaved or if only the third lane in the corners should be repaved.

"Now we sit here on Tuesday afterwards and we had great racing. We had side-by-side, we had two lanes. So, I’m sure we’ll have a lot of dialogue around if we go back, do you repave the whole facility? Do you just repave that third lane up by the wall?" Sawyer said on SiriusXM NASCAR radio.

Sawyer was unsure whether the track would be fully repaved but indicated that they would ultimately move in a direction that promotes better racing.

"A lot of questions to answer on that, but I think the No. 1 thing is we had really, really good racing this past weekend. No matter what we do, we need to make sure that we’re either heading in a positive direction to make the racing better, or to leave it as is and have another data point out there next year," he added.

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Ryan Blaney unsure if NASCAR should repave the Iowa Speedway

The #12 Penske driver is unsure if NASCAR needs to fully repave the 0.875-mile oval, noting that the track put on a good show. He suggested that almost three cars could fit in the bottom two lanes, allowing faster drivers to make passes and charge through the field.

Blaney said in the post-race press conference (via Speedwaydigest.com):

"I thought it actually raced pretty good. I don't know how it looked on TV to everybody. Good? I thought it was pretty racy. We were way up there in that second lane, which essentially made it three lanes. You had the bottom, could straddle the seam, then you had guys in the full top."

Ryan Blaney felt that the race ability at the track exceeded his expectations, and felt the track should be left untouched.

"I don't know if they really need to pave the whole thing. I thought it did a good job tonight. But that's above my pay grade," he added.

Ryan Blaney went into the history books as the winner of the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. He became the first driver to win in all three NASCAR national series at the 0.875-mile oval.