"We wish it would’ve come sooner": Kyle Larson happy for midwestern NASCAR fans amid historic Iowa Cup fixture

Kyle Larson recently expressed his happiness for the race fans in the Midwestern region of America as NASCAR hosted its first-ever Cup race at Iowa Speedway. Larson, who qualified on pole for Sunday's race, spoke about how fans were eagerly awaiting a Cup race in that region.

During a media session, after he secured his pole, Kyle Larson was asked how deserving he feels the race fans in the Midwest are for having a Cup race.

The Hendrick Motorsports driver claimed that the midwestern fans, from all the states around that region "are really into racing" regardless of whether it was a sprint car, a midget, a dirt late model, or a stock car race.

"I think they’ve been starving for a race, a Cup race especially, here (at Iowa Speedway). Yeah, I think all of us, even drivers included, wanted a race here. I think across the board, we were all really happy to get a Cup race here. We probably all wish it would have come earlier so we could have raced on the older pavement, but regardless, I think it’s great for this fan base," Kyle Larson said. [4:30]

He mentioned that along with the Cup race at Iowa, race fans can also enjoy the Knoxville weekend. Kyle Larson claimed it's one of the "final tune-ups" for teams who are traveling to get ready for the Knoxville Nationals.

Kyle Larson also encouraged people who are not sprint car fans, to go there and "catch some awesome racing" and get to experience a different aspect of motorsports.

"It’s a cool weekend for Midwestern race fans," Larson added.

---

NASCAR super fan "excited" about Iowa hosting its first-ever Cup race

A die-hard NASCAR fan from Newton, Iowa, recently opened up about his excitement for the first-ever Cup race at Iowa Speedway. Guy Winchell, who is famous in NASCAR circles for his Mark Martin paint scheme-inspired bus, spoke to Newton Daily News about Cup racing coming to the track in his hometown.

"We’ve had Xfinity and the trucks before, but this is the cup — this is the big one. I’m excited! I can’t believe it. It’s just been forever waiting for it," Winchell said.

He added that while NASCAR Cup racing coming to Iowa feels unbelievable to him, it is exciting as he has been waiting for it "forever."

This was a sentiment shared by NASCAR legend Rusty Wallace, the co-founder and designer of the racetrack. He claimed Iowa Speedway hosting its first-ever Cup race was "a dream come true."

Wallace added that the track was built with the intent of hosting a Cup race one day. And as per the Hall of Famer, to see it come together was a testament to the "tenacity of the great race fans" in Iowa.