Most people, not only baseball fans, know of the movie, "Field of Dreams" — a magical movie from the 1980s set in the beautiful landscape of the plush green corn fields of eastern Iowa. Most of the movie was filmed on the Lansing Family farm outside of Dyersville, IA. High-yielding corn is still growing there, and the house still stands in the same place it did 100 years ago. The entire movie stems from and is wrapped around one iconic line: “If you build it, he will come.” It refers to Kevin Costner making peace with his long-deceased father.
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Some say the author of the book (from which the movie was later adapted) drew the inspiration for the famous quote from Exodus 25. God speaks to Moses and says in Verse 8: “Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” If you build it, I will come. No matter the origin and variations of the quote, the truth remains.
Right after the movie was produced, the baseball field was left behind, and over 7,000 fans visited that year. Today, over 100,000 fans visit the tourist destination in Dyersville annually.
Another great story of building in Iowa comes from the POET story. POET operates 12 bioprocessing facilities in Iowa, creating hundreds of jobs in the state while helping to fuel and feed the world.he bioethanol industry was built, and the rest is history. If you put effort and belief into a project's success, that project will succeed.
Bringing these two great American stories together is Iowa Speedway.
Iowa Speedway is a 7/8-mile paved oval racetrack located in Newton, Iowa. It was built in 2006 and officially opened that same year. The track was designed by NASCAR champion Rusty Wallace and is known for its progressive banking, which allows for multiple racing lines.
Iowa Speedway quickly became popular among fans and drivers alike, hosting races in various series, including NASCAR, IndyCar, and ARCA. In 2013, NASCAR announced that Iowa Speedway would host its first NASCAR Xfinity Series race, which has since become a regular event on the schedule.
Over the years, Iowa Speedway has gained a reputation as a fan-friendly and competitive racetrack with close finishes and exciting racing action. It continues to be a key venue in the world of motorsports, attracting top drivers and teams to compete on its unique and challenging track.
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This year, the proven venue hosted a long-awaited NASCAR Cup Series race: the Iowa Corn 350. In full-circle fashion, every car on the track was powered by corn grown in the fields that surround the speedway, including the #3 Get Bioethanol Chevrolet piloted by Austin Dillon. Since 2011, NASCAR has been fueled by 15% bioethanol. The Sunoco race fuel blend has performed perfectly under the most extreme conditions, creating more power and lowering emissions at the track by 20%. Clean air is just a bonus benefit the fans cannot see.
The grandstand at Iowa Speedway seats only about 24,000 spectators — small by Cup Series standards — but with temporary suites and camping capacity, the race had about 45,000 spectators.
Fans drove from all over the Midwest to pack the venue hours before the race began, and they didn't miss a second of the action-packed event even in the summer heat. Iowa Speedway's firstever NASCAR Cup Series race and the palpable energy throughout proved that it was a success — and that if you build it, they will come.
