NDN-SS-06-11-024

NASCAR WEEKEND NASCAR WEEKEND

FRIDAY, JUNE 14 • SATURDAY, JUNE 15 • SUNDAY, JUNE 16, 2024

AT THE AT THE

BUILDUP FOR THE BIG CUP

NASCAR fan who had

Mark Martin-inspired bus is excited for cup race in Newton

racing fan, had been wanting to see a NASCAR Cup Series race at the Iowa Speedway ever since the track opened in 2006. He will no doubt attend the Iowa Corn 350 race this month, but he will also be without his customized bus that

Furnished from an old yellow

hicle a paint job fit for a NASCAR driver. The red, white and blue color scheme matched

that of Mark Martin’s No. 6 Valvoline car. When the stock car racer’s vehicle donned Pfizer’s Viagra brand, Winchell followed suit and painted the named on the bus.

From 1994 to 2013, the bus had gone with him to every race he could get to. So in addition to being a hospitable sleeping quarters and a fun ride to tracks, it was also outfitted with a deck attached to the roof. This is where Winchell would watch the races, with the bus parked in the infield or at a track-side campground.

As such, the bus caught a lot attention from both the press and race fans. So much so he was invited to bring the bus to a mock tailgate party at the Iowa Speedway and do a lap with it around the track. He also showed off a golf cart adorned with Martin’s No. 5 Kellogg’s car color scheme. Unfortunately, Winchell won’t be able to bring the bus to this 2024 cup race this year. In 2014, he sold the vehicle and has since been visiting tracks in a fancy camper with all the comfort he and his wife will ever need on any given race day. Sure, it’s more dependable than the bus, but it doesn’t have the same character.

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But that is not going to stop Winchell from enjoying himself at the Iowa Corn 350 and cheering on Kyle Larson, the racer he has pinned to win it all.

“We’ve had Xfinity and the trucks before, but this is the cup — this is the big one,” Winchell said of the NASCAR Cup Series race, which is a first at the Newton-based Iowa Speedway. It’s something racing fans had been wanting for a long time, and now that it’s finally here they couldn’t be happier.

Will it feel different without his decked out school bus? Definitely. But Winchell is convinced the experience will not be ruined by any means, because at the very least he gets to hang out with the rest of his racing fans family. They might not be blood relatives but they are just as important to him as his own family.

“There aren’t any fights either,” he

said. “…The only time I saw a fight at a race was on a Sunday and the Broncos were 4-0 and the Chiefs were 4-0 and they were going to play that day. Someone had a Broncos flag out and I’ll be damned the first fight I ever saw at a race was over a football game.”

Winchell is very complementary toward race fans in general. They are a different breed of sporting fanatics. Despite the fast-paced nature of the sport, the fans are pretty easygoing people.

Winchell said some people just don’t understand racing fans. They can’t understand why someone would even watch it.

Yes, cars are going in a circle for several laps on end. But it is more complex than that. Keeping a top seed at top speed is no easy feat.

Winchell argued the experience is way different at the track than watch-

ing through a TV screen. You can hear the engines. You can smell the rubber. Heck, you can feel the cars coming by. Getting that experience from a camper or in the stands or on top of the deck of a customized school bus just hits different.

“I’m just such a dummy for racing,” Winchell said with a laugh. “You don’t understand how fast they’re going until you’re there.”

Having Iowa Speedway host its very first NASCAR Cup Series race means the racing atmosphere will most surely be different. The stakes are higher. For Winchell, it just makes the weekend all the more exciting to be a part of. He and many, many others have been waiting for this moment.

“I’m excited! I can’t believe it,” Winchel said. “It’s just been forever waiting for it.”

Q&A with Guy Winchell

Do you remember your first race?

Winchell: I went to my first race in 1993. I went to Michigan. Me and a buddy just took off. I had just got divorced and said, “Let’s just go.” I was a big Davey Allison fan back then. He was only 10 days older than me and I got to see him. We went and we didn’t have any tickets, so we drove all night to get there. It was right across the racetrack around 4 o’clock in the morning when we got there. The lady said, “You ever been to a race?” Ma’am, we don’t have tickets. She said, “If you camp inside the racetrack that’s your tickets to the race.” So that’s how I ended up going in the infield. That’s the only way for me to go, or go at the RV parking at Iowa Speedway. When did you decide you needed a bus to take to races?

Winchell: At my first race, back then everyone had the big U-Haul trucks and big Penske moving trucks and they’d just get on top of them and that’s how they watched the race. You’re not in the stands. You’re down inside the racetrack. So as we got there I was like, “We need to get something to get on top of.” So I bought my bus in the next year.

Who is your favorite racer these days since Mark Martin retired?

Winchell: My driver right now is Kyle Larson. That’s my guy. When Mark Martin retired I didn’t want to be on the bandwagon and just joining somebody else. I wanted to pick a rookie. Somebody new. The next year Kyle Larson and Ryan Blaney were rookies and I picked Kyle Larson because of his sprint car background. I used to go down to Knoxville all the time for sprint car races. He’s won one championship in 2021.

Iowa Speedway Racing Tab • June 11, 2024 – Page 3

Provided by Guy Winchell Guy Winchell, of Newton, poses next to his customized 1979 International bus, which he took with him to races from 1994 until 2013. Although he has since sold the vehicle, he still makes it to races in a camper and plans to be at the upcoming Iowa Corn 350, a NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway.

CHECK OUT ALL THE GREAT THINGS HAPPENING IN NEWTON THIS SUMMER!

Maytag Bowl Summer Concert Series

Hosted by Newton Parks & Recreation

Thursdays, May 30 – August 1 | Maytag Park

Newton Farmers’ Market

Hosted by Newton Main Street

Tuesdays, June 4 – September 10 | Downtown

Newton

Water Yoga

Hosted by Newton Parks & Recreation

June 11, June 25, July 2 & July 16 | Maytag Pool

Thunder Nites Bike Night

Hosted by Newton Main Street

June 14, July 12 & August 9 | Downtown Newton

Summer NASCAR Weekend

June 14 – June 16 | Iowa Speedway

Taco Fiesta

Hosted by Newton Main Street, Legacy Plaza, Murph & Mary’s and Gezellig Brewing Co

June 15 | Legacy Plaza

Dino O’Dell Concert

Hosted by the Newton Public Library

June 17 | Library Lawn

Teen Pool Party

Hosted by Newton Parks & Recreation

June 18 & July 9 | Maytag Pool

The Sound of Music

at the Newton Community Theatre

June 21 – June 23, June 28 – June 30

Exploration Week Camp

Hosted by Newton Parks & Recreation

June 24 – June 28

Free Community Movie featuring “Wonka” at Capitol II Theatre

FAN GUIDE

FRIDAY, JUNE 14

— Fan Zone Opens |

1 P.M. — Grandstand Gates

1 to 1:15 P.M. — Sammy Smith

| NASCAR Experience

2 to 2:45 P.M. — ARCA Menards

3 to 3:20 P.M. — ARCA Menards Series Qualifying

3:35 to 4:25 P.M. — HY-VEE PERKS 250 Practice

4:35 to 5:25 P.M. — Iowa Corn

350 Powered By Ethanol Practice

7 P.M. — ARCA Menards Series Race

SATURDAY, JUNE 15

6 A.M. — Parking Lots Open

8 A.M. — Fan Zone Opens | Outside Gates

9 A.M. — Joey Logano SiriusXM | NASCAR Experience 9:30 to 10:15 A.M. — NXS Autograph Session | NASCAR Experience

10 A.M. — Grandstand Gates Open

11:05 A.M. — HY-VEE Perks 250 Qualifying

12:05 P.M. — Iowa Corn 350 Powered By Ethanol Qualifying

1:30 P.M. — Joey Gase | NASCAR Experience

1:45 to 2:15 P.M. — Stacking Pennies Podcast with Corey Lajoie | NASCAR Experience

2:30 P.M. — HY-VEE Perks 250 TBD — Tim Dugger | Post-Race Concert

SUNDAY, JUNE 16

11 A.M. — Parking Lots Open

11 A.M. — Fan Zone Opens | Outside Gates

2 P.M. — Grandstand Gates Open

2:30 to 2:45 P.M. — Christopher Bell Driver Appearance | NASCAR Experience

2:30 P.M. — Austin Dillon | Newton Club

2:45 P.M. — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Newton Club

3:05 P.M. — Chase Briscoe | Newton Club

3:15 to 3:30 P.M. — Ty Gibbs Driver Appearance | NASCAR Experience

3:15 to 4:45 P.M. — Fanwalk Experience Access

3:30 P.M. — Brad Keselowski Driver Appearance at Pre-Race Stage | Fanwalk

3:45 P.M. — Ryan Blaney Driver Appearance at Pre-Race Stage | Fanwalk

4 P.M. — Flatland Ridge Concert

4:15 P.M. — Josh Berry Q&A Pre-Race Stage

5:30 P.M. — NASCAR Cup Series Driver Introductions

6 P.M. — Iowa Corn 350 Powered By Ethanol

TBD — Fireworks | Post Race

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12 P.M. — Parking Lots Open 12 P.M.

Outside

Gates

Open

Appearance

Series Practice

Chase Briscoe celebrates in victory lane following a first place finish in the NASCAR Xfinity Series U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway in 2019. The win was his second in Newton after taking the top spot at ARCA Menards Series race in 2016.

Just like being at home

Number 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas racer Chase Briscoe is back at his favorite track where he has found plenty of success

By Jamee A. Pierson Newton News

Racing has been a part of Chase Briscoe’s entire life. A third-generation racer, Briscoe started on the dirt tracks around home before moving up the ranks to become the driver of the Number 14 Ford Performance Racing School Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas.

“I grew up in a racing family. My grandpa since 1976 owned a team and had legends drive for him, including my dad,” Briscoe said “I was super into it from a young age. I raced twice when I was 7, quarter midget, then didn’t race again until I was 11 and got into mini sprints at 13 when I jumped into sprint cars.”

Briscoe is next in the line of family racers after his dad, Kevin, raced sprint cars for more than 20 years.

During his career, Kevin won more than 150 feature events.

“I’m not sure what my parents were thinking but that is the route I went with our family’s background,” Briscoe said.

Once on the track he found quick success. As a rookie he had 37 starts with eight top-five finishes and 17 top10 finishes. That included winning in the last race of the season where he broke NASCAR Hall of Famer and four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon’s record as being the youngest person to win a 410 sprint car race.

As his career continued, Briscoe racked up a 2016 ARCA Racing Series championship, winning a series-best six races, 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Sunoco Rookie of the Year and Most Popular Driver, the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie-

of-the-Year title with a win, two poles, 13 top fives and 26 top 10s and nine wins during the 2020 Xfinity Series season, the most of any driver that year.

During those years he was a twotime winner at the Iowa Speedway in the 2016 ARCA Menards Series and 2019 Xfinity Series. Those wins helped cement the Newton track as his favorite to go racing on.

“It’s my favorite track that I have ever raced at on pavement,” Briscoe said. “There’s something about that place, since Day One that I went there. It fits my driving style. It’s rough, worn out so you can go anywhere.”

Being in Newton remind him of life growing up in Indiana. The smaller-town feel, friendly environment is one he had enjoyed visiting and he is even more excited now that he gets to race the Cup Series there.

“For me, it reminds me of where I grew up,” Briscoe said. “It is kind of corn fields everywhere, some country life, everybody know everybody, small town environment. There are a ton of race tracks in the area and people flock to them and support them.”

Having spent time at the Knoxville Raceway running on the dirt track through the years, Central Iowa is a well-known friend to Briscoe. With the success he has found here, the upcoming race weekend is like getting together with a good buddy.

“I was pumped to say the least (when I heard the Cup Series was coming to the Iowa Speedway),” Briscoe said. “I’ve been saying forever that we needed to be there and I’m glad it finally happened. It will be nice to get back to Newton and run at Iowa. The fanbase is supportive and a good part of the country that is supportive.”

Page 6 – Iowa Speedway Racing Tab • June 11, 2024

Courtesy of the Iowa Speedway