Hangin' on at the Iowa Corn 250

As Linda and I approached Newton, I realized we were a little less than an hour from the scheduled start of the 2008 Iowa Corn 250. I suggested we swing by and see if the traffic issues of 2007 had been addressed; we drive right in and found a very good parking place. Nice! As we walked toward the gate to see what tickets were available, one of the two couples walking behind us asked the other if they had tickets. They did. We didn't. I asked what they wanted for the pair; they were asking about what I'd expect for one ticket. The seats were in an excellent location. Nicer! We heard the cars fire up as we found our seats. Perfect! We'd had no traffic, no ticket line, about half price tickets, and the race was ready to start as we sat down. Going to a race doesn't get much easier.

The race was lively and entertaining. Last year's tire issue had been addressed and there was a lot of side by side racing as the drivers took advantage of the grip on the progressive banking of the track. Famous drivers made their moves forward and back through the pack as the laps rapidly clicked away. In the end, Dan Wheldon took a chance on older tires got to the front, and held off the field to take the checkered flag. Aware of the recent tornado and flood problems the state was facing, Wheldon and car owner Chip Ganassi donated the winning proceeds to the relief effort; a generous and helpful contribution back to the state.

I found a nice video review of the race at the UpToSpeed site.