Iowa Speedway Track President, Jimmy Small at 9:30 pm ET on Thursday, June 16, 2016
Photo – Getty Images
Jimmy Small is our guest on Fan4Racing NASCAR Weekend Preview on Thursday, June 16 at 9:30 pm ET. Call 929-477-1790 or tweet @Fan4RacingSite or @beberly18 with any questions or comments during our LIVE broadcast.
Small will help preview the weekend of racing action at ‘The Fastest Short Track on the Planet’ as well as discuss the abundance of fan amenities available at the track in Newton, Iowa.
Coming to NASCAR in 2008, Jimmy Small was working out of NASCAR’s Daytona Beach, Fla., headquarters coordinating event weekends with tracks, television partners and teams. Small worked with NASCAR in various business-building capacities, including serving as senior manager for team marketing services within the NASCAR Industry Services department out of the Charlotte, N.C., office. In that role, he was the business and marketing liaison with teams and drivers in all three national series.
Small also helped manage the implementation of the NASCAR Industry Action Plan (IAP), including several key initiatives targeting Event Management and Entertainment, Youth & Gen-Y Marketing and Driver Star Power.
A Detroit native and graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Small was named as a member of Sports Pro Magazine’s The 10 NEXT Class of 2012, an honor recognizing 10 sports executives under the age of 30.
Small was announced as track president of Iowa Speedway in December 2013. At the time of the announcement, Eric Nyquist, NASCAR vice president, strategic development had this to say about Small:
“Jimmy’s tireless dedication, energy and experience make him the ideal candidate for leading Iowa Speedway into this new era. He has a strong background in identifying and creating fan experience improvements and defining best practices designed to help strengthen sponsor relations and ticket sales. In addition, he will have a great support structure at the Speedway and NASCAR.”
This weekend marks the opening weekend of the 2016 season for Iowa Speedway, with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series heading to the 7/8-mile track in Newton, Iowa.
In addition to the great racing that will be produced on the track, there are also a host of activities in which fans can participate throughout the weekend.
Once the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Speediatrics 200 takes the checkered flag on Saturday night, June 18, party-rock act Buckcherry will take to the stage as the popular NAPA Auto Parts Concert Series returns to the Pork Party Pavilion. The Los Angeles-based group will perform their hits along with new tracks from Rock ‘n’ Roll – which they released last year.
On Sunday, June 19, a pair of NASCAR XFINITY Series drivers will be in for an amusing press conference as they field questions on a wide assortment of topics. These “Q&A” sessions are reserved for the first 120 fans, 18-and-under, who meet in Casey’s General Stores Victory Lane at 8:45 a.m. CT. Parents are also invited to attend. Similar to working press, no autographs of drivers or racing personalities will be allowed but lifelong memories will be created.
New for 2016, Iowa Speedway will increase the size of entertainment for fans on the concourse. Played by world leaders, sharks and awkward teenagers alike, pool will level-up at “The Fastest Short Track on the Planet” as fans may climb atop the giant pool table and use their feet to break and bank shots. In addition, Iowa Speedway will have their version of checkers with a giant board and game pieces.
Also debuting this weekend, Iowa Speedway will unveil an infield beer garden inside Turn 4 and accessible to fans with Casey’s General Stores Fan Walk wristbands. In addition to ice cold beer on tap and seating in a relaxed atmosphere, the area will feature tailgate games and laser-tag inside a giant inflatable course.
One can’t think about Iowa Speedway without imagining what the track will feature as part of their signature food options, which debuted in 2014. This season includes The Commitment Cone, Scoring Pile-On and Engine Block.
The Commitment Cone is a waffle cone filled to the brim with eggs, potatoes and bacon, skewered by a pancake-battered sausage-on-a-stick. The Scoring Pile-On is layer after layer of food, piled high in a mason jar, modeled to look like a sundae. This “Iowa Speedway-ification” of a hot-beef-sundae includes pulled pork, mashed potatoes and corn, topped with a cherry tomato and cheese. And last but not least, the Engine Block is a sweet and savory sandwich that features a pork tenderloin and slice of cheddar cheese between two apple fritter “buns.”
On both Saturday and Sunday, fans will have an opportunity to get autographs from some of their favorite drivers. The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series drivers will be available for an autograph session on Saturday from 2:00 – 2:45 p.m. CT at the north end of the concourse under the Turn 4 Grandstands. On Sunday, fans will have a unique opportunity to get up close to the stars of the NASCAR XFINITY Series and their cars, prior to the American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen. Drivers will be available along the Speedway’s frontstretch access road, at 10:30 a.m. CT, prior to the Driver’s Meeting, which will also be on the frontstretch. Fans should enter between Sections 109/110, 303/304 or via Casey’s General Stores Fan Walk with a wristband.
Be sure to keep up on all of the action this weekend by using the hashtag #ThisIsMySpeedway on social media. By using the hashtag on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts, fans may check out what else is happening around the track and share their own experiences.
Tickets for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Speediatrics 200 and NASCAR XFINITY Series American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen can be purchased at www.IowaSpeedway.com or by calling 866.787.8946.