Iowa Speedway corn drawing leaves lasting impression on analysts, drivers

NEWTON — Sometimes racing is better when it's corny.

For the second straight year, John Deere planted a seven-acre corn drawing spelling out "I-O-W-A C-O-R-N" in the hills behind the backstretch at Iowa Speedway, welcoming visitors to both the NTT IndyCar Series races in July and the NASCAR Cup Series races.

This year, a Newton company that paints the start/finish line also painted a golden-colored sun and the space between rows in white, said Iowa Speedway president Eric Peterson. The corn was planted using a GPS planting system in April, according to NASCAR spokesperson Matt Humphrey.

Longtime NASCAR Cup Series driver and NBC analyst Jeff Burton has been in "many corn fields," but he said the corn drawing makes Iowa Speedway a unique venue. Burton likes tracks that "lean into" what they are.

"Anything you can do to personalize the event," Burton said. "I think if you have a racetrack surrounded by a corn field, that's part of its personality."

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Chase Briscoe grew up in Indiana, where he's been in many corn fields.

"It makes it unique," Briscoe said. "It kind of reminds me of home ... For me, it's something that stands out. It's part of the identity when you come to Iowa, not just the racetrack, but the state in general."

Iowa Speedway continues to embrace its identity as a racetrack in the middle of a corn field. An ear of corn has long been painted on the start/finish line, a nod to the Iowa Corn Growers Association, which sponsored the IndyCar race at Iowa Speedway from 2007 to 2019 and is the title sponsor of the Cup Series race.

Information booths on the midway resemble grain bins made by Sheffield-based farm equipment maker Sukup Manufacturing. Tractors have been parked in victory lane in the past.

There's corn everywhere at @iowaspeedway ...

Even the start/finish line. 🌽 pic.twitter.com/msHfgXiIn9

— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 3, 2025

More: Sukup Manufacturing sees potential in IndyCar weekend sponsorship at Iowa Speedway

All the corn planted behind the backstretch will be turned into ethanol, Humphrey said. In 2024, Iowa farmers grew an estimated 2.63 billion bushels of corn, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, an increase of 4% over 2023. Illinois came in second with 2.31 billion bushels in 2024, according to the USDA.

Since 2011, NASCAR has used a gasoline with a blend of 15% ethanol. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in an interview at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 3 that the race and the corn design showed off Iowa.

"It says who we are, and what we do," Reynolds said. "We are the No. 1 corn producer in the country and No. 1 in ethanol production, and so it's a really important value additive. So it's great."

During a fan fest in downtown Des Moines to promote the race on July 31, the Iowa Corn Growers Association gave away hundreds of ears of sweet corn.

“Our track has really leaned into its brand identity as an ag-focused racetrack in the Midwest,” Peterson said in June. “This is Iowa. This is an ag state.”

All the touches make an impression on visitors. Fox play-by-play announcer Will Buxton, who lives in England, wandered through the corn field on July 11 and had muddy boots to prove it.

"Have you been close up to those things? They're freaky!" Buxton said at the time. "The roots aren't underground. They're above ground, and it holds itself up. It's like a tripod!"

Racing takes fans and drivers to many parts of the country. Little touches like this leave an impression.

"That's what's so cool about racing," Burton said. "You go to so many different racetracks in so many different parts of the country with so many different backgrounds and cultures. It's one of the most exciting parts of racing is that you get to experience all of America."

William Byron won the Iowa Corn 350 on Aug. 3.

Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and motorsports for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Corn drawing welcomes visitors to NASCAR race in Iowa for second year