Was Iowa The Best Short Track On NASCAR’s 2024 Schedule?

Both NASCAR Cup Series drivers and crew chiefs gave rave reviews to their inaugural race at Iowa Speedway.

The 2024 event was 18 years in the making on a track length (0.875 miles) found at no other oval on the schedule.

“Really cool to do a Cup race here in Iowa,” said Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., a previous Iowa winner in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. “After all our success and to do it in front of a great crowd.”

And of course, race winner Ryan Blaney was in love with the facility – along with 80 of his family members and closest friends who came down to see the race.

“The crowd tonight was awesome,” Blaney said. “Packed house. (If) that doesn’t make you want to come back here, I don’t know what will.”

Of course, having an enthusiastic crowd and teams excited about the racing helps a lot. But how did Iowa Speedway rank this year in terms of the competition?

The answers showcase why this oval should, in theory, be added to the schedule for years to come. Not only did the race pass the “smell test,” creating side-by-side action throughout its 350 laps, but some of the base level statistics left it above most other short tracks we’ve visited this year.

Let’s start with lead changes and get a little generous with the “short track” misnomer. We’ll include all tracks just over a mile or less, adding in places like Dover Motor Speedway and Phoenix Raceway, site of the championship finale.

Most Lead Changes At Short Tracks

2024 Cup Series Season

Now, keep in mind Iowa had fewer laps to create lead changes than all but one track on that list: Phoenix (312). And with enough cautions (eight) to keep the field honest, you had a nice mix of strategy but only a handful of those lead changes occurring during a green or caution-flag pit stop.

There’s also another Loop Data metric NASCAR likes to tout for good racing: green-flag passes on the track. It’s here where Iowa really stands out above the rest, especially…