NEWTON, Iowa — NASCAR announced on Thursday that longtime NASCAR and Kansas Speedway executive Eric Peterson has been named president of Iowa Speedway.
The Linconville, Kan., native assumes his duties immediately, as the facility prepares to host its inaugural NASCAR Cup Series weekend, June 14-16.
“Eric has a strong Midwest work ethic and an incredible passion for our sport,” said Chip Wile, NASCAR senior vice president and chief track properties officer. “He also has a proven track record of developing relationships with major national and local brands, making him the ideal choice to lead the top professional sports venue in the state of Iowa.”
Most recently, Peterson served as NASCAR’s Senior Director, Corporate Sales, West Region, but has held various corporate sales roles since starting with International Speedway Corporation and Kansas Speedway in 2010.
Peterson holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Emporia State University, and he will relocate to Iowa with his wife Ashley and two children later this month.
“I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work on several initiatives at Iowa Speedway in recent years, and I’ve come to love and appreciate what Iowa Speedway means to Newton and the entire state,” said Peterson.
“As we get ready for our first-ever NASCAR Cup Series event and the Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol race weekend, I look forward to working together with our talented team and partners to make it an event our loyal NASCAR fans won’t soon forget.”
The Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol is Sunday, June 16, and will be the first Cup Series race in the track’s history.
Tickets for that race sold out in December, but fans who still want to see Cup Series cars at the Fastest Short Track on the Planet can see them in person by purchasing tickets for the ARCA Menards Series race on Friday, June 14, and the NASCAR Xfinity Series race on Saturday, June 15.
The Cup Series is scheduled to be on track all three days during this historic weekend with practice and qualifying.