NASCAR to hold fan fest in downtown Des Moines before Cup Series race

NASCAR will hold a fan fest in downtown Des Moines to kick off its second Cup Series weekend at Iowa Speedway.

NASCAR’s top series is scheduled to race at Iowa Speedway at 2:30 p.m. on Suday, Aug. 3. Preceding it will be an ARCA Menards Series race scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, and an Xfinity Series, the top developmental NASCAR series, race scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2.

On the evening of Thursday, July 31, from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in Cowles Commons across from The Des Moines Civic Center, there will be Chevrolet cars on display, a DJ, interactive kids activities and more. Local food vendors will also be there and there will be free Deardorff Sweet Corn for the first 500 people, according to a news release.

Drivers may also appear at the fan fest, according to the release.

“There’s nothing quite like the energy of race week in Iowa, and NASCAR’s Iowa Fan Fest is the perfect way to kick it off,” Iowa Speedway President Eric Peterson said in a news release. “It’s a celebration of everything that makes Iowa special — corn, great fans, and a love for racing. We’re thrilled to bring the NASCAR spirit right into the heart of downtown Des Moines before our exciting weekend of racing.”

Philip Joens covers retail, real estate and motorsports for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at 515-284-8184 or pjoens@registermedia.com.