NEWTON – After watching Indy Racing League cars speed around the Iowa Speedway in Newton for two hours at 180 mph at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on Sunday, I was ready for a nap.

One thing I learned about Indy Cars during my time in Newton was that the famous drone of the cars going around the track is enough to lull even a diehard racing fan such as myself to sleep after a night of little sleep and a long day of tailgating.

It’s amazing – you would think the noise would keep someone awake, but after awhile, myself, my dad, Ken, and my brother, Kent, found ourselves nodding off to the comforting – almost mesmerizing – sound of the 19 cars driving around the track.

The fact this was my reaction to my first Indy Car race seemed to be an ominous sign. I can honestly say I was not as impressed with the racing as I thought I would be.

There was not much side-by-side racing; there was not, in general, a lot of passing, and more than a third of the cars wrecked out of the race. Last month’s ARCA RE/MAX Series Prairie Meadows 250 seemed to be more exciting from a racing standpoint.

This is not to say, however, that I didn’t enjoy it. I grew up a NASCAR fan and have been to a number of Nextel Cup races, but I had never even watched an Indy Car race, with the exception of the last few laps of the Indy 500.

Walking around the track and seeing the IRL logo everywhere, thinking about seeing such stars as Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick and taking in the atmosphere of a big-time sporting event in Iowa got me caught up in Indy fever.

It was still amazing to watch the speed of the cars and the excitement of the crowd despite the lack of side-by-side racing, not to mention seeing Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti take the checkered flag after Andretti made a furious dash for the finish line.

The event was about so much more than just watching the race. As almost any Cyclone football fan could tell you, when 35,000 fans get together for a sporting event, tailgating is a necessity. It wasn’t quite the same as a college football game or Nextel Cup race, but the tailgaters were there. There is nothing quite like biting into a pork chop at 9:30 in the morning.

A general complaint from fans was traffic coming into the track. Anyone who arrived at 7:30 a.m. to tailgate, as we did for the noon race, had no problems. On the other hand, for those who are not quite as fanatic, the parking setup could easily have posed problems. There is only one road going to the track, and only three entrances I could find to any parking, with one of them reserved for season ticket holders. I have a feeling these problems will be addressed, especially if the track hopes to attract more big-time racing events.

The excitement surrounding the race was evident during driver introductions and as the cars got ready to take the green flag. A nationally televised ABC audience got to see a sold-out crowd, and the speedway even had to add extra seats for the event. This deserved giving credit to area fans for realizing the importance and magnitude of a professional sporting event in their own backyard. And what better sponsor than the Iowa Corn Growers Association, which almost single-handedly symbolizes our state as much as anything else could.

The first major event at the speedway had some kinks, but that is to be expected at an event like this. I’m sure track designer Rusty Wallace and everyone else involved with the track will look at what can be done better in the future. The track is a first-class facility and has great potential to bring more major events and pump up the Newton economy.

– Kyle Oppenhuizen is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Pella.