50 food trucks expected to compete in contest at Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend

There is more to look forward to about Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend than just the speeding cars on the track and star-studded music performances on stage. Organizers are expecting 50 vendors from all across the Midwest to participate in the food truck challenge, in which fans can vote for their favorite food trucks.

Anne Fischgrund, general manager of Hy-Vee IndyCar Race Weekend, said throughout the weekend fans can enjoy their favorite food truck cuisine and vote for which vendor they love the most. The top three food trucks will receive cash prizes, but Fischgrund noted the amounts have not been solidified.

Voting for a favorite food truck adds another layer to the already packed NTT IndyCar Series weekend on July 22-24 at Iowa Speedway. By adding the food truck competition to doubleheader race weekend experience, Fischgrund said fans will be given plenty of options.

“It’s going to bring the opportunity for fans to not only taste food at an event venue that isn’t your standard meal … We’re going to have 50 food trucks. That means options are truly endless,” Fischgrund said. “You can taste pretty much everything you can ever imagine coming out of a food truck.”

With all the hype surrounding the musical performances and now the food trucks, are the drivers feeling left out? Is all this taking away their thunder? Pato O’Ward, a two-time IndyCar Series winner, does not think so. In fact, he believes it is adding to the thunder of IndyCar and the entertainment drivers offer.

“And I think it’s awesome! I think it’s awesome that Hy-Vee and the event is bringing both worlds together,” O’Ward told Newton News. “People get to come in and enjoy race cars, they get to come hear some of the best country music in the country and just have a good time. We’re ultimately both in entertainment.”

Food trucks and live music and other activities add to the overall fan experience, which O’Ward said is common other areas but it is not a practice adopted by everyone. In Iowa, O’Ward said it is awesome for people to buy into a race and “get so much more” out of their tickets. It’s not just about race cars.

“That’s kind of the main attraction that kind of makes people say, ‘Oh, you know what? Let’s just go have a fun weekend and hear some good music and have a good time,’” O’Ward said.

Fischgrund hopes all of the elements of race weekend create a “true, festival atmosphere” inside the Iowa Speedway.

“Whether you’re a camper or you’re traveling from out of town or you’re local and you just love racing, there’s something for everyone,” Fischgrund said. “Right when you walk in the gate we’ll have midway displays from sponsors, family-friendly (activities) throughout the day, all the food trucks, the concerts, races.

“There has to be something for everyone.”

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com