This is the Statt Mann Baby!! Time to Scatt a little bit.

I was in Newton, Iowa this week at Iowa Speedway where the new racetrack hosted its first road race.

The people of Iowa are rightfully proud of the track, a showpiece of what’s possible in a public-private venture that taps into celebrity to make it happen.

Rusty Wallace’s name is all over the facility, even on the roadway outside.

The real issue here, though, isn’t racing. It’s what the track represents to the Newton, Iowa community. Newton used to be the heart and soul of the Maytag Appliance empire. It’s where The Maytag Family came from.

But when Maytag was bought out by Whirlpool, the plant was shut down and generations of people lost jobs. I’m told some three to five thousand in all, a mean blow to a community of fifteen thousand.

So it’s hoped that Iowa Speedway can be the vessel that helps replace those jobs, families and community.

It’s what can happen when racing hears a community’s need over its own noise. Twelve thousand fans voted with their pocketbooks this weekend to say they hope so too.

Peace.