The last 10 months have been a whirlwind for Iowa Speedway President Jimmy Small and his staff.

After NASCAR purchased the track late last year, it set goals for Small and the speedway to meet. And they had — pardon the pun — an accelerated timeline in which to accomplish them.

Four months to fill out a staff and prepare for the first race weekend, a Nationwide (soon to be Xfinity Series)/K&N Pro Series double. Then about a month and half for the IndyCar/Camping World Trucks. And then just a couple weeks before the season finale and return of Nationwide and K&N.

Not a lot of time, especially when learning how to be a track president and trying to reverse the course the track had been headed down.

“We exceeded the expectations we had headed into last year,” Small said. “We had expectations going into the season, we had certain disciplines or priorities when it came to selling tickets and we had a direction and long-term vision we wanted to establish in Year 1, and we did that.”

NASCAR does not release official attendance information, but from the eye test, it appeared the crowds at all three race weekends were either the same or bigger than in comparable events last season. Increased attendance obviously leads to increased revenue, and an increased impact on the local economy. The Speedway is in the process of commissioning an Economic Impact Study based on this year — the first for Iowa Speedway since 2010.

Small championed fan experience before, during and now after the season, and giving them the most bang for their buck was the idea when moving to three weekends from five in 2013.

Proving to the fans Iowa Speedway could provide quality entertainment both on and off the track was priority No. 1. He said the growth they saw was promising, but there still is a large challenge ahead to find sustainable financial ground.

Small and his staff have relied heavily on fan feedback, and will try to use that information to narrow the things that worked and make them as good as they can be.

“(We’re relying on) feedback on items where we had the right idea, we just needed the fan feedback to almost perfect it, I guess you could say,” Small said. “And we’ve gotten that across the board, from garage access to the season ticket holder party, to the driver’s meeting, to the autograph sessions, we’ve gotten a lot of good feedback. It’s an ongoing process, but we’re really happy to be in a position after such a wonderful season to build upon it and have high expectations. We’re confident we’ll meet them.”

The 2015 schedule isn’t yet complete, but all indications point to a very similar layout to 2014. Small said he met with IndyCar officials in early September to discuss 2015, and liked how the talks went.

Small said an official announcement on the schedule — and with it, ticket information — is expected in early October. He didn’t specify, but based on fan feedback and the success of 2014, it would be a surprise if IndyCar and the Camping World Truck Series did not again share a weekend.

“We really benefited from the three major events, and it gave us enough time in between to improve and prepare for the next one and really establish an expectation of excellence that we will continue on to 2015,” Small said. “We’re very excited for the 2015 schedule because I think it reflects the passion for motorsports in the state of Iowa and also the feedback we’ve received from fans based on what series or how many weekends they want in that season ticket.”

The elephant in the room of what series fans want at Iowa Speedway is obviously a Sprint Cup date. And while Small, France and every other NASCAR official questioned about it have consistently said it’s not in the immediate plans for the track, that doesn’t mean the topic has been ignored.

They can’t accept fan feedback and not realize it’s the biggest thing fans want. They aren’t dismissing the notion out of spite or any other reason than to get Iowa Speedway back to a place of sustained stability, and giving fans the best experience they can with what they have.

Small acknowledged the discussions won’t go away soon, and agreed it’s good to have it, if only because it means fans in Iowa and the region are passionate and believe in Iowa Speedway and what Small’s staff is doing.

With a full off-season (and many down the road) and time for Small to do the job he was hired to do, anything seems possible.

“Coming from NASCAR and working for NASCAR, we certainly appreciate any motorsports fan that is that passionate and just so excited about the possibilities out here,” Small said. “If that’s what they’re focused on and talking about, and that’s what they want us to focus on, we’re not going to ignore that. But we do have a 2015 schedule to focus on.

“The topic everyone wants to talk about is going to remain an open-ended topic. It’s something everyone is eager with anticipation over, but we do want to focus on the value we’re giving back to our fans right now. … There are a number of things that are out of our control when it comes to the other topic, but at the same time you love the passion and enthusiasm for the sport.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8884; jeremiah.davis@thegazette.com