Come 2021, Iowa Speedway could be throwing an epic 15-year anniversary party.

Emphasis on could. But…

The track’s second-year president thinks the chances are better than ever for the NASCAR’s top-level Cup Series racing to come to central Iowa as part of the 2021 schedule.

“We’ve got, I believe, our best opportunity ever,” David Hyatt told the Des Moines Register in a recent interview. “Maybe not even in a while, but perhaps ever.”

The racy 7/8-mile, Rusty Wallace-designed Newton track opened in 2006. It’s been hosting IndyCar and NASCAR national series races since 2007. But acquiring a long-discussed, long-coveted Cup Series date has proven elusive.

There is guarded optimism that 2021 could be the year.

It’s important to keep emphasizing the word "could." Iowa race fans have gotten their hopes dashed before. The odds seemed particularly favorable after NASCAR made the bold, unprecedented move of purchasing the Speedway in late 2013. But the wait has continued.

Several notable factors are now in Iowa’s corner.

First and most importantly, NASCAR's long-standing scheduling tie-ins that have long stymied single-owner tracks like Iowa's will soon end. A five-year sanctioning agreement with the existing Cup Series tracks ends after the 2020 season, and NASCAR has indicated it would radically freshen its schedule starting in 2021. New venues — particularly short tracks and road courses — would appease fans' cravings and add a jolt to what’s been a stable-but-stale Cup schedule for decades.

"We’ve already started making our pitch," Hyatt said.

Iowa, of course, won’t be the only new suitor looking to crack into Cup. But the racetrack has a major bargaining chip in its pocket: overwhelming support from NASCAR's top drivers.

"A lot of drivers who have raced here and are in Cup now just keep singing our praises and want to be racing here," Hyatt said. “Even drivers who have only either seen races or been marginally involved talk positively about this place.

“We’re happy to let them keep talking about it. … That’s stronger than anything I could say. We believe that speaks volumes.”

Lastly, some recent industry news further strengthens Iowa’s position. NASCAR last week purchased International Speedway Corporation (ISC), a $2 billion acquisition that will turn Iowa into a so-called “sister track” to places like Daytona International Speedway and Kansas Speedway. ISC had tie-ins to 19 of the Cup Series' 36 annual points-paying races.

Given NASCAR’s scheduling policies about moving race dates within ownership groups, there's now a ton more flexibility to give Iowa a shot at replacing another sister track (1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway, for example) at the Cup level.

Hyatt expects to know the verdict, one way or another, in early 2020.

“We’ll keep fighting that good fight,” Hyatt said. “We feel like we’re pointed in the right direction and we’re talking to the right people.”

A few other Iowa Speedway topics that Hyatt addressed in our interview:

If Iowa lands a Cup race, would major renovations need to take place?

There are no immediate plans for a repave, although that would become a higher priority should Iowa be awarded a 2021 Cup date. And, perhaps surprisingly, Hyatt said a Cup race wouldn't necessarily trigger speedy grandstand enhancements.

Iowa Speedway currently can house about 30,000 fans, but temporary seating can easily add another 20,000 — which would rival the early crowds Iowa Speedway enjoyed in its heyday. Hyatt said the approach would be to sell as many tickets as it can, then accommodate those fans the first year or two with temporary seats. That would help the track determine how much infrastructure is truly needed.

"We know we would have the people who are … bucket-listers," Hyatt said. "And then by the third year, you kind of get to, 'What's that base we're working from?'"

Sounds sensible ... and encouraging.

What is the track's biggest immediate challenge?

Hyatt is actively pursuing a title sponsor for the annual NTT IndyCar Series race in Newton. Iowa Corn has moved on after serving as the race sponsor in the first 12 years. A title sponsorship typically requires an investment in the mid-six figures.

"When Iowa Corn stepped aside, it left a hole," Hyatt said. "And since they’ve been associated with the event since Day 1, it’s a little difficult, sometimes, to get somebody to jump right in."

What do Iowa's 2019 and 2020 schedules look like?

This summer, it’s basically the usual rotation of races, with a few twists. (By the way, tickets start at $20, and kids 12 and under are free.)

June 15-16: Back is the Father’s Day weekend doubleheader with the Gander Outdoors Truck Series race Saturday (7 p.m. CT), followed by the Xfinity Series race Sunday (4 p.m.). A Saturday ticket includes a post-race concert with the rock band Kansas.

July 19-20: A Friday ARCA Menards Series race (7:30 p.m.) will precede Saturday’s IndyCar race (6 p.m.). The fast-paced Indy cars running under the lights for the first time since 2015 was, Hyatt said, "a big answer to fan demand."

July 26-27: This is the back end of what the track is dubbing “Iowa Speedweeks,” with racing on back-to-back weekends. Friday’s K&N Pro Series race (7 p.m.) will serve as an entrée for Saturday’s U.S. Cellular 250 in the Xfinity Series (3:30 p.m.).

In 2020, Iowa has locked in NASCAR dates for trucks (June 12) and Xfinity (June 13, Aug. 1). Hyatt expects IndyCar to return for a 14th straight year but was still "working through some logistics. We don't see any major hiccups."

Can Iowa's sagging attendance be reversed?

NASCAR does not disclose attendance figures, but it’s no secret that Iowa's races the past few years have been staged before swaths of empty, silver grandstands. It would be generous to say they've been half full.

Hyatt’s answer goes hand in hand with the personal stamp he’d like to put on the racetrack. Of course, he'd love to be the president that brought a Cup race to Iowa. But Hyatt also wants to restore the relevance of the speedway in a state that, per capita, has the most racetracks in the U.S.

"The experience digitally and everything you can get sitting at home (with) more leg room and no line at the bathroom or refrigerator … that’s really what we're battling," Hyatt said. "So, we've really got to say the experience of being here is greater than not, and get people to come out. It's on us that we have to raise that bar — that it's not just the race you're coming to see; it's the lifestyle experience that you want to be a part of."