Flatland Ridge and one of Oelwein’s own can add “NASCAR Iowa Corn 350 opener” on to their list of events played as the local Independence band received an email from the NASCAR organization for an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.
“For us, it was like winning the lottery jackpot!” Travis McBride said of the email the band received back in early May. “It was a quiet weekday morning in early May when an email from ‘NASCAR’ arrived in our inbox. Initially, we thought it might be a fake — someone pranking us. Once we realized it was a legitimate message, it was a quick process to get everyone lined up and arrangements made; a lot of excitement and planning!”
McBride, who is an Indee native, said that booking for most concerts and events happen around April, which was why he speculated about its legitimacy. It was all gears go once he learned the band of five and crew of two would be opening for the sold-out race happening down at the Iowa Speedway in Newton Sunday, June 16.
The Iowa Corn 350 will be the first NASCAR Cup Series race in Iowa Speedway history, marking two momentous occasions for both groups that Sunday. Flatland Ridge plays in Ankeny this evening opening for country music star Phil Vassar.
“We thought that [Ankeny] would be the summer highlight right there, but then to add the Iowa Speedway with NASCAR’s Cup Series race in the same weekend is mind blowing!” he said. “Knowing that the race is sold out and we’re going to have the opportunity to perform in front of thousands of race fans will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for each of us in the band and our crew.”
Band and crew members include: Adam Beck, lead vocals and guitar, Cedar Rapids; Travis McBride, vocals, keyboards, guitar, fiddle, Independence; Zach Thein, lead guitar, Independence; Ken Dekeyser, bass guitar, Urbana; Cory McBride, vocals and drums, Independence; and crew members Mike McBride, audio engineer, Independence; and Aiden Anderson, lighting tech, Independence. Cory is the Oelwein High School band director.
In its third year, the band has played in various locations across Iowa, keeping the talent local to give back to the community that has supported them along in their journey. The band has also received inquiries from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Illinois.
“As Flatland Ridge, the past three years has seen this band exponentially grow,” Travis said. “Year one, we might have been on stage five or six times in the summer months (our most active season of the year); year two, we were expanding out to more towns, fairs, and festivals with nine to ten summer shows; now in year three, we’re taking on thirteen to fourteen summer time events, including a trip out of state to Illinois.”
Flatland Ridge’s band members have been playing music throughout their lives through either school or their adult professional lives. The McBride boys, Travis and Cory, have grown up in the music industry through their father and the band’s audio engineer, Mike.
Travis said being able to play with his family is a chance to carry on the three-generation tradition of playing music and performing, and makes him feel young again.
“Every show is different even as our show doesn’t change much,” Travis noted. “It’s the same songs, the same faces on stage making it happen each night on our team, but looking out off stage, it’s a different town, festival, faces all looking to us to provide a little fun, some entertainment, and distraction from the normal daily grind.”
The band will be playing in more locations in Northeast Iowa at Edgewood Pro Rodeo Days on June 28, Shell Rock Fourth of July Festivities July 6, and in Independence for the Buchanan County Fair for Walker Hayes’ pre and post grandstand concert July 19. Upcoming shows and events for Flatland Ridge can be found on the band’s Facebook page by searching “Flatland Ridge.”
While the band consists of regular Joes, the band is excited to see what the future holds.
“We have no idea how much bigger this could become but as a group of guys with young families and day jobs, we’re just excited to be performing and doing what we love on the side!” Travis said. “Ultimately, we’ll go wherever the road takes us to play music.”
The group says that seeing people respond and enjoy their music is why the group does what they do.
“Many of us have young families at home too so to see people in a crowd enjoying the music we’ve selected to cover, it helps validate time away from home and spent rehearsing,” Travis added.
The first-ever partnership between Iowa Speedway and NASCAR was announced back in October 2023. Sponsored by the Iowa Corn Growers Association, the race will use Iowa ethanol, produced from the fields surrounding the track.
“This is a dream come true,” said NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, Iowa Speedway‘s co-founder and designer, in a press release following the announcement. “This track was built with the intent of hosting a NASCAR Cup Series race one day, and to finally see it come together is a testament to the tenacity of the great race fans in Iowa.”
Iowa Speedway’s 7/8ths-mile tri-oval is said to be one of the most challenging short tracks in the country. The Iowa Corn 350, Powered by Ethanol, will be held at 6 p.m. after Flatland Ridge’s performance from 4-5:30 p.m. and will be televised on USA Network.
Flatland Ridge will see first-hand the historic actions brought to Iowa Speedway as they open for the night’s momentous race.
“We hope when people come see a Flatland Ridge show they can feel the energy and effort we pour into a performance whether it be only for one hour or a full four hour stage show,” Travis said. “One show, one community at a time, we’re looking to play some great hits and have a little fun in the process!”
