9 Reasons Iowans Will Drive Past Three Gas Stations to Reach a Casey’s

Your fuel light’s on, and you’re passing one gas station after another.

You don’t slow down. You’ve got a different stop in mind.

Here are the reasons many Iowans will pass up other gas stations to reach a Casey’s.

1. Pizza Made From Scratch

Casey’s has said it makes its pizza dough from scratch.

The company calls pizza its flagship prepared food product.

The chain began selling it in 1984, according to its annual report, and you can order it at almost all of its stores today.

A Bank of America Research analysis, reported by Fortune in August 2026, put Casey’s fifth among U.S. pizza chains by prepared food and dispensed beverage sales.

In the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, the company credited strong performance in whole pizzas for part of the growth in its inside same-store sales.

For many drivers, a hot slice is reason enough to skip the closer pump.

2. Coffee and Breakfast

Casey’s sells bean-to-cup coffee and hot breakfast items.

The company’s coffee page lists eight everyday flavors, including Casey’s Country, Rooster’s Call and Cinnamon French Toast.

Casey’s says the coffees come hot or iced at select locations, and the page also lists seven limited-time specialty coffees.

You can get breakfast pizza, which arrived about two decades after regular pizza and combines sausage gravy, egg and cheese.

If you want something with the coffee, Casey’s bakery items include donuts and cookies.

3. Chicken Wings

Casey’s began testing chicken wings in January 2025 at select stores in Des Moines, and wings were available in approximately 850 stores by April 30, 2026.

You can get them bone-in or boneless, in flavors including garlic parmesan, barbecue, sweet chili, Buffalo and mango habanero.

Chief executive Darren Rebelez said in March 2026, according to Restaurant Dive, that people who buy wings visit more often.

Rebelez estimated that wings will reach the rest of the stores over the next two years, Restaurant Dive reported in March 2026.

4. Fuel Discounts

Casey’s Rewards lets you trade 250 points for 5 cents off a gallon of fuel.

The program runs through the Casey’s mobile app and had over 10 million members at the end of fiscal 2026.

How Casey’s Rewards Points Add Up

You earn 10 points for every $1 you spend in the store or online.

At the pump, you earn 5 points a gallon on up to 20 gallons.

A 20-gallon fill-up earns 100 points.

Since 10 points come with every dollar, 250 points works out to $25 spent for $1 back.

You can redeem 250 points for $1 in Casey’s Cash instead of a fuel discount.

5. Full-Service Kitchens

Almost all of the Casey’s stores you can visit have a full-service kitchen, which the company installed to support its prepared food menu.

Besides the pizza and donuts, that menu includes hot and cold sandwiches.

Almost all stores stay open at least 16 hours a day, seven days a week, which gives you a long window to stop in.

6. Car Washes

Casey’s offered car washes at 241 of its 2,944 stores as of April 30, 2026.

You can buy a single wash or a monthly subscription at the Clean, Shine and Protect levels.

Clean includes a lava foam bath and tire and rim cleaner, Shine includes an underbody wash, and Casey’s says Protect adds a ceramic-infused sealant to its in-bay washes.

7. Small-Town Stores

Casey’s says the smaller communities where it operates are often not served by national-chain convenience stores.

In those towns, driving past the independent pump to reach a Casey’s is a choice you make.

About 71% of its stores were opened in areas with populations under 20,000, and Fortune reports that almost half of its locations are in towns of 5,000 residents or fewer.

8. Cash for Classrooms

You can donate your Casey’s Rewards points to a school through Cash for Classrooms instead of redeeming them for fuel or Casey’s Cash.

In 2025, the campaign raised $1.3 million for schools, with guest donations making up nearly $1 million and Casey’s adding $100,000.

West Branch High School in Iowa received $41,255 for new band equipment.

9. Boone Roots

Casey’s started in Boone, Iowa, in 1968.

Its principal office, the Store Support Center, is in Ankeny, Iowa, so the chain you stop at is run from within the state.

Casey’s chief merchandising officer, Tom Brennan, has said the chain is where its communities gather.

Psst! How much do you know about Iowa’s roads and road food? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.

Quiz

Iowa Road Trip IQ

Answer these questions on Iowa’s roads, truck stops and famous sandwiches. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?

Question 1 of 9

The Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott has well-lit parking for about how many tractor-trailers?

Where Casey's Is Growing

As of April 30, 2026, Casey's had 2,944 stores in 19 states, and about half of them are in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.

Iowa has about 550 Casey's stores for about 3 million people.

Fortune reports that Texas has roughly 30 million people, compared with Iowa's 3 million.

Brennan has described the small towns along the Interstate 35 corridor in Texas as natural territory for Casey's.

The company expects to open at least 120 stores in fiscal 2027 through acquisitions and new construction.

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