Iowa native Sara Haines talks co-hosting 'The View,' returning to Newton for IndyCar race

From the Hot Topics table to the heartland.

Newton native Sara Haines spends her weekdays wedged between Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar on Season 26 of "The View." But last weekend, she made a trip back to Iowa for the Hy-Vee IndyCar Race in her hometown.

Haines travels home at least one week per summer to see her childhood best friend Emily Allen's family.

"When I can coerce Emily into enduring the heat, we head to my favorite: the Iowa State Fair," Haines said.

But this year, the pair traded butter cows for Kenny Chesney songs and race cars. The panel's mild-mannered Midwest moderate opened up to the Des Moines Register about daytime talk and the death of "View" creator Bill Geddie.

More: The View's Sara Haines talks coming home to Iowa, Taco John's, and hosting daytime's biggest show

Her 'View:' How Sara Haines is fairing during the show's 26th Season

In recent years, "The View" has become a ratings success while the daytime talk show production and talent shed its reputation as a hot spot for on-air spats between co-hosts and shifted to a politics-heavy format.

The show's 26th Season features Haines, moderator Goldberg, mainstay Behar, legal expert Sunny Hostin, fan favorite Ana Navarro and the addition of former Trump White House spokeswoman Alyssa Farah Griffin.

The panel has long been a pit stop for presidential hopefuls from South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott to former Texas congressman Will Hurd. But growing up amid Iowa caucus season didn't prepare Haines for the Hot Topics table.

"I'm not sure I ever had the understanding of what those caucuses were growing up. I just knew it meant extra stickers and pins at the State Fair," she added.

Regardless, finding ways to weave her "Iowa Nice" nature into conversations with her fellow co-hosts comes naturally.

"My favorite part of the show continues to be sussing out where I stand on a topic in a time when the headlines can be misleading. I challenge myself to take the extra steps to source information and, only then, do I come to a conclusion," Haines said.

"The View" creator and longtime Barbara Walters confidante Bill Geddie died last week at the age of 68.

"So many on the show are hurting with this sudden loss. He created this show with Barbara Walters and built its foundation through the staff, so many of whom are still behind the scenes at the show today," Haines said.

Sara Haines details trip home to Newton

Haines meets dozens of Hollywood stars on "The View," but somebody closer to home left her starstruck in Iowa: Newton Mayor Mike Hansen.

"I didn't know what to do with my hands, I was so excited ... he's a Vietnam vet. I was so nervous!" Hansen said.

Hansen proclaimed Sept. 18, her birthday, as "Sara Haines Day" in Newton. The announcement was made last September during an Iowa-inspired live birthday celebration on "The View" featuring Taco John's potato oles, the Iowa State University marching band and an Iowa State Fair-themed set for "The Chase" host.

Haines' trip home was short because she was only in town for the race. During typical visits in Iowa, Haines will pick up farm stand sweet corn, drive through Taco Johns, visit PJ's Deli, and enjoy slices from Giovanni's Pizza.

"The trip revolves around the nostalgia combined with the company of old friends and family, which is at the heart of so much of what my home of Iowa means to me," she added.

For Haines, home is where the heartland is.

"It is heaven," Haines said about her visit.

No, it is Iowa.

Jay Stahl is an entertainment reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow him on Instagram or reach out at jstahl@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa native Sara Haines talks 'The View,' IndyCar race and Bill Geddie