The Cup Series carries on today as it returns to the great state of Iowa for the 2025 Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway. A 0.875 mile D-shaped oval, Iowa Speedway features 12-14 degrees of banking in the turns, 10 degrees of banking on the frontstretch and four degrees of banking on the backstretch. Opened in 2006, Iowa Speedway is hosting the Cup Series for the second consecutive season, after a sellout debut in 2024.
Like most short tracks, today will be a test of patience. Passing is difficult in the Gen 7 car on short tracks, and at a one groove racetrack like Iowa, the issue is only amplified. 350 laps is a long-time to make moves, so staying patient and not pushing the issue early goes a long way towards finding success late in the going. Tire management will also be key to success. Iowa has a pretty worn down track surface, so tires will have a rougher go of it here. Four fresh, Goodyear tires will be wanted at every opportunity, but your whole day can be shot if you use your tires up too early in a run and cut a tire late. Lastly, track position is king. Jumping guys on pit road is the easiest way to pick up spots, but drivers must be cautiously aggressive to pick up spots today. The best place to be on a short track is at the front, unless it’s the last lap of course. With only four races remaining until the Playoffs begin, expect plenty of desperate moves to be made by those looking to lock in their spot, especially if there is a late race caution.
The list of past winners is short. Ryan Blaney won the inaugural edition last year. That’s it. That’s the list.
Last year’s edition was won by Ryan Blaney, who won Stage 1 and led a race-high 201 laps on the way to victory. William Byron finished second, Chase Elliott led one lap on the way to a third place finish, Christopher Bell led seven laps on the way to a fourth place finish and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. rounded out the top five, leading four laps on the day. Josh Berry led 32 laps on the way to a seventh place finish, Daniel Suarez finished in ninth after leading four laps, Brad Keselowski finished in 10th after leading five laps, Chris Buescher led 16 laps on the way to an 18th place finish and Kyle Larson won Stage 1 and led 80 laps before getting caught up in an accident and finishing in 34th position.
Coverage of the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol can be seen on the USA Network, with pre-race coverage beginning at 3 PM EST and green flag coverage beginning at 3:30 PM EST.
Todd Gilliland is starting toward the back today and has finished outside the Top 20 in eight of his last ten races. While he did finish in sixth last weekend, I don’t think he’ll have such luck today.
Justin Haley has been on a decent run, finishing in the Top 20 the past three races and finishing within the Top 15 in two of the last three. Given his recent success, I think he’ll be among the contenders for a Top 20 spot today.
Last year’s winner at Iowa will be starting toward the front of the pack this afternoon, and he’s had two Top 10 finishes over the past two weeks. There’s no reason to think Ryan Blaney won’t be among the leaders at the end.
Iowa is still a pretty new stop on the Cup Series circuit, so there isn’t a whole lot of history to go off of this weekend. Nevertheless, William Byron finished in second place last year, and will be starting this race right alongside Chase Briscoe at the front of the pack. While Byron has had some difficulties over the past couple of weeks, I think he’ll do one better than he did last year and pick up the win this weekend.
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