2026 Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol Predictions

The NASCAR Cup Series continues today with the running of the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol at Iowa Speedway. Iowa Speedway, located in Newton, Iowa, is a .875 mile short track that was designed, in part, by 1989 Cup Series champion Rusty Wallace and is nicknamed “The Fastest Short Track on the Planet.” Today marks the Cup Series’ third time visiting the track, with Ryan Blaney winning the inaugural event in 2024 and William Byron winning last year. 

Driver to Fade:

Ryan Preece comes into Iowa ranked 17th in points, 38 points below the Chase cutline. They desperately need a good run today to close the gap with only four races remaining before the Chase starts. Unfortunately for them, they failed tech inspection twice yesterday, resulting in their car chief being ejected and loss of pit selection for today. Then they showed no speed in practice, posting the 35th fastest lap in single car speed. Starting from 35th today, we predict Ryan Preece will struggle and finish outside the top 18.

Dark Horse:

It is no secret that 2026 has not gone how Josh Berry was hoping, with only three top 10s and sitting 33rd in points. With only 14 races left for him in the 21 car, he’s hoping to end the season with some good runs. Starting 13th today, we predict he will do just that and bring home a top 15. 

Top 10:

Joey Logano had a slow start to the season, but they have turned it around as of late. Coming into today with three straight top 10 finishes, including a win at North Wilkesboro in that stretch, they have turned their season around. Coming into today, he is sitting 13th in points, 65 points above the Chase cutline, with one win, four top 5s, and eight top 10s. While Joey Logano didn’t show quite as much speed as the 12 car, he still showed plenty of speed in practice. We predict that Joey Logano will continue his top 10 streak today and bring home another top 10 finish. 

Winner:

Ryan Blaney comes into Iowa sitting 3rd in points, with two wins, four top 5s, and 15 top 10s. While Penske has struggled on the intermediate tracks, they have shown lots of speed on short tracks. Even with their lack of speed on intermediates, Blaney has been able to manage consistent top 10 runs most weeks. The winner of the inaugural race in 2024 and a 4th place finish last year, Blaney always shows up to Iowa as a threat to win. Starting from the Pole and being the fastest car on 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 lap average, we predict Ryan Blaney will finish where he starts and collect his 3rd victory of the season today at Iowa.