Iowa Corn 350 Preview: Short Track Stakes

This weekend the NASCAR Cup Series visits Iowa Speedway for the third time ever. This tri-oval is a moderately-banked .875-mile short track that is asphalt paved and features 12-14 degree banking in the turns and 10 degree banking on the tri-oval front stretch. The back stretch is nearly flat coming in at a lowly 4 degrees. The event is 350 laps, divided into three stages of 70 laps, 140 laps and 140 laps. Average speeds are likely to be around 135 mph based on what we've witnessed the last two seasons in NASCAR's top division racing at this track. The oval is somewhat reminiscent of the lower banked small ovals on the circuit like Richmond Raceway and North Wilkesboro Speedway, although modestly larger in size than those two ovals. From its opening in 2006, Iowa Speedway has hosted ARCA Menards Series races and IndyCar events. In 2009, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Xfinity Series began competing at the oval. The facility has been a part of the NASCAR schedule for the lower touring divisions for almost two decades but is finally on the Cup Series schedule and looks to be an established event going forward.

Since this is a relatively new race, we have very little in the way of statistics to examine this weekend. That does put us at a bit of a disadvantage. However, we're not completely without some numbers for examination. For much of our analysis this week, we're going to rely on the statistics that our NASCAR Cup Series drivers have accumulated this season on the smaller ovals. It's the only real measure of which drivers tend to thrive on these style tracks. The data will be fresh and recent statistics and should provide us with a good preview of who will hit the ground running at Iowa. We're also going to take a good look at the electronic scoring loop stats that the drivers posted at Iowa Speedway over the past two seasons. It's reasonable to assume that those who were strong in this event the last two years will have an easier time replicating that success than most. The statistics in the table below are from the last two Iowa Corn 350's.

This weekend NASCAR will continue building on their history at Iowa Speedway. For just the third time, the Cup Series will compete on the tri-oval in Newton, Iowa. For much of the last two decades, this track has been exclusively an IndyCar and lower division NASCAR oval. That changed two seasons ago with the Iowa Corn 350. There will be plenty to learn for both the drivers and the fans as this is just the third event at this track. Many unknowns will be explored. As usual, we'll be in data collecting mode in order to better prepare for the next race at Iowa. Lessons learned this weekend will be applied by both the teams and fantasy racing players alike in the near future.    

In this event last season, it would be Chase Briscoe that would win the pole position and dominate early. However, he would give way to a surging William Byron late in the race. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet would lead 141 of the 350 laps and hold off Briscoe late to grab the victory in that second Iowa race. Those two drivers are certainly ones to watch in NASCAR's return to Iowa Speedway as well as a few others. We'll give you the drivers you need to succeed in your fantasy racing games for the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway.  

The Contenders – Drivers in the Hunt for the Win

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 3:30 PM ET Wednesday

Ryan Blaney (+500) – Coming off a disappointing finish at the Brickyard, Blaney will look too rebound in a big way at Iowa Speedway this Sunday. The driver of the No. 12 Ford has recently overcome some early-season struggles and is racing very consistently at this point in time. Blaney has poles at both Bristol and North Wilkesboro recently and finished a brilliant runner-up in the spring Bristol event. The Penske Racing star won this event two years ago in an absolute dominant performance. He would lead 201 of the 350 laps and fend of William Byron for the victory. Blaney led 29 laps and finished an impressive fourth-place at Iowa last season. That experience will be huge in this return to Iowa Speedway.  

Chase Briscoe (+950) – Briscoe won the pole in this event one year ago and led a whopping 81 laps in his first start with Joe Gibbs Racing at Iowa Speedway. He would go onto finish runner-up in that race and leave a big impression coming in NASCAR's return to Iowa this Sunday. Briscoe has been a top short track performer in 2026. He own's two Top-5 finishes in the four events on ovals of one-mile in size and less this season. That includes his recent strong, third-place finish at North Wilkesboro and strong fifth-place finish at Bristol earlier in the year. Briscoe and the No. 19 Toyota team are very locked in on the short tracks this season and his near-brush with victory at Iowa last season should pay big dividends this Sunday afternoon.

Joey Logano (+900) – Logano has been inconsistent this season, but the short tracks have been a real highlight for the No. 22 Ford team. The Penske Racing star won last time out at North Wilkesboro in a dominant performance. Logano would led 323 laps and run away with the win at that oval in North Carolina. That's one of six Top-5 finishes he's scored in his last 10 short track starts. He has been switched on in his two prior Iowa Speedway starts. Logano has sixth- and ninth-place finishes in his two prior starts at the Iowa oval. Given how strong the veteran driver was last time out at North Wilkesboro, we have to show him some serious respect in the Iowa Corn 350.  

Denny Hamlin (+400) – Hamlin has scored a pair of runner-up finishes already this season on ovals one-mile in size or less. He grabbed those at Martinsville and most recently at North Wilkesboro. The Joe Gibbs Racing star rides a five-race Top-6 streak on the bull ring size ovals into this Sunday's action. Interestingly, Hamlin has not performed well in his two prior Iowa Speedway starts. Both were finishes outside the Top 20. We're willing to toss those out as outliers and focus more on his short track prowess. Hamlin has scored 15-career victories on small ovals and his 10.7 career average finish on these tracks make them the best in his NASCAR resume.           

Solid Plays – Near Locks for Top 10 with an Outside Shot to Win

Ty Gibbs (+1200) – The young Joe Gibbs Racing driver has been strong this season short track efforts. Gibbs won at Bristol earlier this season and grabbed Top-5 finishes in all four of his starts on ovals one-mile in size and less in 2026. He was most recently a strong fourth-place finisher at North Wilkesboro a few weeks ago. The driver of the No. 54 Toyota has raced in the recent past at Iowa Speedway during his ARCA Menards Series history. Gibbs made three starts at Iowa between 2019 and 2021. He would capture two wins and one fifth-place finish in those efforts. Gibbs has a great familiarity with this oval. While his two Cup Series starts were forgettable, we believe this start in the Iowa Corn 350 will be very strong indeed.     

Brad Keselowski (+2000) – Keselowski has nailed his two prior starts at the Iowa short track. The veteran driver claimed a solid 10th-place in his debut at Iowa in 2024 and he returned last season to lead 68 laps and finish a brilliant third in last season's installment of this event. Keselowski has been consistent the past two seasons on the circuit's short track. The driver of the No. 6 Ford has two runner-up finishes and a strong 50-percent Top-10 rate in his last 10 short track starts. Most recently Keselowski was a steady seventh-place finisher at the North Wilkesboro oval. We expect the owner/driver to be very competitive Sunday afternoon and challenge the Top 10.

Christopher Bell (+500) – The Joe Gibbs Racing driver comes into Iowa this week on the heels of a strong runner-up finish at the Brickyard before the off week. Bell will look to extend that hot streak in the Iowa Corn 350. He was a dominant driver at Iowa Speedway during his O'Reilly Auto Parts Series career. Bell earned two poles, two victories and two runner-up finishes there in five starts, making him one of the more successful drivers at the oval in recent years in that division of NASCAR. Bell led 7 laps and finished an impressive fourth-place in his Cup Series debut at Iowa in 2024. We expect this driver and team to have a lot of potential in this 350-lap battle at the Iowa short track.

Bubba Wallace (+1800) – Wallace has been pretty steady on the short tracks this season, and we believe he's shown the right signs to expect a good performance at Iowa Speedway. He earned an impressive sixth-place finish on the Phoenix oval back in the spring. Wallace also grabbed a strong sixth-place finish recently at North Wilkesboro. The 23XI Racing driver also has six starts of O'Reilly Auto Parts Series experience at Iowa Speedway. Between Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Racing, Wallace collected four Top-10 finishes in six starts at Iowa for a solid 11.5 average finish. He grabbed a strong sixth-place finish in last season's Iowa Corn 350.

Sleepers – Drivers with Good History at Iowa & Solid Upside

Kyle Larson (+750) – The Hendrick Motorsports star has been winless but steady in his past two seasons of short track racing so we are slotting him in the sleepers list this week. Larson has two Top-5 and three Top-10 finishes on tracks one-mile in size and smaller this year. He started eighth on the grid and led a staggering 284 laps at Bristol before finishing a strong third-place. Even though it came many years ago, Larson has made a pair of O'Reilly Auto Parts Series starts at Iowa Speedway. He grabbed a pair of fifth-place finishes there way back in 2013. That experience may be distant, but it should serve Larson well. The driver of the No. 5 Chevrolet won the pole in this event two years ago and led 80 laps before running into trouble, so he should be on everyone's fantasy radar screen at Iowa Speedway.

William Byron (+900) – Byron is probably the biggest risk/reward driver of the sleepers this week. The Hendrick Motorsports star has been hit-or-miss on the short tracks this season, but he has race winning potential that can't be overlooked. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet racked up a pair of Top-10 finishes at Phoenix and Martinsville, but he also has just a pedestrian 50-percent Top-10 rate this season on the ovals one-mile in size or less. However, Byron has been flawless in his last two Iowa races, finishing runner-up and winning last season. That's great experience heading into this weekend. His performance has been spotty but his potential at Iowa Speedway is great.  

Chase Elliott (+1000) – A win at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season is the big highlight for Elliott on the short tracks this year. Aside from that, there's been some inconsistency, so we're slotting the driver of the No. 9 Chevrolet in the sleepers list this week. Elliott has third- and 14th-place finishes in his two prior Iowa Speedway starts. That's a strong 8.5 average finish and he even led 12 combined laps in those starts. Ford and Toyota drivers definitely have an inside track on success on the short tracks thus far this season, but the Hendrick Chevrolets have generally been second fiddle, which is not bad. Elliott doesn't have race wining potential for the Iowa Corn 350, but he's part of the "best of the rest".

Ryan Preece (+6000) – The Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing veteran has been a steady producer on the small ovals the last two seasons. Preece has five Top-10 finishes in his last 10 short track starts, most recently a 10th-place at North Wilkesboro. He should be a good candidate to keep up the good finishes in the Iowa Corn 350. Preece registered a stellar fifth-place finish in this event one year ago. While his first start at the Iowa short track was forgettable, that last effort left a pretty big impression. The driver of the No. 60 Ford should be a good performer in Sunday's short track battle at Iowa Speedway.

Carson Hocevar (+2500) – The two prior starts Hocevar has had at Iowa Speedway have been reasonable results. The Spire Motorsports youngster grabbed 14th-place two seasons ago and showed what he learned last season to earn a strong eighth-place finish one year ago in Iowa. The driver of the No. 77 Chevrolet raced well last time out on a small oval with his 13th-place finish at North Wilkesboro a few weeks ago. That was one of two Top-15 finishes he's scored on short tracks this year. While this may not be one of his "electric" outings on the larger ovals like we've seen at tracks like Darlington, Talladega, Michigan and Atlanta this season, Hocevar should be pretty steady in the Iowa Corn 350.   

Shane van Gisbergen (+12000) – One aspect of the Kiwi's racing game that has improved quite a bit in 2026 is van Gisbergen's short track game. He's racked up finishes of 11th-, 11th-, 34th- and fifth-place in his four short track starts of this season. Most recently the Trackhouse Racing veteran pedaled his No. 97 Chevrolet to 49 laps led and a fifth-place finish at North Wilkesboro. Van Gisbergen has just one Cup Series start at Iowa Speedway and it came in this event one year ago. He would finish one lap down outside the Top 30. But this is a different driver now. Van Gisbergen has shown dramatic improvement on ovals and especially short tracks.  

Slow Down - Drivers to Avoid This Week

Alex Bowman (+4000) – Despite having eighth- and seventh-place finishes in his two prior Iowa Speedway starts, we're recommending the fantasy racing bench for Bowman and his No. 48 Chevrolet team this weekend. He's really struggled in his last five short track starts. Over that span Bowman has just two Top-15 finishes vs. three finishes outside of the Top 20. His last time out was a struggle-filled 26th-place finish at North Wilkesboro just a few weeks ago. These are not terribly good indicators heading into Sunday's Iowa Corn 350. Despite his success at this track, Bowman is the least performing driver of the Hendrick stable on the small ovals right now.

AJ Allmendinger (+35000) –  Allmendinger certainly has his appeal on road circuits and superspeedway ovals, but short track racing is another story all together for the No. 16 Chevrolet team. The veteran driver has posted just one Top-15 finish on the small ovals in his last 10 starts vs. five finishes outside of the Top 25. The average finish is slotting around 26.0 over the span on these bull rings. With 36th- and 18th-place finishes in Allmendinger's two prior Iowa Speedway starts, that average finish is checking in around a similar 27.0. The Kaulig Racing driver is not to be considered in weekly lineup and salary cap based fantasy racing leagues this weekend in Iowa.

Josh Berry (+10000) – The Wood Brothers Racing driver has been pretty sharp in his two prior Iowa Speedway starts. Berry finished seventh in his debut at the track in 2024 and was a steady 13th-place finisher last season. Those levels of performance would typically draw us to a lower tier driver like Berry for this race. However, he's mired in a terrible campaign this season. The driver of the No. 21 Ford has just three Top 10's thus far this season and enters Iowa weekend a career-worst in the driver points at 33rd-place overall. Berry has struggled on the short tracks with three finishes outside the Top 30 vs. one Top-10 finish. He crashed and DNF'd most recently at North Wilkesboro just a few weeks ago.

Erik Jones (+15000) – Jones has been greatly improved on intermediate and larger ovals this season. That's led to five Top 10's to this point in the campaign and a reasonably good 18th-place standing in the driver points. However, the same can't be said for the Legacy Motor Club driver on the short tracks. Jones has just one Top 10 on the small ovals over the last two seasons and his average finish is floating around 21.5. His last two Iowa Speedway starts have been 32nd- and 16th-place finishes for a similar 24.0 average finish across the small sample. Keep Jones benched this week for deployment on the mid- and larger sized ovals later this season.