After a rare weekend off, the NASCAR Cup Series is back in action this weekend as Iowa Speedway hosts the Iowa Corn 350 on Sunday afternoon. Ryan Blaney won the inaugural event at the track in 2024 and followed that with a fourth-place finish last season. Overall, three Ford drivers have posted Top-10 finishes in both Iowa Cup races.
THE SCHEDULE
- Sunday, August 9 -- NASCAR Cup Series, 3:30 p.m. ET (USA)
UP TO SPEED
BACK-TO-BACK IOWA TOP 10’S
As mentioned above, three Ford Racing drivers have posted Top 10 finishes in each of the first two NASCAR Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway. In addition to Ryan Blaney (first and fourth), Joey Logano (sixth and ninth) and Brad Keselowski (10th and third) have achieved that feat. Besides their Cup success, Blaney and Keselowski have also been to Victory Lane at Iowa in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series with Keselowski winning three times (2009, 2013, 2014) and Blaney once (2015).
MUSTANG CONTINUES WINNING TRADITION
The victory by Blaney at Iowa Speedway in 2024 marked the 19th different track in which Mustang has won a NASCAR Cup Series race since hitting the circuit in 2019. There are currently only three tracks on this year’s schedule where Mustang hasn’t gone to Victory Lane, not including Naval Base Coronado. Those three are Circuit of The Americas, Homestead-Miami Speedway and Sonoma Raceway. Overall, Mustang has 75 Cup points wins and three championships with Joey Logano (2022 and 2024) and Ryan Blaney (2023).
FOUR TO GO
August represents the final month of the 2026 NASCAR Cup Series regular season as only four races remain before the field of 16 drivers is locked in for the final 10-race Chase. Ryan Blaney has already clinched a postseason berth and is currently third in the point standings. Chris Buescher (ninth), Joey Logano (13th) and Austin Cindric (16th) are also holding spots with Ryan Preece (17th) and Brad Keselowski (19th) still within striking distance.
THEY SAID IT
RYAN PREECE: “I feel confident because I’ve had success at Iowa. I’ve had success at New Hampshire and Richmond as well. Short tracks are my thing. The caution (at North Wilkesboro) fell and luck was on our side with some things, but it also kind of lit a fire that ‘hey, let’s go to the simulator and try to work through some things and make whatever we’re doing a little better. What can I change from my driving style for this tire,’ so it’s everybody on our team trying to find some speed because even though there are four races left, I don’t go down until it’s done. I’ll keep swinging.”
A LOOK BACK
BLANEY WINS INAUGURAL IOWA CUP RACE
Ryan Blaney dominated the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway in 2024, leading 201-of-350 laps as he completed a sweep by winning in all three of NASCAR’s top series at the ⅞-mile short track. In addition, it was the second time Blaney won an inaugural Cup race, following his triumph on the Charlotte Roval in 2018. Ultimately, Blaney and Penske teammate Joey Logano faced off against each other on a restart with 84 laps to go. As both drivers filled the front row, they battled door to door before Blaney eventually got clear and set sail to the checkered flag as the race went without a caution down the stretch.
