NASCAR Cup Series
Next Race: Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol
The Place: Iowa Speedway
Track Length: 0.875 Mile Asphalt Oval
The Date: Sunday, August 3
The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $9,797,935
TV: USA Network, 3 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR (Channel 90)
Distance: 306.25 miles (350 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 70),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 210), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 350)
Where To Watch NASCAR This Weekend:
Saturday, August 2
NXS Practice & Kennametal Pole Qualifying (CW App at 11 a.m. ET)
NCS Practice & Busch Light Pole Qualifying (truTV, MRN, SiriusXM at 1:30 p.m. ET)
NXS Race: Hy-Vee Perks 250 (CW Network, MRN, SiriusXM at 4:30 p.m. ET)
Sunday, August 3
NCS Race: Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol (USA Network, MRN, SiriusXM at 3:30 p.m. ET)
NASCAR Cup Series
Iowa Storylines and Insights:
- This weekend marks the second running of a NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway (2024-2025).
- There are four races left in the NCS regular season: Iowa, Watkins Glen, Richmond and Daytona.
- Chase Elliott leads the regular season point standings by four points over William Byron; Chase Elliott won the 2022 Regular Season Championship.
- The top four in the regular season points standings are separated by 20 points, the closest after 22 races since 2012 (17 points).
- A Hendrick Motorsports driver led the regular season point standings following each of the last 20 races (Ryan Blaney led the points following the first two race of the year).
- The top-three drivers in 2025 regular season standings are all Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers (Chase Elliott-first, William Byron-second and Kyle Larson-third), it’s the seventh race this year that the top-three in regular season standings were all Hendrick Motorsports’ drivers (2025 is the most races Hendrick held each of the top-three positions in points).
- The Playoff bubble is 42 points between Chris Buescher and Ryan Preece, the largest bubble of the season.
- A driver pointed their way into the Playoffs from below the cutline this late into the season once in series history under the current points format (2017-2024) – Clint Bowyer was two points back after race 24 in 2019
- In every season of the Next Gen car (2022-2025), at least one driver won into the Playoffs from below the cutline in the final four races of the NASCAR Cup Series regular season.
- Last year, three drivers that were above the cutline at this point or later in the regular season ended up missing the Playoffs (Chris Buescher, Ross Chastain, Bubba Wallace).
- Five of the last seven races on ovals in 2025 were won by drivers getting their first win of the season.
- In the Playoff era (2014-2025), 40 of 45 races at short tracks were won by drivers above the Playoff cutline, the last driver to win from below the cut was Austin Dillon at Richmond last year.
- Hendrick Motorsports is the only team with at least one car finishing in the top-10 in all 22 races in 2025.
- Hendrick Motorsports had at least one car finish inside the top-10 in the last 30 races, the longest streak by a team in the Next Gen car.
- Kyle Larson (four), Denny Hamlin (four) and Ryan Blaney (three) combined won 11 of the last 14 short-track races.
- Denny Hamlin finished top-five in the last five races on short-tracks including a win at Martinsville and a second at Bristol in the two short-track races this year.
- Denny Hamlin’s last finish outside the top-five on a short track was his 24th-place finish at Iowa last year, he started 12th but was running 34th by lap 32 and spent over 100 laps off the lead lap.
- Kyle Larson finished in the top-10 in the last five short-track races, tied for his longest top-10 streak on short-tracks.
- The last time the pole winner won a short track race was Denny Hamlin in August 2019 at Bristol.
- A different manufacturer won the last three short track races.
- The last six short track winners were all over 30 years old.
- The leader of the most laps went on to win six of the last nine short track races.
- The last four short track races ended with a green flag run of at least 75 laps, the longest streak on short tracks since at least 1978.
- Hendrick Motorsports (five) and Joe Gibbs Racing (three) combined have won the pole for the last eight short track races.
- Hendrick Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing lead all teams with six wins each on short-tracks in the Next Gen car (19 Next Gen short track races)
- William Byron has led a lap in 13 of the first 16 races of the season but hasn’t led in the last six.
- Chase Elliott is the only driver without a DNF in 2025.
- 2025 is the second straight season that Elliott completed all but one lap raced in the season entering the 23rd race of the year.
- Chase Elliott’s 726 points scored in 2025 is the fewest ever by the points leader after 22 races under the current points format (since 2011).
- The eventual winner has not led before lap 124 in 16 of the last 20 short track races.
- John Hunter Nemechek will make his 100th Cup start this weekend. Five drivers have won in their 100th start, most recently Erik Jones at Darlington in September 2019.
NCS Clinch Scenarios Following Indianapolis Motor Speedway:
Already Clinched
- The following six drivers have clinched a spot in the 16-driver postseason field: Chase Elliott, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Shane Van Gisbergen.
Can Clinch Via Previous Wins
- The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Chase Elliott, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric or Shane Van Gisbergen:
- Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 23 points
- Chase Briscoe: Would clinch with 40 points
- Bubba Wallace: Could only clinch with help
- Joey Logano: Could only clinch with help
- The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Tyler Reddick, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Ryan Preece, Kyle Busch, Ty Gibbs or Josh Berry:
- Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 48 points
- Chase Briscoe: Could only clinch with help
- Bubba Wallace: Could only clinch with help
- The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by AJ Allmendinger:
- Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 41 points
- Chase Briscoe: Would clinch with 55 points
- Bubba Wallace: Could only clinch with help
- The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Michael McDowell:
- Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 38 points
- Chase Briscoe: Would clinch with 54 points
- Bubba Wallace: Could only clinch with help
- The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by John Hunter Nemechek:
- Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 36 points
- Chase Briscoe: Would clinch with 52 points
- Bubba Wallace: Could only clinch with help
- The following drivers could clinch on previous wins with a win by Erik Jones (or another winless driver lower in the standings):
- Ryan Blaney: Would clinch with 23 points
- Chase Briscoe: Would clinch with 40 points
- Bubba Wallace: Could only clinch with help
- Joey Logano: Could only clinch with help
Can Clinch Via Win
- The following drivers would clinch on their win alone:
- Tyler Reddick, Ryan Blaney, Chase Briscoe, Bubba Wallace, Joey Logano, Ross Chastain, Austin Cindric, Josh Berry
- The following drivers could clinch with a win and help:
- Alex Bowman: Could only clinch with help
- Chris Buescher: Could only clinch with help
— NASCAR —