Statistical Advance: Analyzing the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol

Below is a look at some of the top statistical performers at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa, going into the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol this Sunday, August 9 at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90).

IOWA SPEEDWAY – HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS

RACE DATA – IOWA CORN 350
Season Race #: 23 of 36 (August 9, 2026)
Race Purse: $11,233,037
Race Length: 350 laps (306.25 miles)
Stage 1 Length: 70 laps (Ends on Lap 70)
Stage 2 Length: 140 laps (Ends on Lap 210)
Final Stage Length: 140 laps (Ends on Laps 350)

TRACK DATA – IOWA SPEEDWAY

Location: Newton, Iowa
Track Size/Type: 0.875 Mile – Asphalt Paved Oval
Number of Turns: 4
Degrees of Banking Turns: 12-14 degrees (progressive banking)
Degrees of Frontstretch: 10 degrees
Degrees of Backstretch: 4 degrees

QUALIFYING & RACE RECORDS

Track Qualifying Record:
Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 136.933 mph, 23.004 seconds, August 8, 2025

Track Race Record:
Ryan Blaney, Ford, 102.874 mph, (2:58:37), June 16, 2024

HISTORY

• On April 16, 2003, the Newton City Council unanimously approved the Iowa Speedway proposed project which would include a $30 million, 7⁄8 mile (1.4 km), 25,000-seat, multi-use racing facility headed by the U.S. Motorsport Entertainment Corporation and its CEO, Paul Schlaack.
• In June 2003, NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace was announced as the leading designer of the project.
• Although plans were made to hold groundbreaking in spring of 2004, construction was delayed in June due to a lack of funds for the now-$50 million project.
• In February 2005, progress on the Iowa Speedway project resumed when developers announced that they had gathered enough funds; by this point, the budget had increased to $70 million, and the opening year was delayed until 2006.
• Groundbreaking was held on June 21, 2005. By August, Todd Melfi was appointed as the track’s general manager.
• In mid-October, the track confirmed racing dates for the 2006 season with ARCA Menards Seriesand United States Auto Club (USAC)-sanctioned events, with a Hooters Pro Cup Series race being scheduled to christen the facility on September 15, 2006.
• The facility opened as scheduled on September 15, 2006, with Woody Howard winning the first race at the track. The race and its preliminary sessions were marred with excessive tire wear, with mandatory competition cautions being implemented prior to the event.
• Three weeks later, the facility held its first music festival.
• In 2007, the facility held its first IndyCar race, with Dario Franchitti winning the first major race at the facility.
• In late February 2008, chief financial officer Jerry Jauron replaced Stan Clement as the track’s president. The same year, the facility was awarded annual NASCAR races for 2009, with the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.
• Three years later, in accordance with a plan to transfer ownership of the track within five years, U.S. Motorsport Entertainment sold controlling interest of the facility to the Clement family, a family from Newton.
• Jauron left shortly thereafter in September, handing over the track’s control to Doug Fritz, the senior director of marketing for NASCAR.
• In 2013, the facility was sold to the sanctioning body of NASCAR for $10 million, with Jimmy Small taking over Fritz’s position of leadership.
• In February 2018, David Hyatt, the former president of the Motor Racing Network (MRN), replaced Small as the president of the track.
• On October 3, 2023, Iowa Speedway announced it would hold its first NASCAR Cup Series races since its opening. The event would be held in 2024.
• In February 2024, Eric Peterson, a NASCAR regional director for corporate sales, was appointed to replace Hyatt as the track’s president.
• Iowa Speedway hosted its first NASCAR Cup Series race on June 16, 2024, and the event was won by Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney driving a Ford.
• There have been two NASCAR Cup Series races held at Iowa Speedway (2024, 2025).

STARTS

• A total of 42 different drivers have competed in at least one NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway.
• A total of 31 of the 42 Cup Series drivers have competed in both of the Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway.
• Zero drivers have made their NASCAR Cup Series debut at Iowa Speedway.

Top-10 in Average Starting Position at Iowa Speedway

• Kyle Larson leads the NASCAR Cup Series in average starting position at Iowa Speedway with a 2.0 in two starts.
• Seven Cup Series drivers have an average starting position inside the top-10 at Iowa Speedway.

POLES

• Two drivers have won the NASCAR Cup Series pole at Iowa Speedway:

• • Kyle Larson, Chevrolet, 136.458 mph, 23.084 seconds, June 15, 2024
  • Chase Briscoe, Toyota, 136.933 mph, 23.004 seconds, August 8, 2025

• No Cup drivers have posted their first career NASCAR Cup Series pole at Iowa Speedway.
• Youngest Cup pole winner at Iowa Speedway: Chase Briscoe (August 1, 2025 – 30 years, 7 months and 19 days).
• Oldest Cup pole winner at Iowa Speedway: Kyle Larson (June 15, 2024 – 31 years, 6 months and 15 days).
• Two crew chiefs have won a pole at Iowa Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series:

• • Cliff Daniels (Kyle Larson, 2024).
  • James Small (Chase Briscoe, 2025)

• Two organizations have won a pole at Iowa Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series:

• • Hendrick Motorsports (Kyle Larson, 2024).
  • Joe Gibbs Racing (Chase Briscoe, 2025)

• Two manufacturers have won a pole in the NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa Speedway:

• • Chevrolet (2024)
  • Toyota (2025)

WINS

• Two drivers have won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway:

• • Ryan Blaney, Ford, 102.874 mph, (2:58:37), June 16, 2024 – started from the second position.
  • William Byron, Chevrolet, 92.905 mph, (3:17:47), August 3, 2025 – started from the second position.

• A NASCAR Cup Series driver has not won his/her first race at Iowa Speedway.
• Youngest Cup race winner at Iowa Speedway: William Byron (August 3, 2025 – 27 years, 7 months and 5 days).
• Oldest Cup race winner at Iowa Speedway: Ryan Blaney (June 16, 2024 – 30 years, 3 months and 16 days).
• One position on the starting grid has led to wins in the NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa Speedway – the second starting position or outside front row (winning both 2024 and 2025 races).
• Two crew chiefs have won a race at Iowa Speedway in the NASCAR Cup Series:

• • Jonathan Hassler (Ryan Blaney, 2024)
  • Rudy Fugle (William Byron, 2025)

• Two organizations have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa Speedway:

• • Team Penske (Ryan Blaney, 2024)
  • Hendrick Motorsports (William Byron, 2025)

• Two manufacturers have won in the NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa Speedway:

• • Ford (2024)
  • Chevrolet (2025)

ADDITIONAL FINISHING POSITIONS

Runner-Up Finishes:

• Two drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series have finished runner-up at Iowa Speedway:

• • William Byron (2024)
  • Chase Briscoe (2025)

Top-Five Finishes:

• A total of eight different drivers have finished in the top-five in the two NASCAR Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway.
• Only two drives have finished inside the top-five in both Cup races at Iowa Speedway: Ryan Blaney and William Byron.

NASCAR Cup Series Drivers with Top-Five Finishes at Iowa Speedway

Top-10 Finishes:

• A total of 15 different drivers have finished inside the top-10 in the two NASCAR Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway.
• Five drivers managed to finish inside the top-10 in both Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway: Alex Bowman, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney and William Byron.

NASCAR Cup Series Drivers with Top-10 Finishes at Iowa Speedway

LAP LEADERS & LEAD CHANGES

• A total of 12 different NASCAR Cup Series drivers have led at least one lap at Iowa Speedway.

All-Time Cup Series Lap Leaders at Iowa Speedway

• Ryan Blaney leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Iowa Speedway with 230 laps led (33% of his laps completed).
• The most laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway was 201 laps led of the scheduled 350 by Ryan Blaney on June 16, 2024 – he started from the second position.
• The fewest laps led by the race winner in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway was 141 laps led of the scheduled 350 by William Byron on August 3, 2025 – he started from the second position.
• The most laps led in a single NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway by a driver that did not win the race was 81 laps of the scheduled 350 by Chase Briscoe – he started on the pole and ultimately finished second in the race.
• The number of leaders in the inaugural Cup race at Iowa Speedway was nine (2024).
• The number of leaders in last season’s Cup race at Iowa Speedway was six (2025).
• The number of lead changes in the inaugural Cup race at Iowa Speedway was 17 (2024).
• The number of lead changes in last season’s Cup race at Iowa Speedway was 10 (2025).
• In the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series race (inaugural event) at Iowa Speedway, the final lead change for the race win took place with 88 laps to go, when Ryan Blaney passed Josh Berry for the lead on Lap 263.
• In last season’s (2025) NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway, the final lead change for the race win took place with 74 laps to go, when William Byron passed his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Chase Elliott for the lead on Lap 277.

FEMALE COMPETITORS

• A female driver has not competed in the NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa Speedway.

TRACK / EVENT SPECIFIC STATS

• The Margin of Victory in the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway was 0.716-second – set by Ryan Blaney in the June 16, 2024 race over second-place William Byron.
• The Margin of Victory in last season’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway was 1.192-seconds – set by William Byron in the August 3, 2025 race over second-place Chase Briscoe.
• The two NASCAR Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway have not been shortened due to weather.
• The two NASCAR Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway have not gone to Overtime to finish the races.
• Qualifying has never been cancelled in the NASCAR Cup Series at Iowa Speedway.
• The inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway produced eight cautions for a total of 49 caution laps.
• Last season’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway produced 12 cautions for a total of 72 caution laps.

NASCAR IN IOWA

• There have been 41 NASCAR national series races among three tracks in the state of Iowa.

• The first NASCAR national series race held in the state of Iowa was a NASCAR Cup Series race at Davenport Speedway, a half-mile dirt track, in Davenport, Iowa. The inaugural race was held on August 2, 1953, and 14 drivers battled it out for 200 laps, but it was Herb Thomas (Hudson) that took home the win.

IOWA IN NASCAR

• A total of 33 different drivers in NASCAR national series history have their home state recorded as Iowa.
• Five drivers from the state of Iowa have won at least one race in NASCAR’s three national series for a total of 33 victories.
• Dick Hutcherson leads all Iowa drivers with 14 combined NASCAR national series wins – all in the Cup Series.

Winners from Iowa:

— NASCAR —