Who Can Conquer the Cornfields at Iowa Speedway?

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Stratta’s Six: Who Can Bring Home the Corn at Iowa Speedway?

For only the third time ever, the rolling cornfields of Iowa will be graced by NASCAR’s best. The Iowa Corn 350 is up next for all drivers in their race to the 2026 Chase. With Iowa Speedway having so little data and history, Sunday is still a wildcard for predicting a winner. Here are a few drivers who hope to stand as tall as a cornstalk in victory lane.

Ryan Blaney

Iowa Speedway’s inaugural winner from 2024, Ryan Blaney joined a very elite list that night. Blaney took a career sweep of Truck, O’Reilly, and Cup Series victories at The Infield of Dreams. The list of drivers to pull off this feat at one track only stands at 14 men. Blaney backed up that maiden win with another strong outing last year, finishing fourth. Returning to one of his best tracks within striking distance of the Chase’s second seed, Blaney has high hopes for Sunday.

“I’m extremely excited that we’ve continued to go to Iowa,” Blaney said. “I think it was very deserving of a Cup race when they announced it a couple years ago. It was neat to win the first one there. I have a lot of family ties to just outside of that racetrack. So it’s been a really cool place and the fan draw there is fantastic. It puts on a really good show and I hope we continue to go back there because that’s a really important part of the country. There are a lot of race fans in that area. It’s a big staple for people in that Iowa region to go see a bunch of NASCAR racing.”

“I’ve really enjoyed going to Iowa. I think that place is incredibly deserving of a Cup event. It puts on a really good race. I was fortunate to win there a couple years ago and we had a really good run there last year. That place is pretty difficult because the front and backstretch are the old pavement and then the corners are fresh pavement, but your braking and entry turn-in point is on the old pavement, so trying to get that secure enough and good enough over the bumps, especially into turn one, is super critical. And then with very smooth corners, the question is how do you kind of balance that out?”

“We’ve just been able to have a really good package there that I feel like I’ve been able to do both. I’ve been able to enter fast over the bumps with speed and then that benefits me when I get to the fresher, smoother asphalt. So, it would be nice to get back in victory lane there. I have a lot of family ties in that area in Iowa, so it would be nice to do that like we did a couple of years ago. But it’s all about connecting the entry phase of the old track to the new racetrack in the corners.”

Blaney trounces the Cup field with 230 laps led across Iowa’s two races, almost 100 more than anyone else. Combined with a 2.5-average finish here and continued lights-out short track pace, the 12 could be in store for another big day. Trailing Tyler Reddick by only 36 points, Iowa could be a big step in Blaney’s championship path.

Kyle Larson

While Ryan Blaney won here two years ago, the early dominator in that race was Kyle Larson. The HendrickCars.Com No. 5 started 2024’s Iowa race on pole and led 80 laps, only to wreck out early. Not faring much better last year with a 28th-place run, Larson eyes a return to form at Iowa.

“We were extremely strong there the first year we went, and I messed up and crashed,” Larson said. “I couldn’t even tell you how we ran there last year. I don’t have any idea how we did. But yeah, it’s a fun track. There’s a lot of dirt racing fans there, so I’ve enjoyed the event. Hopefully we can hit our car balance and have a good weekend.”

“I feel like we’ve been inching closer and closer all year. A lot of times, I feel like our sport is so close that you can feel so far from winning and so far from being good, when in reality, I think you’re much closer than you feel. So yeah, you never know. Maybe if you get a win and your car gets a little bit better, you can go on a string. We still have some room to improve, but hopefully we’re not too far away from it.”

Now riding a 46-race winless streak, the defending Cup champion still chases a first victory on this season. Falling to eighth in points after his early Brickyard 400 exit, Larson is in need of a turnaround. The 5’s last four races have all ended outside of the top-10, after four-straight top-fives earlier this summer. In short, Larson has been very feast of famine this season. Iowa Speedway could begin a second half surge for team 5.

Denny Hamlin

Still the Cup Series points leader, Denny Hamlin could check off a new box this weekend. Hamlin has wins on 21 different tracks across his illustrious career, but never at Iowa. Earning a victory at a 22nd different venue would extend Hamlin’s record here, and likely lengthen his championship gap too. Hamlin’s been 24th across both past Iowa races, a mark he could easily surpass on Sunday.

Holding an 84-point gap over Tyler Reddick, the regular season championship appears fully in Hamlin’s control. Combined with a 6.7 average running position on similar short tracks over the past year, Iowa could be another strong and steady 11 day. Entering the Iowa Corn 350 as the betting favorite, Hamlin could set a new high point as the man atop the championship chase.

Brad Keselowski

Last year’s Iowa race was a surprisingly strong outing for Brad Keselowski and the RFK Racing No. 6. The Ford veteran was third in 2025 after leading 68 laps, a marked improvement from his 2024 10th-place Iowa run. Keselowski is one of only five drivers with a perfect top-10 record at Iowa Speedway, and desperately needs to continue this streak.

With four regular season races left, the No. 6 finds itself 19th in points. 40 points back of the cut line, Keselowski needs more than a small miracle if he is to make the Chase again. The 2012 Cup champion is not out of the running yet for a Chase berth, but Iowa is all but a must-perform weekend.

William Byron

Last year’s Iowa Speedway winner, William Byron took the checkers here after leading a race-high 141 laps. Iowa marked Byron’s first victory after his second-straight Daytona 500 triumph, starting a run that propelled the No. 24 to the Championship 4. A year removed, Byron is still winless on this season and looks to go back-to-back at one of his best tracks.

“Iowa is just a track that has always clicked for me and that I really love,” Byron said. “I’ve had success there in all three series and last year’s win really felt great to complete the sweep. I think having the off time, and this being the next track we go to, really gives our team confidence of what we can accomplish. I’m looking forward to it.”

Nobody’s been more consistent over Iowa Speedway’s short Cup tenure than Byron, owning second and the win in two tries here. Byron and Blaney are the only men with a pair of Iowa top-fives to their names, and the 24 yearns for another strong outing. Byron also trails only Blaney in laps led (141) here. The 24 only has one top-10 in its last six starts this season, however, now occupying 12th in points. Combined with O’Reilly and Truck Series wins here, Iowa Speedway has been sneakily great for Byron over the years. It would not be surprising to see the 24 in the mix again on Sunday.

Christopher Bell

Owning six second-place results this year including three of the last four races, Christopher Bell’s time is coming. Driver 20 is another contender who’s seen great Iowa Speedway success before, having a perfect 2-0 record here in O’Reilly. Fourth in 2024’s Cup race proved that Bell is still very much a man to beat here too. Bell explained that unique circumstances in 2025’s Iowa race buried the 20, never allowing their full potential to shine through.

“Last year was just so weird,” Bell said. “There were so many yellow flags, the strategy got all jumbled up. And yeah, it was a struggle for sure, but our car performance was much better than that. Going to Iowa in 2026, we certainly have high expectations, and we have a lot to race for right now in the points standings. It’s super important to get out of Iowa with a nice solid run.”

Bell has been painfully close to multiple checkered flags this season, including Indianapolis two weeks ago. If the 20 can maximize performance in Iowa, Bell should climb up from 10th on the provisional Chase grid. Bell may just lead the charge for Joe Gibbs Racing and Toyota as they hunt their first trophy from the cornfields.

Iowa Speedway truly is a one-of-one racetrack that could see several different drivers contend. The Iowa Corn 350 has been a caution-fest in both prior years, proving that nobody is safe and strategy can go sideways fast. Sunday’s green flag for race 23 of the season will fly at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. As the Chase grows closer by the day, a lot of drivers are desperate for every point and win possible.

Written by Peter Stratta

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Photo Credit to Meg Oliphant/Getty Images