Iowa Corn 350 Pick 2026: Ryan Blaney at Iowa Speedway
Welcome to the Happy Hour Racing Track Preview - where we dig into the numbers behind the next race so you know what to watch for. Cup is off this weekend, so this is a between-races data feature on the track that comes next: Iowa Speedway.
The Short Version
There is no Cup points race this weekend. The next one is the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol on Sunday, August 9, green flag at 3:30 PM ET on USA. It is 350 laps around a 0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa, the only 7/8-mile track on the schedule. Cup has only raced here twice, so the history book is thin, and that makes the numbers we do have unusually loud.
My Pick to Win
Ryan Blaney - No. 12, Team Penske
He has led 230 of the 700 Cup laps ever run at Iowa, more than anyone, and he owns a 5.0 average finish on short tracks in 2026.
The Track: Why Iowa Races the Way It Does
Iowa Speedway sits about 30 miles east of Des Moines. It opened in 2006, and Rusty Wallace had a hand in the design. It was patterned after Richmond Raceway, and that is the fastest way to understand it: a short track that is long enough to carry real speed, with corners flat enough that the car will not just stick.
The banking runs 12 to 14 degrees. That is low. For comparison, Bristol is in the high 20s. Low banking means the tires do the work instead of gravity, so the car slides, the right front takes a beating, and lap times fall off hard as a run goes on. That is why Iowa produces multiple grooves and real passing instead of a single-file parade.
The 2026 rules push that further. Every oval under 1.5 miles now runs the 750-horsepower engine package instead of 670, paired with the low-downforce short-track aero kit: a 3-inch rear spoiler and a simplified diffuser. More power, less grip, on a flat track, with a Goodyear left-side compound built to fall off. Tire management is going to decide this race.
Past Winners and the History That Matters
Cup has run here twice. Ryan Blaney won the first one in June 2024 and led 201 of 350 laps doing it. William Byron won in August 2025 and led 141. Both winners started second. Neither pole winner has won, and the 2024 polesitter, Kyle Larson, led 80 laps and finished 34th.
Go back further and the Xfinity Series gives you more to work with. Sam Mayer has won the HyVee Perks 250 in both 2024 and 2025. Christopher Bell won twice here in 2018 and 2019. Chase Briscoe won the 2019 U.S. Cellular 250, and Justin Allgaier won in 2018. If you are hunting NASCAR picks for Iowa Speedway, that list is a decent shortlist of people who already know the place.
Here is Blaney's full Cup record at Iowa. Two starts, two front-row-or-better runs, and more laps led than anybody:
| Year | Start | Finish | Laps Led |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 4 | 29 |
| 2024 | 2 | 1 | 201 |
Who Is Actually Running Well Right Now
Denny Hamlin leads the standings with 886 points and four wins. Tyler Reddick is second with five wins, the most in the series. Blaney is third, and he has 15 top-10s in 22 starts, more than anyone else in the field.
Blaney's last four races tell the story of a fast car that has not always finished: seventh at Chicagoland, a win at Atlanta from the pole, 11th at North Wilkesboro from the pole again, and a 26th at Indianapolis. Two poles in three weeks. The speed is there.
My Pick to Win
Ryan Blaney, No. 12 Team Penske Ford. On short tracks this season he has a 5.0 average finish across four races, with a win at Phoenix and a runner-up at Bristol. Iowa is the exact kind of flat, tire-eating short track where he has been at his best, and he already has the win and the most laps led in Cup history at the place. Add the 750-horsepower package that rewards a driver who can manage rear grip, and the case is straightforward. That is a prediction, not a promise, and his Indianapolis finish is a reminder that speed and results are two different things.
If you are looking at NASCAR DFS picks for the Iowa Corn 350, the same logic applies. Blaney has started in the top six in both Iowa Cup races and has led from the front, so the laps-led upside is there on top of the finishing position.
Who Else Could Win
William Byron is the defending race winner and has finished first and second in his two Iowa starts, the best average finish of anyone here. He has no wins in 2026 and sits 12th in points, so he needs one.
Brad Keselowski has quietly been good at Iowa, with a 10th in 2024 and a third in 2025 while leading 68 laps.
Chase Briscoe won the pole and finished second here last year, won the Xfinity race at Iowa in 2019, and already has a Cup win this season at Chicagoland. If you want Iowa Speedway NASCAR favorites beyond the obvious names, he is the one.
One name to be careful with: Denny Hamlin. He leads the championship and has a 4.5 average finish on short tracks this year, but he has finished 24th in both Cup races at Iowa. Points leader does not automatically mean Iowa favorite.
The Bottom Line
Iowa is the only 7/8-mile track NASCAR runs, it is flat, and it chews up tires. Two Cup races, two winners who started on the outside of the front row, and one driver who has led a third of all the laps ever run there. Nine days out from the green flag, the data points at Blaney.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the favorite to win the Iowa Corn 350 2026?
Ryan Blaney is our pick. He won the 2024 Iowa Corn 350, has led more Cup laps at Iowa than anyone, and has a 5.0 average finish on short tracks this season.
Is Ryan Blaney good at Iowa Speedway?
Yes. In two Cup starts at Iowa he has a win and a fourth, an average finish of 2.5, and 230 laps led.
What time does the Iowa Corn 350 start?
Green flag is Sunday, August 9, 2026 at 3:30 PM ET.
What channel is the Iowa Corn 350 on?
USA Network, with radio coverage on MRN.
Who won the Iowa Corn 350 last year?
William Byron won in August 2025 after leading 141 of 350 laps. Ryan Blaney won the first one in 2024.
Gear Up Before Iowa
If you are backing the pick, the Iowa win shirt is the one:
- Ryan Blaney #12 2024 Iowa Corn 350 Winner T-Shirt
- William Byron #24 2025 Iowa Corn 350 Winner T-Shirt
- Ryan Blaney #12 2026 Quaker 400 Atlanta Winner T-Shirt
- Ryan Blaney #12 Uniform Pit Adjustable Hat
- Brad Keselowski #6 2026 Paint Scheme T-Shirt
Want the shirt whenever your driver wins, without thinking about it? That is what the win shirt fan club is for. Or just browse the newest gear in the store.
