NASCAR National Series News & Notes - Iowa Speedway

NASCAR Cup Series

Next Race: Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol

The Place: Iowa Speedway

Track Length: .875 Mile Asphalt Oval

The Date: Sunday, June 16

The Time: 7 p.m. ET

The Purse: $8,881,630

TV: USA, 6 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 306.25 miles (350 laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 70),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 210), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 350)

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Next Race: Hy-Vee PERKS 250

The Place: Iowa Speedway

Track Length: .875 Mile Asphalt Oval

The Date: Saturday, June 15

The Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

The Purse: $1,408,568

TV: USA, 3 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 218.75 miles (250 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 75),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 150), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 250)

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Next Race: Rackley Roofing 200

The Place: Nashville Superspeedway

Track Length: 1.33 Mile Concrete Oval

The Date: Friday, June 28

The Time: 8 p.m. ET

The Purse: $897,631

TV: FS1, 8 p.m. ET

Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

Distance: 199.50 miles (150 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),

Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 95), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 150)

NASCAR Cup Series

Iowa Speedway sets the stage for NASCAR Cup Series debut

Located in Newton, Iowa just outside Des Moines, sits the .875-mile short track known as Iowa Speedway. The track will play host to the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in its existence with this weekend’s Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol on Sunday, June 16 at 7 p.m. ET on the USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Iowa Speedway will become the 176th different track to host a NASCAR Cup Series points-paying race since the inception of the series in 1949.

Iowa Speedway was built between 2005-2006, by then owner Paul Schlaak of the U.S. Motorsports Entertainment Corporation. International Speedway Corporation purchased the property in 2013, and it is now owned by NASCAR.

The first race held at Iowa Speedway was an ARCA Menards Series event on October 15, 2006, and the race was won by Steven Wallace driving a Dodge for Rusty Wallace Inc., a team owned by his father NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace.

The speedway is measured at 0.875 mile (1.4 km), with 10 degrees of banking in the frontstretch, four degrees in the backstretch, and a progressive banking system utilized from 12 to 14 degrees in the turns.

All the on-track NASCAR Cup Series action at Iowa Speedway will begin with a 50-minute practice at 5:35 p.m. ET on Friday June 14, and followed by Busch Light Pole Qualifying at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, June 15. Both events will be broadcast on USA Network, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Iowa Speedway winners

Although this weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway will be a first for the NASCAR Cup Series, there are some drivers entered in the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol who have conquered the .875-mile track in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.

Brad Keselowski	2009, 2013, 2014
Kyle Busch	2010
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	2011 sweep, 2012
Chris Buescher	2015
Ryan Blaney	2015
Erik Jones	2016
William Byron	2017
Ryan Preece	2017
Christopher Bell	2018, 2019
Chase Briscoe	2019

Race to the Playoffs: Four of last season’s Playoff drivers are outside the points cutoff

Through the first 16 races of the 2023 NASCAR Cup Series season, nine different winners have secured their spot in the Playoffs by virtue of their victory. At the other end of postseason outlook, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace holds the 16th and final transfer spot into the Playoffs by a slim eight-point lead over Richard Childress Racing’s Kyle Busch as the series heads to Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol this Sunday, June 16 (7:00 p.m. ET on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The nine drivers that have earned a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs by virtue of wins this season are Denny Hamlin, William Byron, Kyle Larson, Christopher Bell, Chase Elliott, Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Daniel Suárez, and Austin Cindric. Seven spots are still up for grabs in the hunt for the championship.

The seven drivers currently occupying the remaining postseason spots on points are Martin Truex Jr. (+128 points ahead of the Playoff cutoff), Ty Gibbs (+86 points ahead of the cutoff), Ross Chastain (+73), Alex Bowman (+65), Ryan Blaney (+64), Chris Buescher (+32) and Bubba Wallace (+8).

2024 NASCAR Cup Series Playoff Outlook – Drivers Without Wins This Season

Rank	Driver	Points	Race Wins	Stage Wins	Playoff Pts	+/- Cutoff
10	Martin Truex Jr.	508	0	2	2	128
11	Ty Gibbs	466	0	2	2	86
12	Ross Chastain	453	0	1	1	73
13	Alex Bowman	445	0	0	0	65
14	Ryan Blaney	444	0	1	1	64
15	Chris Buescher	412	0	2	2	32
16	Bubba Wallace	388	0	0	0	8
17	Kyle Busch	380	0	0	0	-8
18	Joey Logano	372	0	1	1	-16
19	Chase Briscoe	361	0	0	0	-27
20	Michael McDowell	295	0	1	1	-93
21	Todd Gilliland	289	0	0	0	-99
22	Carson Hocevar #	279	0	0	0	-109
23	Josh Berry #	269	0	0	0	-119
24	Noah Gragson	266	0	0	0	-122
25	Erik Jones	250	0	0	0	-138
26	Ryan Preece	239	0	0	0	-149
27	Ricky Stenhouse Jr.	236	0	0	0	-152
28	John Hunter Nemechek	236	0	0	0	-152
29	Daniel Hemric	226	0	0	0	-162
30	Corey LaJoie	222	0	0	0	-166
31	Austin Dillon	211	0	0	0	-177
32	Justin Haley	209	0	0	0	-179
33	Harrison Burton	168	0	0	0	-220
34	Zane Smith #	152	0	0	0	-236

Currently four drivers that made the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs last season are below the cutline this year – Kyle Busch (17th, -8 points), Joey Logano (18th, -16 points), Michael McDowell (20th, -93 points), and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (27th, -152 points).

NASCAR Cup Series, Etc.

Hamlin looking for third short-track win this season – Since 1997, the NASCAR Cup Series has run six races each season on tracks that measure less than a mile in length (two races at each short track) – Richmond (0.75-mile), Bristol (0.533-mile), and Martinsville Speedway (0.526-mile). The only season since 1997 to not have six total races on tracks less than a mile was the 2020 season. Due to Covid restrictions, the series only ran five races that season. Iowa Speedway, this weekend’s facility, measures 0.875 miles.

This year, Hamlin has won two races on short tracks and will be looking for his third this weekend.

Since 1997, the most wins by a driver on tracks measuring less than a mile in a single season is four by NASCAR Hall of Famer Jimmie Johnson in 2007.

Three other drivers have been able to win three races in a single season since 1997 – Denny Hamlin (2010), Kyle Busch (2009, 2018) and Martin Truex Jr. (2019).

Crew Member Spotlight: Iowa Speedway Weekend – A handful of teams boast crew members who are from the surrounding areas of the Iowa track.

CREW MEMBERS FROM IOWA (Alphabetical Order by Last Name)
Name	Organization	Team Number	Title/Position	Hometown
Matt Ver Meer	Stewart-Haas	4, 10, 14, 41	Pit Crew Coach	Montezuma, IA
Ryan Mulder	Stewart-Haas	10	Front Tire Changer	Sioux Center, IA
Kyle Pinkerton	Team Penske	21	Mechanic	New Sharon, IA

NASCAR Xfinity Series

Heading back to Iowa Speedway

After a five-year hiatus, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will be heading back to Iowa Speedway for the Hy-Vee PERKS 250 on Saturday, June 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA Network, the NBC Sports App, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.

The Newton, Iowa track has hosted 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series races, producing 14 different race winners and 12 different pole winners. The inaugural race was won by Brad Keselowski in 2009 driving the No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.

Only two races have been won from the pole or first starting position – Elliott Sadler (2012) and Ryan Preece (2017).

Sadler also holds quite a few records at the track – most poles (four), top fives (seven), top 10s (14) and lead lap finishes (15), while Keselowski is tied with Ricky Stenhouse Jr for most wins (three).

Xfinity Series drivers will kick off the weekend with practice at 4:35 p.m. ET on Friday, June 14 followed by qualifying on Saturday at 12:05 p.m. ET on the USA Network and streamed on the NBC Sports App.

The return of Iowa Speedway (for some)

Given that the NASCAR Xfinity Series hasn’t raced at Iowa Speedway since 2019, only some drivers entered in this weekend’s Hy-Vee PERKS 250 have given the track a go:

Justin Allgaier: 16 starts – One win (2018), four top fives, 12 top 10s, 449 laps led

Brandon Jones: 10 starts – one top five, three top 10s

Cole Custer: Six starts – three top fives, four top 10s, 169 laps led

Riley Herbst: Two starts – one top 10

Ryan Sieg: 12 starts – one top five (runner up finish in 2017)

Jeremy Clements: 19 starts – one top 10

Garrett Smithley: Eight starts – one top 10 finish

Josh Williams: Four starts – best finish of 15^th (2019)

Joey Gase: 17 starts – best finish of 17^th (2018)

Ross Chastain: Eight starts – two top fives, three top 10s

David Starr: Nine starts – best finish of 14^th (2017)

The Kiwi goes back-to-back

Shane van Gisbergen got his first taste of victory in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at Portland International Raceway and was hungry for more. He went on to Sonoma Raceway to show off his road course expertise, earning his first career pole and leading a race high 32 laps on route to his second consecutive win of the season.

Van Gisbergen joins Austin Hill as one of only two drivers this season to win back-to-back races. He will look to become the first driver in the Xfinity Series since Noah Gragson in 2022 to win three or more consecutive races (Darlington, Kansas, Bristol, Texas).

Playoff picture following Sonoma

With another win by Shane van Gisbergen last weekend at Sonoma Raceway, six spots have been filled for the Playoffs. Van Gisbergen joins Austin Hill, Chandler Smith, Justin Allgaier, Jesse Love and Sam Mayer on the list of drivers who have clinched their spot by virtue of win, leaving six spots up for grabs.

Let’s take a look at how the field is shaping up as the series heads into week 15 of the season:

Rank	Driver	Points	Race Wins	Stage Wins	Playoff Pts	+/- Cutoff
1	Austin Hill	497	2	2	12	In On Wins
2	Chandler Smith	497	2	3	13
3	Shane van Gisbergen #	362	2	1	11
4	Justin Allgaier	485	1	10	15
5	Jesse Love #	435	1	4	9
6	Sam Mayer	339	1	0	5
7	Cole Custer	509	0	2	2	184
8	AJ Allmendinger	409	0	0	0	84
9	Riley Herbst	403	0	1	1	78
10	Sheldon Creed	396	0	0	0	71
11	Parker Kligerman	379	0	1	1	54
12	Sammy Smith	336	0	0	0	11
13	Ryan Sieg	325	0	0	0	-11
14	Brandon Jones	306	0	0	0	-30
15	Anthony Alfredo	305	0	0	0	-31
16	Parker Retzlaff	271	0	0	0	-65
17	Brennan Poole	263	0	0	0	-73
18	Josh Williams	220	0	0	0	-116
19	Jeremy Clements	212	0	0	0	-124
20	Leland Honeyman #	203	0	0	0	-133
21	Kyle Weatherman	195	0	0	0	-141
22	Ryan Ellis	182	0	0	0	-154
23	Jeb Burton	177	0	0	0	-159
24	Blaine Perkins	165	0	0	0	-171
25	Hailie Deegan #	148	0	0	0	-188

NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.

Sunoco Rookie of the Year update – Richard Childress Racing’s Jesse Love has led the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings all season long and despite two wins by Kaulig Racing’s Shane van Gisbergen, he continues to lead with 435 points.

Van Gisbergen doesn’t sit too far behind with 362 points, just 73 points back on Love.

Leland Honeyman Jr. holds the third position with 203 points.

Hailie Deegan and Dawson Cram close out the competition, with 148 points and 91 points, respectively.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series

Regular Season Title Watch: Eckes determined to hold point standings with four to go

McAnally-Hilgemann Racing’s Christian Eckes continues to have a breakout year as he holds onto the driver points lead in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series with four races left in the regular season. The 23-year-old is currently 31 points up on Corey Heim in second as the series takes three weeks off before returning at Nashville Superspeedway for the Rackley Roofing 200 on Friday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET on FS2, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

If Eckes can hold on and win the Regular Season Championship, he will get an additional 15 Playoff points to take with him into the postseason and will become the eighth different driver to win the regular season title; joining Christopher Bell (2017), Johnny Sauter (2018), Grant Enfinger (2019), Austin Hill (2020), John H. Nemechek (2021), Zane Smith (2022) and Corey Heim (2023).

Eckes’ points lead began after a strong showing at Darlington – earning himself a total of 50 points to jump over Heim. The Middletown, New York Native has accumulated two wins, six top-five, and 11 top-10 finishes this season. He also leads the series in laps led this season with 464.

The driver of the No. 19 Chevrolet cannot yet clinch the Regular Season Championship since there are still four wins available.

Right in Eckes’ review mirror is last season’s Regular Season champion and TRICON Garage driver Corey Heim, who is coming off an impressive win at World Wide Technology Raceway. The 21-year-old driver of the No. 11 Toyota has collected four wins (the most of any driver this season), eight top fives, 10 top 10s, and has led 408 laps on the season.

Heim is hoping to catch Eckes within the next four races and become the first driver to win multiple Regular Season Championships in the series.

Time Is Running Out: Six CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff spots still up for grabs

Through 12 races this season, four drivers have earned their spot in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoffs by virtue of their wins – Christian Eckes, Corey Heim, Nick Sanchez and Rajah Caruth – leaving six spots in the 10-driver Playoff field still available heading into Nashville Superspeedway on June 28.

With only four races in the regular season remaining, the battle for the final postseason transfer spot is heating up and time is running out.

Following World Wide Technology Raceway, Stewart Friesen is ranked 11th in the Playoff outlook, 26 points back from Grant Enfinger in the 10th and final postseason transfer spot on points. Just behind Friesen is Daniel Dye in 12th, -37 points back from the postseason cutoff, and three-time Truck Series champion Matt Crafton is 13th, -46 points back from Enfinger.

Since the introduction of the Playoffs in the series in 2016, Matt Crafton has not missed the Playoffs, and he leads the CRAFTSMAN Truck Series in postseason appearances with eight consecutive (2016-2023).

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Playoff Outlook Following World Wide Technology Raceway (Race No. 12)
Rank		Driver	Points		Starts	Race Wins	Stage Wins	Playoff Pts	+/- Cutoff
1	Corey Heim		475	12		4	4	24	In On Wins
2	Christian Eckes		506	12		2	3	13
3	Nick Sanchez		453	12		2	1	11
4	Rajah Caruth		357	12		1	0	5
5	Ty Majeski		442	12		0	5	5	149
6	Taylor Gray		365	12		0	0	0	72
7	Tyler Ankrum		342	12		0	2	2	49
8	Ben Rhodes		329	12		0	0	0	36
9	Tanner Gray		321	12		0	1	1	28
10	Grant Enfinger		319	12		0	0	0	26
11	Stewart Friesen		293	12		0	0	0	-26
12	Daniel Dye		282	12		0	0	0	-37
13	Matt Crafton		273	12		0	0	0	-46
14	Chase Purdy		267	12		0	0	0	-52
15	Jake Garcia		250	12		0	0	0	-69
16	Layne Riggs #		243	12		0	0	0	-76
17	Dean Thompson		240	12		0	0	0	-79
18	Bayley Currey		222	12		0	0	0	-97
19	Bret Holmes		221	12		0	0	0	-98
20	Ty Dillon		215	12		0	0	0	-104
21	Timmy Hill		203	12		0	0	0	-116
22	Matt Mills		177	12		0	0	0	-142
23	Mason Massey		176	12		0	0	0	-143
24	Lawless Alan		158	12		0	0	0	-161
25	Spencer Boyd		148	12		0	0	0	-171
26	Thad Moffitt #		106	12		0	0	0	-213

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series ends ‘The Trip’ in Music City

The NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series will have three weeks off to regroup before heading to Nashville Superspeedway for the Rackley Roofing 200, the final race of the 2024 Triple Truck Challenge (Friday, June 28, at 8:00 p.m. ET on FS2, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).

The 16 previous CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races at the 1.33-mile track have produced 13 different race winners and 12 different pole winners. Seven of the Truck Series races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Ryan Preece in 2022.

Johnny Benson Jr., Kyle Busch, and Ryan Preece lead all drivers with two victories at the 1.33-mile track and Toyota leads the pack with the most wins in Nashville, coming in at six victories.

Season	Manufacturer	Race Winners
2005	Toyota	David Reutimann
2006	Toyota	Johnny Benson Jr.
2008	Toyota	Johnny Benson Jr.
2010	Toyota	Kyle Busch
2010	Toyota	Todd Bodine
2011	Toyota	Kyle Busch

Ford and Chevrolet follow with four trips to Victory Lane each and Dodge has two wins.

The Rackley Roofing 200 will be broken up into three stages. The first stage will be 45 laps, followed by 50 in the second stage, and the final stage will be 55 laps for a race total of 150 laps (199.5 miles).

Practice will begin Friday, June 28 at 4:30 p.m. ET followed by Cometic Gasket Pole Qualifying at 5:00 p.m. ET.

NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, Etc.

2024 Sunoco Rookie of the Year breakdown – Layne Riggs continues to dominate in the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings following twelve races in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series.

The driver of the No. 38 Front Row Motorsports Ford now sits 134 points over Connor Jones and 137 points over Thadd Moffitt. Riggs was the highest finishing rookie at Gateway (5th).