Iowa Event Info: Date: Sunday, June 16 Time: 7 p.m. ET Series: NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) Location: Newton, Iowa Format: 350 Laps, 306.25 Miles, Stages: 70-140-140 TV: USA Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
Weekend Schedule: Friday: 5:35 p.m. ET, Practice (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) Saturday: 1:05 p.m. ET, Qualifying (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) Sunday: 7 p.m. ET, Race (USA, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio)
Pace Laps:
Iowa Speedway hosts the NASCAR Cup Series for the first time in its history this weekend as the NCS starts embark on a 350-lap race Sunday night.
Despite no Cup races there, both RFK drivers have a leg up at the 7/8-mile track as both have visited victory lane in the Xfinity Series. Brad Keselowski won the first-ever NXS race at Iowa back in 2009 and went on to win three times, while Chris Buescher won with Jack Roush in 2015 at the track, with current crew chief Scott Graves atop the box.
Overall RFK has five wins at Iowa, the most recent coming less than a decade ago with Buescher.
6 Team Info: Crew Chief: Matt McCall Partner: King’s Hawaiian / Casey’s
17 Team Info: Crew Chief: Scott Graves Partner: Fastenal
Keselowski at Iowa (Xfinity Series Stats) Starts: 7 Wins: 3 (2009, 2013, 2014) Top-10s: 7 Poles: —
Keselowski was the first winner in the Xfinity Series at Iowa, taking home the inaugural trophy back in 2009. He led 121 laps and drove the No. 88 for JR Motorsports to victory lane, his first of three NXS trophies at the track.
He went on to win again in back-to-back seasons in 2013-14, and finished top-8 in every race he ran there, the last coming in 2016.
With the Cup Series’ first visit to the 7/8-mile track, Keselowski is coming off a recent test at Iowa less than a month ago, one of the few drivers now to have turned laps in a Cup car.
Buescher at Iowa (Xfinity Series Stats) Starts: 4 Wins: 1 (2015) Top-10s: 1 Poles: —
Buescher won at Iowa back in 2015 for Jack Roush in the No. 60 in one of his four NXS starts at the track. That season marked his most recent action at the track.
He also made four starts in ARCA from 2009-12, earning a pair of top fives.
RFK Historically at Iowa Wins: 5 (Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2011 twice, 2012; Trevor Bayne, 2013; Chris Buescher, 2015)
Stenhouse Finds First in Iowa: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. picked up his first Xfinity Series win at Iowa back in 2011, sweeping both races as the series at the time competed there in May and August. The next season he won again, as three of his eight career NXS wins all-time came at the 7/8-mile track.
Bayne Breaks Through in 2013: Trevor Bayne continued the winning tradition with the No. 6 in victory lane at Iowa, winning the first race of the 2013 campaign at Iowa. It marked his second Xfinity Series win of his career.
Buescher Victorius in 2015: Buescher started fourth in the 2015 race, led 94 laps and won in the No. 60 entry for Jack Roush in what was one of his two wins in his Xfinity Championship season.
Last Time Out & Where They Stand Sonoma: Buescher led the second-most laps of any driver, won stage two and nearly won the race before finishing third, his third-straight top-5 at the track. Keselowski earned stage two points and picked up a P13 finish.
Points Standings (6: 7th, 17: 13th): RFK had one of the best points days of the season last Sunday at Sonoma as both drivers earned stage points and ultimately advanced positions in the standings. Keselowski jumped two spots to seventh as now just a point separates the No. 6, 54 and 20. Buescher advanced one position to 13th, but more importantly increased his gap to 14th by now 24 points.
