The NASCAR Cup Series returns to Iowa Speedway, and the playoff pressure is officially on. With only four races left in the regular season, the battle for the top spot is heating up—and so is the cutline chaos. Chase Elliott, William Byron, and Kyle Larson are locked in a Hendrick slugfest for the regular season crown, while names like Ryan Preece and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. are looking to shake up the points picture from below the playoff bubble. And if recent short-track data is anything to go by, the favorites may not be who you’d expect.
There’s plenty of strategy in play this week: tire tests, qualifying draws, and aero packages all come into the mix. As Ryan Stevens points out, even minor advantages—like a late qualifying run—could be huge at a track where passing is a premium. If you’re a fan of data-driven predictions, wild-card chaos, or just gritty short-track racing, this one has it all.
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