What’s Happening?

This weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity and Cup Series head to the Midwest for a doubleheader weekend, with a side of the ARCA Menards Series, at Newton, Iowa, for the second time in NASCAR history.

• As NASCAR leaves the more than 100-year-old Indianapolis Motor Speedway, it heads to Iowa Speedway, one of its youngest venues. The 0.875-mile speedway is the only stop for NASCAR in the state of Iowa in 2025.
• The track, which was built in 2006, made its Cup Series debut last summer but has a longer history with the Xfinity Series. The Xfinity Series debuted at Iowa Speedway in 2009, hosting races until 2019, and regaining a race date for the secondary series in 2024.
• Iowa is one of the few tracks on the NASCAR calendar that poses an interesting challenge due to its status as the newest to the schedule; most drivers have just 350 total in-race laps on this track.

Weekend TV Schedule (All Times EST)*

Saturday, August 2: Xfinity Series Practice and Qualifying | Cup Series Practice and Qualifying

• 11:00 AM – 11:55 AM — Xfinity Series Practice on the CW App
• 12:05 PM – 1:00 PM — Xfinity Series Qualifying on the CW App
• 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM — Cup Series Practice on TruTV and HBO Max
• 2:40 PM – 3:30 PM — Cup Series Qualifying on TruTV and HBO Max
• 4:30 PM – Xfinity Series HyVee Perks 250 on the CW [TV] & MRN [Radio]

Sunday, August 3: Cup Series Race

• 3:30 PM — Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol on USA [TV] & MRN [Radio]

*Central Time at Iowa Speedway

Race Facts: Iowa Speedway

Track Facts: Iowa Speedway

• Year Opened: 2006
• Length: 0.875 Miles
• Banking: 12-14° in All Four Turns
• Surface: Asphalt
• Rain Tires: TBD
• Lights: Yes

HyVee Perks 250 on the CW:

• Race Length: 250 Laps (218.75 Miles)
• Stages: 60 Lap Stage One, 60 Lap Stage Two, 130 Lap Final Stage
• Most Recent Race Winner: Sam Mayer

Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol on USA:

• Race Length: 350 Laps (306.25 Miles)
• Stages: 70 Lap Stage One, 140 Lap Stage Two, 140 Lap Final Stage

2024 Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol Results:

• First: Ryan Blaney — No. 12
• Second: William Byron — No. 24
• Third: Chase Elliott — No. 9
• Fourth: Christopher Bell — No. 20
• Fifth: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. — No. 47

Top Storylines of the Weekend

• This weekend marks the return of NBC Sports and its NASCAR coverage. TNT Sports had coverage for the past five races, preceded by Amazon Prime Video for the five before that, and finally, FOX’s multi-race coverage that opened the season. As part of NBC’s coverage, USA will have several races, and practice and qualifying will remain on TruTV and HBO Max.
• This weekend marks an interesting inflection point in the NASCAR season. As we enter August, only four races remain until the Cup Series Playoffs begin, four until the Xfinity Series Playoffs begin, and two for the Truck Series. Teams and drivers can throw away their entire season over these next two weeks, or, like so many times before, step up in a big way.
• Iowa Speedway returns NASCAR to short-track racing. While that can be exciting, since the introduction of NASCAR’s Generation Seven or Next Gen Car in 2022, the quality of action at short tracks has slowly fallen. Fan reception of this weekend’s race could play into a larger story of horsepower and race package for NASCAR’s short-track future.

Entry Lists

Cup Series

Notable and Open Entries:

• #4 – Noah Gragson
• #23 – Bubba Wallace
• #34 – Todd Gilliland
• #35 – Riley Herbst
• #38 – Zane Smith
• #45 – Tyler Reddick
• #66 – Joey Gase

Xfinity Series

Notable Entries:

• #07 – Patrick Emerling
• #9 – Ross Chastain
• #17 – Corey Day
• #19 – Justin Bonsignore
• #35 – Tyler Tomassi
• #45 – Maon Massey
• #70 – Thomas Annunziata
• #91 – Josh Bilicki

Note: This article will be updated as more information about the weekend comes out.