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34m ago

Blaney on Pole at Iowa as Qualifying Reshuffles Cup Lineup

Single-car qualifying at the 0.875-mile Iowa oval produced decisive starting spots that give front-row drivers pit-stall choice, leaving several title contenders with recovery drives before the regular-season playoff cutoff.

Ryan Blaney (12) leads drivers down the backstretch during the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Corn 350 on Aug. 3, 2025, at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. William Byron (24) finished the race first.
NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) wins the inaugural Iowa Corn 350 on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at Iowa Speedway in Newton.
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Overview

  • Ryan Blaney won the Busch Light Pole for the Iowa Corn 350 on Saturday with a 23.474-second lap, giving him his third pole of 2026 and the 15th of his Cup career.
  • Brad Keselowski spun into the Turn 1 wall during his second qualifying lap on Saturday, sustaining rear damage and will drop to the rear of the field for Sunday’s race.
  • Multiple championship contenders qualified deep in the pack on Saturday, including Christopher Bell (22nd), Denny Hamlin (29th), and William Byron (19th), forcing them to rely on strategy and stage points to recover.
  • In O'Reilly Auto Parts Series action on Saturday, Ryan Sieg earned his first career pole in his 423rd start and Carson Kvapil won the HyVee Perks 250 after an overtime finish in a race that produced a series-tying 12 cautions.
  • Because Iowa is a short 0.875-mile track where pit-stall choice and track position matter more than at larger ovals, Saturday’s qualifying order heightens the race-day importance of early track position and stage points as the regular season nears the Chase cutoff.