Kyle Larson appeared to be on track to win the Iowa Corn 350 after qualifying on pole and winning at his home circuit of Sonoma a week earlier. However, as usual, the NASCAR Cup Series proved to be unpredictable.
After 350 laps in the inaugural Cup race at Iowa, Ryan Blaney, the reigning NASCAR Cup Series Champion, emerged triumphant. The 30-year-old not only won last night, but also dominated the rest of the race, leading a career-high 201 laps.
Blaney may have led Ford to victory, but Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports were always present, despite not winning. Chevrolet took second and third overall, with William Byron and Chase Elliott finishing just behind Blaney.
The top Toyota runner was the #20 of Christopher Bell, who finished fourth for Joe Gibbs Racing. Behind Bell was Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who is resuming his Cup Series appearances.
Joey Logano and Josh Berry were the next best Ford drivers after Blaney, finishing sixth and seventh, respectively. Logano’s performance has improved in the middle of the season after a difficult start. Berry, on the other hand, is in his first Cup Series season and has consistently been the best rookie this year.
Alex Bowman’s Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet returned to the top ten for the first time in three races. The 31-year-old has seen his results dip since the start of the season, but he is presently ranked 12th in the standings.
Last night, Daniel Suarez finished tenth at Iowa, his best finish since Texas Motor Speedway. This is his third appearance inside the top ten this season.
Finally, Brad Keselowski closed out the top ten with his RFK Ford, finishing tenth.
Some of the championship favorites struggled in Iowa’s 350-lap race, with Denny Hamlin finishing 24th and Larson finishing 34th.
