NASCAR Fantasy Fusion: Iowa

 

Track Size/Type: 0.875 Mile – Asphalt Paved Oval
Number of Turns: 4
Degrees of Banking Turns: 12-14 degrees (progressive banking)
Degrees of Frontstretch: 10 degrees
Degrees of Backstretch: 4 degrees 

 

Two weeks ago we were watching Corey Heim kiss the bricks after his second career Cup win. Scoring that win at Brickyard? Not too shabby for a part-time driver! 

As we roll into Iowa Speedway, there are a lot of drivers needing to make some noise if they expect to compete in the Chase, which is bound to make for some interesting short-track racing. After Sunday's race there are only three races to go in the regular season. Drivers like Brad Keselowski, Ryan Preece, Erik Jones, Ross Chastain and Michael McDowell are just below the Chase bubble. Will Iowa be the beginning of a strong run to the conclusion of the regular season for them or just another disappointment? Stay tuned.

This Week's Pick Strategy: Although we've only run two times here at Iowa, a small group of drivers has emerged as consistent performers here. I will use these drivers as my foundation and fill in my roster with drivers who are strong at similar flat tracks. I will then remove the one or two strongest drivers at Richmond so I don't impact next week's roster.

Last Year's Top 10: 1. William Byron 2. Chase Briscoe, 3. Brad Keselowski, 4. Ryan Blaney, 5. Ryan Preece, 6. Bubba Wallace, 7. Alex Bowman, 8. Carson Hocevar, 9. Joey Logano, 10. Austin Dillon.  

Cup Series Drivers with Top 5s at Iowa Speedway

Active Drivers with Most Top 10s at Similar Flat Tracks* 

2022-2025 - 19 races
Both with 15 - Kyle Larson and Joey Logano

Denny Hamlin - 13

Christopher Bell - 12 
Both with 11 - Ryan Blaney and Chase Elliott 
Ross Chastain -10

Chase Briscoe  - 9
Both with 8 - William Byron and Brad Keselowski

 

Active Drivers with Most Top 5s at Similar Flat Tracks* 

2022-2025 - 19 races
Kyle Larson - 11
Denny Hamlin - 9
All with 8 - Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, and Chase Elliott 

*Includes Martinsville Speedway, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and Richmond Raceway
 

SOURCE: frcs.pro

 

2024 Pole Winner: Kyle Larson

2025 Pole Winner: Chase Briscoe

 

2025 Race Winner: William Byron

2024 Race Winner: Ryan Blaney 

 

The Likely Suspects: I expect these drivers to run well this weekend: Ryan Blaney, William Byron, Joey Logano, Chase Briscoe, Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, Alex Bowman, Ty Gibbs, and Chase Elliott.

My 2 Cents: My no-brainer pick this week is Ryan Blaney. My next picks are William Byron, Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Brad Keselowski, and Alex Bowman. I will complete my roster with Carson Hocevar and Daniel Suarez.

My Final Four: Ryan Blaney, Joey Logano, Brad Keselowski, and Carson Hocevar.

Second-Look Driver: This week's second-look driver is Josh Berry. For the rest of the season, Josh will be auditioning for his next ride as he will not be piloting the No. 21 in 2027. Iowa Speedway is the perfect track for him to show off his race craft. In the previous two races here, Josh has earned one Top 10, led 32 laps, and earned 20 stage points. His average driver rating 95.5, the seventh best among active Cup drivers. He has a fast car this weekend, and will be starting 13th on the grid despite nearly hit the wall on his first lap of qualifying.

 

Points to Ponder: 

• There have been two NASCAR Cup Series races held at Iowa Speedway (2024, 2025). 
•  The winners of both Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway started from the second position on the grid.
• William Byron (2024) and Chase Briscoe each have a runner-up at Iowa. 
• Only five NASCAR Cup drivers have finished inside the Top 10 in both race Iowa Speedway: William Byron (2nd, 1st); Ryan Blaney: (1st , 4th); Brad Keselowski (10th & 3rd); Joey Logano (6th & 9th); and Alex Bowman (8th & 7th). 
• Ryan Blaney leads the NASCAR Cup Series in laps led at Iowa Speedway with 230 laps led (33% of his laps completed).

If you're playing Driver Group Game, you should have made your initial picks by Saturday, August 8th at 2:05 p.m. ET. Remember to make your final picks by 3:30 p.m. ET on race day Sunday, August 9th.

Enjoy the race!

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Carol D'Agostino has been playing Fantasy NASCAR for 19 years. She launched NASCAR Fantasy Fusion for Skirts & Scuffs in October 2011. Each week, Carol pores through statistics and combs through her personal notebooks to arm fans with analysis and picking strategies that will leave their friends wondering how they got so smart. Carol also does race coverage for Skirts & Scuffs at Richmond Raceway and occasionally at her home track, Dover International Speedway. She is also part of the distinguished NASCAR Expert Picks panel at frcs.pro. formerly called Fantasy Racing Cheat Sheet. When she isn’t wielding her fantasy-racing superpowers, you’ll find Carol hammering out a news release or creating a marketing strategy at a small niche public relations firm she founded called Purple Cat or executing downtown revitalization projects for a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.