This article is part of our NASCAR DFS series.
Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol
Location: Newton, Iowa
Course: Iowa Speedway
Format: 0.88-mile D-Shaped Oval
Laps: 350
NASCAR Iowa Corn 350 Race Preview
Kyle Larson picked up his third victory of the season, putting fresher tires to good use late last week at Sonoma Raceway to get by Martin Truex Jr. and Chris Buescher in the closing laps. His win, coupled with an early race exit for Denny Hamlin, earned Larson the top spot in points with 10 races left before the playoffs commence at Atlanta. It was the second road course race of the season and the series now heads to a new short track at Iowa Speedway. Iowa's short oval was designed with Richmond in mind, but it hasn't been part of any NASCAR schedule since 2019. Given the years that have passed, the new Cup cars, and a partial repave of the speedway, Iowa presents an almost entirely unknown challenge. Brad Keselowski, Christopher Bell, and Kyle Larson participated in a Goodyear tire test at the track in May, but that was the first time the new generation of car ran on the oval. Drivers and teams have a lot of questions to answer and work to do to get up to speed to contend for the first NASCAR Cup Series win at Iowa Speedway this weekend.
Key Stats at Iowa
- Number of races: 0
- Winners from pole: 0
- Winners from top-5 starters: 0
- Winners from top-10 starters: 0
- Winners from 21st or lower starters: 0
- Fastest race: N/A
Previous Iowa Speedway Winners
2019 - Chase Briscoe - Xfinity Series
2019 - Christopher Bell - Xfinity Series
2018 - Christopher Bell - Xfinity Series
2017 - Ryan Preece - Xfinity Series
2017 - William Byron - Xfinity Series
2017 - John Hunter Nemechek - CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
2016 - Erik Jones - Xfinity Series
2016 - William Byron - CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
2015 - Ryan Blaney - Xfinity Series
2015 - Erik Jones - CRAFTSMAN Truck Series
Iowa Speedway opened in 2006 and went on to host NASCAR Xfinity and CRAFTSMAN Truck Series races between 2009 and 2019. Several drivers in the field this week have raced and won at the track, but several changes have transpired since then. The circuit is a short, D-shaped oval that most closely resembles Richmond, but Iowa has its own unique characteristics. The track's old surface had less grip and encouraged passing, but a partial repave will make lap times faster while also likely reducing the number of grooves drivers can use to get ahead. Joe Gibbs Racing, and Denny Hamlin have been dominant on short tracks this season, but this weekend's many questions could upset that pecking order. The Iowa Corn 350 race weekend has more questions than answers at this early stage, and the march toward playoffs is picking up pace.
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DraftKings Value Picks for the Iowa Corn 350 (Based on Standard $50K Salary Cap)
DraftKings Tier 1 Values
Kyle Larson - $11,000
Christopher Bell - $10,800
Denny Hamlin - $10,300
William Byron - $10,000
DraftKings Tier 2 Values
Ryan Blaney - $9,800
Martin Truex Jr. - $9,500
Joey Logano - $9,300
Brad Keselowski - $9,200
DraftKings Tier 3 Values
Chase Elliott - $8,700
Chris Buescher - $8,500
Ross Chastain - $8,300
Kyle Busch - $8,200
DraftKings Long-Shot Values
Bubba Wallace - $7,700
Michael McDowell - $7,200
Carson Hocevar - $6,600
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $6,000
NASCAR DFS Picks for the Iowa Corn 350
Lower-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
Denny Hamlin - $10,300
Chase Elliott - $8,700
Ross Chastain - $8,300
Kyle Busch - $8,200
Bubba Wallace - $7,700
Carson Hocevar - $6,600
After winning the Clash, Bristol, and Richmond, Denny Hamlin (DK $10,300, FD $13,500) has been the best this season on short tracks. Last week, his streak of five consecutive top-fives came to an end, but a return to short-track racing may be just what he needs to kick off a new one. His career short-track average result is 10.6 from 106 starts and Iowa could add to that impressive legacy. Chase Elliott (DK $8,700, FD $9,500) hasn't been attracting the attention of Hamlin, but his consistent top finishes have earned him the second position in the standings. Elliott finished fifth at Richmond and eighth at Bristol earlier this season, too. He also has two truck series Iowa starts from 2013 with a best finish of fifth. Ross Chastain (DK $8,300, FD $8,000) has also been making recent strides. He finished fifth at Sonoma a week ago, which was his second top-10 in the last three races. He also started eight Xfinity Series races at Iowa, finishing fourth twice. Kyle Busch (DK $8,200, FD $8,200) is also worth a look. Despite recent run on-track run ins, Busch was running toward the front at Sonoma before contact and a spin dropped him out of the top 10. He'll have to deal with close-quarters racing, and perhaps more contact, at Iowa this week, but he is a three-time winner at the track. He won an Xfinity race at the track in 2010 and also has two K&N Series victories at the track.
Two truck series veterans complete the lower-risk lineup for Iowa. Bubba Wallace (DK $7,700, FD $7,800) raced three times in the trucks at the track with a best finish of fifth from 2013. He started on pole in the July 2014 race, too. Carson Hocevar (DK $6,600, FD $5,500) doesn't share that same track experience, but he does have one race under his belt there and has been outperforming expectations with his Spire Motorsports team. He now has two top 10 finishes this season and has become a more confident lower-cost option in certain fantasy formats. He finished fourth in that Iowa start in the ARCA Series in 2019.
Higher-Risk Lineup ($50K Salary Cap)
William Byron - $10,000
Joey Logano - $9,300
Ty Gibbs - $9,000
Chris Buescher - $8,500
Michael McDowell - $7,200
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. - $6,000
William Byron (DK $10,000, FD $11,500) heads the higher-risk lineup option as a former winner at the track. He won races in both Xfinity and CRAFTSMAN Trucks and this season he finished seventh at Richmond. Those past statistics suggest he has potential to have more success this weekend, but finishes of 15th and 30th the last two weeks make him a littler riskier than if he had a full tank of momentum. A first-time visit to any track makes Joey Logano (DK $9,300, FD $11,000) one to keep in mind. He already won a K&N Series race at the track, but he tends to rise to the top when a track debuts on the calendar or is freshly repaved. He started on pole a week ago at the repaved Sonoma Raceway and claims several wins at tracks appearing for the first time on the NASCAR schedule like Gateway and the short track at the LA Coliseum.
Ty Gibbs (DK $9,000, FD $10,500) and Chris Buescher (DK $8,500, FD $8,500) could also be good selections this week. Gibbs appears to be on the cusp of a first series win and a short track might be where he gets it done. He won the All-Star Open and finished ninth at Bristol. However, he was only 16th at Richmond a few months ago, which is the closest track to Iowa we've seen yet. Buescher has also been strong on short tracks. Two of his seven top-10 finishes so far this season came at Richmond and Bristol, and he was third at the All-Star Race, too. Buescher and Gibbs both have races wins in their sights and are hoping to get it done this week at Iowa.
Michael McDowell (DK $7,200, FD $6,200) could be a good choice at Iowa due to his recent upswing in form. He sits 20th in points and has been closing ground with three top-10s in the last five races. He finished second a week ago at Sonoma and was 11th at Bristol. He only finished 26th at Richmond and finished seventh in a 2014 start at Iowa in Xfinity equipment. In addition to McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (DK $6,000, FD $4,000) may be worth considering for fantasy players, too. He won three consecutive Xfinity races at the track in 2011 and 2012, but only has one top-20 finish from the last three races. This may be a venue he can work his way back into those top-20 finishes again, though.
