Blaney Favored to Win Iowa Corn 350, Track History Suggests Strong Contenders

The NASCAR Cup Series is back in action at Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, the 23rd points race of the season. This marks a critical stretch with four races remaining before the field is trimmed to the 16 drivers who advance to the Chase.

Denny Hamlin opened as the favorite at FanDuel at +470, followed closely by Ryan Blaney (+500) and Christopher Bell (+550). The tightly bunched field suggests that backing a favorite may carry more value than usual due to Iowa's short track historically producing predictable results.

Track history favors Blaney and Byron, who have won the past two Cup races held at Iowa Speedway. Blaney took the inaugural Iowa Corn 350 in 2024, while Byron swept last year's race after starting second. Both drivers excel on this track: Blaney leads laps led with 230 (33% of his laps completed), and Byron tops average finish (1.5) and average driver rating (131.55) across the two races.

Our top-rated drivers at Iowa based on track-specific history are Byron, Blaney, Brad Keselowski, Chase Elliott, and Josh Berry. A broader look at flat short-track performance this season favors Hamlin, Logano, Blaney, Ty Gibbs, and Bell. Our top five for Sunday are Blaney, Byron, Hamlin, Bell, and Gibbs.