Unique stretch of tracks to settle playoff grid runs through Iowa
A quartet of races is all that separates the NASCAR Cup Series from its 2025 playoff campaign. That journey starts in the cornfields at Iowa Speedway. The 0.875-mile tri-oval is short, high-banked and action-packed, the only track on the Cup schedule that measures in at 7/8-mile. In fact, none of the four tracks that close the Cup Series' regular season are quite alike. Next week brings the sport to Watkins Glen International, a 2.45-mile road course with sweeping elevation changes in Upstate New York. That's followed by a Saturday night showdown at the 0.75-mile Richmond Raceway -- the track that Iowa was inspired -- before propelling to the superspeedway high banks of Daytona International Speedway to close the run to the postseason. With only three playoff spots remaining, starting on the right foot at Iowa can make a world of difference. MORE: Cup standings ahead of Iowa Tyler Reddick is currently safe, entering 138 points above the elimination line. But if three other new winners join the fray and Reddick isn't one of them, Reddick will be left on the outside of the 16-driver postseason party. Erik Jones is hoping he's one of those potential new winners to make Reddick sweat. The driver of the No. 43 Legacy Motor Club Toyota has won two Craftsman Truck Series races at Iowa and one Xfinity race there in addition to a Daytona Cup win. But with only one Cup race at Iowa in the books -- and one that didn't go well at all for Jones with a 32nd-place finish -- bad notes contribute to making this stretch of the season "challenging," he said Saturday. "It's extra challenging I think for us, just because we weren't any really good at these places last year, so we're kind of coming back like (it's the) first time for us almost," Jones said. "I sure hope we didn't bring anything that we had last year here. So it's kind of just starting over a little bit. It is a tough grouping of tracks to begin with, but for us, just real limited notebook on it." A fast-paced short track like Iowa can also play into the hands of drivers in jeopardy. Ryan Preece is currently outside the playoffs by 42 points but has tasted success at Iowa before, launching his NASCAR career forward by winning an Xfinity Series race here in 2017 with Joe Gibbs Racing. Now driving the No. 60 RFK Racing Ford, Preece could propel his career to the next level by earning his first Cup Series win and appearance in the playoffs. Long runs, patience and team execution will all be imperative Sunday afternoon. MORE: Full Saturday recapFrom atop the pit box ...
What do crew chiefs have in focus to win Sunday's race? NEWTON, Iowa -- Iowa sets the stage for a string of smaller ovals that will continuously build the notebook for the championship race at Phoenix Raceway in November. Team Penske has been the dominant organization on such tracks, winning at Iowa, World Wide Technology Raceway (Gateway) and the Arizona finale last year as Joey Logano captured his third Bill France Cup. Iowa also brings new left and right-side tires this weekend, which could help offer insights for the middle race of the Round of 16 at Gateway. "This race in particular, I think with the tire change that we're seeing here, pretty much a very similar change going into Gateway," Jonathan Hassler, the defending race-winning crew chief at Iowa with Ryan Blaney and the No. 12 team, told NASCAR.com on Saturday. "Good opportunity to build our notebook for that race specifically, and a little bit for Loudon as well. We definitely took a lot last year from here to Loudon, so it'll definitely be a good building block for those races." The age of Iowa’s surface continues to be a hot-button topic, specifically in the corners that were repaved on the bottom last year. A Goodyear test was held earlier this season to assess the new tire structure and how it would react to the track. RELATED: Cup standings | Full 2025 schedule "It was a tire test and then a wheel force tire test with Cup cars here, so a lot of information there," No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Rudy Fugle told NASCAR.com. "Then, the IndyCar race, just to kind of see where they ran and the biggest thing was the color of the corners lightening up so quickly. Last year, they stuck out. They were really, really dark, and this year, they lightened up almost the same color as the rest of the track. So that was super interesting. We'll just see what the grip level is. I think the grip level is similar, but I'm sure it's down from last year. So it’ll lend to some good racing." The last few race weekends and back at the team shops in the Charlotte, North Carolina area have packed a punch in the summer heat, but there will be some relief from the temps in the "Hawkeye State" as highs are expected to remain in the 70s through Sunday. "The drivers and the teams are going to enjoy the fact that when they get their fire suits on, this is going to be a little less brutal," Fugle said, referring to the forecast. "They get a little bit of a break, so we're thankful for that." -- Cameron Richardson RELATED: See where drivers will pit for Sunday's race [caption id="attachment_481331" align="aligncenter" width="1300"]History tells us ...
Short-run speed isn't key on short tracks. Being quick over just a few laps doesn't seem to pay off on short tracks. According to Racing Insights, the last four short-track races have ended with a green-flag run of at least 75 laps, the longest streak on short tracks since at least 1978. That logic holds up for qualifying, too -- no polesitter has won a short-track race since Denny Hamlin went to Victory Lane at Bristol back in August 2019.
He may not be the favorite to win, but watch out for ...
Fantasy update
NASCAR Fantasy Live expert Dustin Albino provides insight for your Sunday lineup.
Not much movement in my lineup from earlier in the week, though I’ve replaced Joey Logano with Chase Elliott. Long-run pace mattered in the inaugural Iowa race, and Elliott was in command over 20-, 25- and 30-lap averages in practice. Meanwhile, Logano tanked to 36th on single-lap speed in practice and was the slowest of the 33 cars that made a 10-lap run. The Hendrick Motorsports cars looked to be the best across the board, though Joe Gibbs Racing driver and polesitter Chase Briscoe barely missed the cut to be in my lineup. Another change this weekend is benching Ryan Preece in 36 for 36 as the No. 60 RFK Racing team also struggled mightily on Saturday. I’m playing the conservative route with Cole Custer, earning a 19th-place starting spot, his best effort on a traditional oval in 2025.
Lineup: William Byron, Kyle Larson, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Christopher Bell.
Garage: Chase Elliott.
MORE: Lineup advice in Fantasy Fastlane