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Sean's NASCAR DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel for the Iowa Corn 350 in Iowa Speedway (2025). His top NASCAR daily fantasy lineup plays and DFS sleepers.
With four races left until the playoffs start, the final push for drivers to make NASCAR's Cup Series Postseason is on with this week's Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. Iowa is a short track that is 0.875 miles in length and features 12 to 14 degrees of banking in its corners, as well as banking on both the front and back stretches. There are no tracks that are a direct comparable track, but it does run closely with Phoenix, Richmond, and New Hampshire, other courses with little to no banking.
Bubba Wallace won last week's Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to lock in a spot in the 2025 Cup Series Playoffs. With Wallace's win, there are now 13 drivers locked into the 16-driver field on wins. Tyler Reddick has a notable points gap ahead of the playoff cut line, but Alex Bowman and Chris Buescher are both hanging on and in jeopardy of missing the playoffs if they underperform or if there is a new winner in the next few races. The playoff narrative could impact the racing over the next few weeks, as it is crunch time for drivers to secure a spot in the playoffs. Therefore, do not be surprised to see teams make desperate moves or conserve track positions, depending on their specific situations.
Below are my NASCAR DFS lineup picks for the Iowa Corn 350 on DraftKings and FanDuel this week. This slate locks on 8/3/2025 at 3:30 p.m. EST. If you have further questions or want to discuss racing, you can find me on X at @SeanE247.
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DFS Lineup Picks - DraftKings, FanDuel
Once you've read this article, be sure also to check out all of our other weekly NASCAR DFS articles to help you set your optimal DFS lineups. You should also check out our NASCAR DFS lineup tools for the ultimate combination of DFS resources to help you win big, including our Lineup Optimizer, DFS Cheat Sheet, Research Station, and more.
Disclaimer: All the drivers presented as picks for this week's race are meant to be some of my top DFS recommendations of the week. They are not originally intended to fit all into one lineup.
Kyle Larson
Starts 3rd - DK: $10.5K, FD: $13K
Another underlying storyline that is worth following for the next few weeks is the battle for the regular season championship. Four drivers are within 20 points of each other to win the championship, including the driver who is third in the standings right now, Kyle Larson. Although he slumped for a period of a few races during the Summer stretch, Larson is trending back upward after back-to-back top-5 finishes at Dover and Indianapolis the past two weeks.
In last year's Cup race at Iowa, Larson started first and went on to lead 80 laps before succumbing to a crash that eventually led him to finish in the 34th position. Larson also won the second stage and finished second at the end of the first stage in that event, showcasing plenty of speed before his setback.
The only driver who had anything for Ryan Blaney last summer at Iowa and might've even been better is .... Kyle Larson.
— Ryan (@ifantasyrace) August 2, 2025
In practice for this week's race, Larson ranked eighth in overall lap averages while showcasing top-5 speeds, including second in 20, 25, and 30 consecutive lap averages. Although Larson has little upside from his starting position, he has fast enough equipment and displayed great practice speeds, making him likely to lead laps and be a factor for the win this week.
Chase Elliott
Starts 8th - DK: $9.8K, FD: $11.5K
Speaking of the regular season championship, Chase Elliott, Larson's teammate, currently leads the regular season championship after 22 races this season. Elliott has done so with one win, 12 top-10 finishes, and remains the only driver to finish in the top 20 after every Cup race this season with an average finish of 10.1.
5,511 laps have been run in the Cup Series this season. Chase Elliott has completed all but 1 of them.
The only other times that's been achieved through 22 races were by Kurt Busch in 2016 (100%) and Chase Elliott last year.
Percentage of laps completed by each driver so far: pic.twitter.com/sXPsOpUdOu
— Daniel Céspedes (@_DanielCespedes) July 29, 2025
Elliott was relatively consistent in performance during last year's Cup race at Iowa as well. He started the race from the ninth position and finished the first stage in that position, but then moved to third place by the end of the second stage. Elliott finished the race in third and also led one lap, barely fading outside of the top 10 through most of the event.
In practice for Sunday's race, Elliott ranked 12th in overall lap averages while displaying top-10 speeds in all other categories. He also ranked first in 20, 25, and 30 consecutive lap averages, showcasing how his car is likely to be one of the best on longer runs during the race. Elliott's speeds in pre-race events, combined with his excellent consistency this season, make him worth consideration in all DFS formats, especially as someone with a solid chance to compete for the win.
Ross Chastain
Starts 28th - DK: $8.5K, FD: $8.5K
One driver who tends to excel as a DFS performer at shorter and flatter ovals is Ross Chastain. Since 2024, Chastain has only had one finish outside of the top 20 at flat, one-mile intermediate, or short tracks in his Cup career. He finished 11th at Phoenix while gaining positive Place Differential and scored top-10 finishes at both Bristol and Martinsville earlier in the season.
In last year's race at Iowa, Chastain started from the 17th position and placed 11th. Chastain also ran double-duty this weekend at Iowa, racing in the Xfinity Series where he started 11th, led the most laps (120), and then went on to finish in the third position in the No. 9 JR Motorsports Chevrolet.
"I'm a competitor. I wanted to win and we didn't do it."
-@RossChastain disappointed by 3rd place finish.Presenting Partner: @MyPlaceHotels pic.twitter.com/H4c9OYje3N
— Frontstretch (@Frontstretch) August 3, 2025
In practice for this week's Cup race at Iowa, Chastain ranked ninth in overall lap averages and displayed top-10 speeds in the 15, 25, and 30 consecutive lap average categories. Chastain has plenty of upside from his starting position and is a driver who is likely to finish in the top 15 based on equipment and past short-track history.
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Brad Keselowski
Starts 5th - DK: $7.6K, FD: $7.5K
Although the Cup Series itself has only visited Iowa once in its history, there are certain drivers who have driven at the site in other series numerous times. One of those drivers who has done so is RFK Racing's Brad Keselowski, who raced at Iowa in the Xfinity Series seven times to great success, winning three times and never finishing lower than eighth.
NASCAR's inaugural race at Iowa in 2009 was decided in an exciting battle between Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch, which Brad K prevailed in despite being at a significant tire disadvantage.
It also made Brad the very first winner of the Dash 4 Cash.@keselowski | @iowaspeedway pic.twitter.com/r4vZOVMcDS
— Steven Taranto (@STaranto92) July 31, 2025
In his only Cup start at Iowa last season, Keselowski finished in the 10th position after starting fifth. He ran inside the top 10 for most of the race as he placed eighth at the end of the first stage and ninth at the end of the second. Keselowski also led five laps in last year's Cup race at Iowa.
In practice for this week's race, Keselowski ranked first in overall lap averages, sixth in five consecutive lap averages, and seventh in 10 consecutive lap averages. Keselowski starts relatively close to the front and has a fast car in this week's race. Despite low PD upside from his starting position, Keselowski is in a situation where he can pay off in tournament lineups, especially since he needs a win in order to make the playoffs, and this track is one of his better opportunities to compete for one and earn it this week.
Ryan Preece
Starts 33rd - DK: $7.0K, FD: $6.8K
Speaking of RFK Racing drivers who are trying to earn their way into the playoffs, Ryan Preece is in somewhat of a similar situation as team owner and teammate, Keselowski. Preece is also a former Xfinity Series winner at Iowa, winning at the site in 2017 in dominating fashion as he led 141 laps and also won the race's first stage.
In last year's race at Iowa, Preece started 29th and finished in the 27th position while driving for Stewart-Haas Racing. Preece comes from a short-track racing background, meaning that tracks like Iowa typically fit his driving style well, as long as the equipment behind him is fast, like in his 2017 Xfinity Series race with Joe Gibbs Racing.
DYK: 12 current NASCAR Cup Series drivers have a NASCAR national series victory at @iowaspeedway. @keselowski, @KyleBusch, @StenhouseJr, @Chris_Buescher, @Blaney, @Erik_Jones, @WilliamByron, @RyanPreece_, @CBellRacing, @chasebriscoe, @austindillon3 and @JHNemechek. pic.twitter.com/rd6pMSSyTH
— NASCAR Classics (@NASCARClassics) August 1, 2025
In practice for Sunday's race, Preece ranked 35th in overall lap averages and 30th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Despite the slow practice speeds, Preece has yet to finish outside of the top 20 at all one-mile intermediate, short, and flat oval tracks since joining RFK this season, and he has enormous upside for this week's race. Preece is an excellent choice for any DFS lineup this week based on his 2025 performance and racing background.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Starts 30th - DK: $5.7K, FD: $4K
As far as value options are concerned for DFS lineups in this week's race, there are not many standout drivers to consider. This is largely due to the lack of experience, data, or the unfortunate situations some drivers have been placed in. This includes a high starting position with equipment that will not maintain a top-10-20 running position, drivers who will not move up much past their starting position back in the top 30.
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Carl Edwards crash across the line for a wild Iowa finish. pic.twitter.com/dJNtQZ4dcH
— FOX: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) August 1, 2025
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is one of the few exceptions to this, as one of the best overall value drivers to consider this week. Stenhouse loves racing at Iowa and has a history of success at the site in the Xfinity Series, where he won three consecutive races from 2011 to 2012. In last year's Cup race at Iowa, nobody earned more points from PD than Stenhouse, who started 35th and went on to finish fifth.
In practice for Sunday's Cup race at Iowa, Stenhouse ranked 24th in overall lap averages, 26th in 10 consecutive lap averages, and 19th in 15 consecutive lap averages. Stenhouse has high upside once again in a Cup race at Iowa, and considering the cap flexibility offered from him on both DFS sites, he is worth rostering in all formats.
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