August 4, 2025

Kyle Larson's summertime slump continued at Iowa. Although he started third and consistently ran between fourth and sixth for most of the first half of the race, his decision to pit under green backfired when a caution came out for Shane van Gisbergen's spin, which trapped all the drivers who pitted a lap down except for Byron, who got to take the wave-around. During the endless string of cautions that followed, Larson stayed out of the pits probably longer than he should have, which caught him back in traffic, where he received slight damage after contact from his other teammate Chase Elliott. His 28th-place finish coupled with his teammate William Byron's win has now made him a longshot for the regular season championship.--Sean Wrona - RotoBaller
Source: Racing Reference

August 4, 2025

Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron won this week's Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway after an up-and-down performance. Byron started the race from the second position and quickly assumed the lead from polesitter Chase Briscoe. The No. 24 Chevrolet driver went on to dominate the rest of the first stage until three laps left in the stage, when Brad Keselowski passed him for the stage win along with Austin Cindric. Byron still scored plenty of stage points from finishing third at the end of stage one. In the second stage, Byron went back up to second, but lost positions until he hit fourth and then made a strategic pit call on lap 145, that did not work out in his favor as he fell a lap down and had to use the free pass to get back onto the lead lap during a lap 170 caution for a spin. Byron hit the top 10 once again, but then just before the end of the stage, he went to pit road for tires and fuel, which left him 18th by the end of the stage and left him with no further stage points. Byron's pit stop on lap 206 would end up being Byron's final pit stop of the race, as from there on, he stayed off of pit road. With several cautions for spins and debris occurring and other drivers heading to pit road for varying pit strategies, Byron stayed on track and gained positions as the stage progressed. Byron made it back to the lead by lap 277 and set himself up as the leader for what would be the race's final green flag run, where he had to save fuel to make it to the end. Although it was close, and Briscoe was chasing him down, Byron held on to earn his second victory of the 2025 Cup season and his first since the Daytona 500. Byron's victory also allowed him to inherit the points lead in the regular season standings with three races left before the 2025 playoffs would begin.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

August 4, 2025

Team Penske's Ryan Blaney was one of the fastest and most consistent drivers to compete for the win during Sunday's Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. Blaney began the race from the sixth position and made his way to the top five over the course of the first stage. He ended the stage in the fourth position and scored several stage points. In the second stage, Blaney made it up to second place and competed for the lead with Chase Briscoe, and then eventually Brad Keselowski, after pit stops and cautions shuffled the field around. Blaney ended the second stage in second behind Keselowski, gathering plenty of stage points. In the final stage, Blaney still could not get past Keselowski until Keselowski went to pit road for fuel in the middle of the stage. Blaney finally led the race for a period of 13 laps until another caution made him and his No. 12 team head to pit road for tires and fuel. After several other cautions for spins and debris, Blaney found himself in 11th place at the beginning of what would become the final green flag run of the race. He then spent the rest of the race picking off drivers over the long green flag run as he had the fastest car of the race, and by the time he got to the checkered flag, Blaney finished in fourth, running out of laps to catch the top three. This marked Blaney's second consecutive top-5 finish at Iowa in his Cup career, and he now sits seventh in the regular season standings with three races before the playoffs begin.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

August 4, 2025

RFK Racing driver Ryan Preece went through an eventful race in the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. Preece started the race towards the back of the pack in the 33rd position and struggled throughout the first half of the race. The No. 60 Ford driver ended the first stage in 30th and then had to rely on pit strategy and running long under green in the middle of the second stage, hoping for a caution. On lap 171, Preece caught that caution and a lucky break that allowed him to make up massive track position. As a result, he was able to finish the second stage in the ninth position and gain two stage points. From there, Preece took advantage of the many cautions that kept happening due to spins and debris to move up through the field. Even when Preece went ahead to pit for fuel, he made up the ground against the field through various short runs, making it as high as third place on the final long green flag run. As the race continued under green, Preece's car faded in handling and speed to the point that he went back to the fifth position as Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney passed him. Preece finished the race in fifth at Iowa, marking the first time ever that Preece scored back-to-back top-5 finishes in his Cup career. He is also now 23 points behind his teammate, Chris Buescher, for the final spot to make the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with three races to go. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

August 4, 2025

Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing had a tough day in the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. Hamlin started the race in the 11th position, but only maintained his position during the race's first stage as he finished the stage in 11th and failed to earn stage points. Thanks to pit strategies, Hamlin did finally crack the top 10 in the race's second stage and ran there for a while until he smacked the wall in the middle of the stage. He continued to struggle with the car's setup and soon lost more ground, leading him to pit road towards the end of the second stage. As a result, Hamlin finished the second stage in 17th place and did not collect any stage points. In the final stage, Hamlin went for a spin a few laps into the stage and fell back in the pack, where he continued to struggle to make up positions on track until he made stops on pit road and relied on strategies to regain track position. Ultimately, this did not help as Hamlin's car just did not have the handling or speed to move outside of the middle of the pack and settled for a finish of 24th. Hamlin now sits 51 points behind William Byron and is fourth in the regular season standings with three races to go, which will be a hard points deficit to overcome with Watkins Glen, Richmond, and Daytona being the next three Cup races.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: NASCAR.com

August 3, 2025

Chase Briscoe earned the pole position and will start first in the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway after qualifying. This is Briscoe's sixth pole of the season, and he will also be the only Toyota driver starting the race inside the top 10. In last year's Cup race at Iowa, his only start at the site, and while he was driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, he started sixth and placed 28th. After 22 races this year, Briscoe has one win, 10 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 14.2. In practice for Sunday's Cup race, Briscoe ranked 13th in overall lap averages while displaying top-10 speeds in all other categories. Although Briscoe is a bit of a risk since he carries no upside, he still should carry enough speed in order to place in the top 10 and has a high chance of leading laps early. Briscoe works best as a contrarian play for tournaments, especially since his finishes have been all over the place this season.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

Denny Hamlin of Joe Gibbs Racing will start in the 11th position for this week's Cup race at Iowa Speedway, the Iowa Corn 350. This will be the second consecutive Cup race at Iowa where he will start in the top 15. In his only previous Cup start at Iowa, Hamlin finished 24th after starting 12th. In 22 races this season, Hamlin has four wins, 12 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 12.5. In practice for this week's race, Hamlin ranked 11th in overall lap averages and displayed top-5 speeds in the 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap average categories. Hamlin is the most expensive driver of the week for DFS, but he is well worth rostering since he carries race speed that can compete for the win and some upside to boot. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

Team Penske driver Ryan Blaney gained a starting position of sixth for this week's race at Iowa Speedway, the Iowa Corn 350. This will mark the second time in his Cup career that Blaney will start in the top 10 at Iowa. In his only Cup start at Iowa last season, Blaney won and dominated by leading 201 laps. Blaney is also the only driver in NASCAR history to win a race at Iowa in each of the three NASCAR National series. With 22 races completed this season, Blaney has one win, 10 top-10 finishes, and an average finish of 17.5. In practice, Blaney ranked third in overall lap averages and displayed top-5 speeds in the 15, 20, 25, and 30 consecutive lap average categories. Blaney is one of the top favorites to compete for the win this week, especially as Iowa is a home track for him and he has strong equipment for Sunday.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

Tyler Reddick of 23XI Racing earned a starting position of 22nd for the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. It will be the fifth time in the 2025 season that Reddick will start a Cup race outside of the top 20. In last year's race at Iowa in the Cup Series, Reddick started in the eighth position and went on to finish 22nd. This was his only Cup start, but he does have three top-10 finishes in six Xfinity Series races at the site. In 22 races this year, Reddick has 17 top-20 finishes and an average finish of 14.5. In practice, Reddick ranked 27th in overall lap averages and displayed top-20 speeds in the 10, 15, 20, and 25 consecutive lap average categories. Reddick has upside and capable equipment that can easily allow him to gain positions on Sunday. He is best utilized in cash game lineups overall for this week's race.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

Spire Motorsports driver Carson Hocevar will start seventh in this week's Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. Hocevar was the top qualifier of the three Spire drivers in this week's race, and it will be the first time he will start in the top 10 at Iowa. In his only previous Cup start from 2024 at the site, Hocevar started 20th and placed in 14th position. He also participated in Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Iowa for Kaulig Racing, where he ended up in sixth place. Through 22 races so far this season, Hocevar has five top-10 finishes and an average finish of 23.0. In practice for Sunday's race, Hocevar ranked 26th in overall lap averages and 21st in 10 consecutive lap averages. Although Hocevar performed well in the Xfinity race, he is a significant DFS risk for lineups this week due to his high starting position, combined with slow practice speeds and uneven performance throughout 2025. The No. 77 Chevrolet driver is only playable in tournament lineups and should be avoided in cash games this week.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

RFK Racing's Chris Buescher obtained a starting position of 27th for Sunday's Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. This is the lowest starting position of Buescher's Cup career to date at Iowa. In his only previous race at the site back in 2024, Buescher started 15th and went on to finish 18th. Buescher is also a former Xfinity Series winner at Iowa. In 22 races completed this season, Buescher has 17 top-20 finishes and an average finish of 13.8. In practice for this week's race, Buescher ranked 14th in overall lap averages and 13th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Although his DFS salary on DraftKings of $8,700 is close to being a top-priced driver, he is worth rostering in all formats with his high upside and also due to his solid 2025 performance overall, regardless of track type.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

Joe Gibbs Racing's Ty Gibbs will start in the 20th position for Sunday's race at Iowa Speedway, the Iowa Corn 350. Gibbs has the lowest starting position of all four JGR drivers in this week's race. In his only Cup start at Iowa, which was last season, Gibbs finished 25th after starting 27th. After 22 races this season, Gibbs has 12 top-20 finishes, including six of the last seven Cup events, and also has an average finish of 17.2. In practice for this week's race, Gibbs ranked 18th in overall lap averages while displaying top-10 speeds in the 10, 15, and 20 consecutive lap average categories. Based on his practice speeds and solid upside, Gibbs is a favorable DFS option for this week's race, who can compete for a top-10 finish with his top-tier equipment from JGR.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

Ryan Preece of RFK Racing will start in the 33rd position for the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway after qualifying. Preece's starting position is the lowest of RFK's three drivers entered into this week's race. In his only previous Cup Series start at Iowa last season, Preece started 29th and finished in 27th position. Preece is also a former Xfinity Series winner at Iowa in 2017. In 22 races this season in the Cup Series, Preece has 16 top-20 finishes, including nine in the top 10, and an average finish of 16.5. In practice, Preece ranked 35th in overall lap averages and 30th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Despite the slow practice speeds, Preece has incredibly high upside and has yet to finish outside the top 20 at a short track this season. Due to his equipment and 2025 performance, Preece is worth rostering in all DFS formats this week. --Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

Kaulig Racing's A.J. Allmendinger starts in the ninth position for this week's Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. Allmendinger's starting position being inside the top 10 marks consecutive races where Allmendinger will start in the top 10 for the first time in the 2025 season. Allmendinger did not race in any prior Cup races at Iowa in his career, but he does have one start in the Xfinity Series at the site, where he placed 37th after an early race accident. With 22 races completed so far this season, Allmendinger has 12 top-20 finishes, including five in the top 10, and an average finish of 20.0. In practice for Sunday's race, Allmendinger ranked 17th in overall lap averages and 18th in 10 consecutive lap averages. Allmendinger is in overall adequate equipment, but his high starting position, combined with his low upside and varying results this season, make him a driver that is not a top choice to recommend for DFS. This is especially due to his salary of $6,600 being more expensive than others with more upside.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com

August 3, 2025

Richard Childress Racing's Austin Dillon will start in the 18th position after qualifying for the Iowa Corn 350 at Iowa Speedway. This is a new career-best starting position for Dillon in the Cup Series at Iowa, a track where he also previously won in the Truck Series. In last year's Cup race at the site, which was his only Cup event there, Dillon started 36th and finished in the 18th position. He also participated in this weekend's Xfinity Series race at Iowa, where he started sixth and finished in the 14th position. After 22 races this season, Dillon has 11 top-20 finishes and an average finish of 21.4. In practice for Sunday's Cup race, Dillon ranked 15th in overall lap averages, 22nd in 10 consecutive lap averages, and 17th in 15 consecutive lap averages. Dillon's starting position in the middle of the pack makes him a playable and decent overall driver to consider for all formats, especially since his equipment is likely to have him maintain a top-20 finish.--Sean Engel - RotoBaller
Source: DriverAverages.com