The NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) will visit Iowa Speedway for the first time this weekend for the Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol. Spire Motorsports fields the Nos. 7, 71 and 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1s in the NCS with Corey LaJoie, Zane Smith and Carson Hocevar, respectively.
The Iowa Corn 350 powered by Ethanol from Iowa Speedway will be televised live on USA Network Sunday, June 16, beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The 17th of 36 races on the 2024 NCS schedule will be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Countdown to Green pre-race coverage on USA will begin at 6:30 p.m. EDT.Corey LaJoie – Driver, No. 7 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Corey LaJoie heads to Iowa Speedway behind the wheel of the No. 7 Gainbridge/Iowa Hawkeyes Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.
LaJoie will showcase an Iowa Hawkeyes-themed paint scheme in Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol. The No. 7 Gainbridge/Iowa Hawkeyes Chevrolet features black and gold striping with the Iowa Hawkeyes athletics logo on the hood and the athletics website on the rear TV panel.
Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol will mark the NASCAR Cup Series inaugural race at Iowa Speedway. While Sunday will mark the first race for NASCAR’s senior circuit at the 7/8-mile race course, it will be LaJoie’s fifth start at the Newton, Iowa oval. The 32-year-old racer started second and took the checkered flag in ARCA Menards Series East (formerly K&N Pro Series East) competition in 2012. He also started third and finished fourth in the 2013 ARCA Menards Series Prairie Meadows 150.
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LaJoie started 17th and finished 11th in last weekend’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway and picked up two positions in the NCS championship point standings. The Concord, N.C., native has led 38 laps in 2024 and is currently 30th in points.
Over 252 career NCS starts, LaJoie has earned four top-five and nine top-10 finishes and led 161 laps in NASCAR’s premier division.Corey LaJoie Quotes
You put together a great run last weekend at Sonoma Raceway so you have to be looking forward to getting back to work, especially at a track like Iowa Speedway, where you’ve had some success in the past.
“After a great weekend out west, I’m looking forward to heading to Iowa with our special Gainbridge/ Hawkeyes-themed Camaro. It’s been 12 years since I’ve won out at Iowa Speedway but it’s always fun to go back to somewhere you’ve got a trophy. A lot of new variables this week but our team is ready for the challenge.”
Zane Smith – Driver, No. 71 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Zane Smith visits Iowa Speedway this weekend coming off a 16th-place finish in last Sunday’s NCS race at Sonoma Raceway.
The Sonoma finish coupled with a 19th-place finish at St. Louis on June 2 mark back-to-back top-20 finishes for the 2022 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series champion.
Smith will make his first NCS start at the 7/8-mile, Newton, Iowa tri-oval on Sunday driving the No. 71 Focused Health Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.
In 2019, Smith recorded two Xfinity Series starts at Iowa Speedway in JR Motorsports’ No. 8 Chevrolet where he led two laps and finished both races in the top 10.
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The last two weekends have been great for you and the No. 71 team. How are you feeling heading to Iowa, knowing some of the success you have had there in the Xfinity car?
“We have shown progress the last two races at St. Louis and Sonoma. We aren’t where we want to be yet, but we are building some momentum that we expect to continue at Iowa Speedway on Sunday. I really liked Iowa when I raced there in Xfinity and even ARCA. I’m excited to be part of the first Cup race there and hope we put on a great show for the fans. Also, super excited to have Focused Health back on board with us this weekend and looking forward to a night race in Iowa.”
Carson Hocevar – Driver, No.77 Spire Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1
Carson Hocevar will make his first NCS start at Iowa Speedway on Sunday driving the No. 77 Premier Security Solutions Chevrolet for Spire Motorsports.
Hocevar started 13th and finished 17th in last Sunday’s NCS race at Sonoma Raceway.
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The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender is currently 22nd in the division’s championship points. Over the course of the season’s first 16 races, Hocevar has notched two top-10s and four top-15 finishes.
Hocevar started seventh and finished fourth in his only prior visit to Iowa Speedway in the 2019 ARCA Menards Series Fans with Benefits 150.
Over the course of Hocevar’s NCS career, he has raced at a short track five times and boasts a best short-track finish of 11th in last September’s Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Hocevar visits his home track in Marne, Mich., Wednesday night for the Money in the Bank 150 at Berlin Raceway. He scored back-to-back victories at the annual summer late-model classic in 2020 and 2021.Carson Hocevar Quotes
As the NASCAR Cup Series ventures to a new track this weekend, what challenges do you anticipate the teams facing?
“I think a big challenge that everyone is talking about right now is the repave that’s half done. It’s the first time I’ve ever been to a repave where they only paved part of the corner, so I’m interested to see how that turns out and how the Premier Security Solutions Chevrolet feels in practice on Friday. A question I keep asking myself is if we’re going to even try the top or do we have to be on the concrete? Are we going to be sliding all the way until we get to the new concrete? Practice is going to be critical so we can try a few new things.”
With Iowa selling out for both days this weekend, what kind of atmosphere do you expect?
“I think it’s going to be popular and that makes me excited. I only ran one ARCA race there, but I’ve watched trucks and Xfinity in the past and they always seem to sell out quickly or at least have a pretty big crowd. I think it’s going to be really exciting for everybody there, not only the fans but also the teams. Iowa has been wanting a Cup race for a long time, so I think everybody’s going to be really excited to be there and experience the newness of it all.
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