On-track activity from Iowa Speedway resumed Saturday as NASCAR Cup Series drivers took to the .875-mile short track for qualifying to set the starting lineup for Sunday’s Iowa Corn 350, the inaugural premier series race at the Newton, Iowa, venue.
After rainfall delayed the start of qualifying, NASCAR altered the format to one round with each team making two timed laps. Teams still qualified in Group A and B with the top-five times from each group making up the top-10 in the starting lineup.
Ryan Blaney, driver, No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang
2nd
Joey Logano, driver, No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang
11th
Austin Cindric, driver, No. 2 Menards/Moen Ford Mustang
21st
HEAR FROM BLANEY: “It would have been nice [to win the pole], obviously, but that’s a big improvement from yesterday. We did a lot of work overnight and this morning to figure out how to be better than where we were yesterday at the end of practice. We’re really proud of that effort. [Kyle] Larson does that stuff, but it was a really good run. I wish I would have done one thing a little different my second lap. I got a really good first lap, but the second lap I tried to switch it up to gain time and I kind of missed the three and four mark that I was trying to hit and maybe that was a little bit of it, but, overall, a good day. We have a good starting spot for tomorrow and we’ll see what we can do.”
TEAM PENSKE DRIVERS AT IOWA: While the Newton, Iowa, track is fresh to the Cup Series schedule, all three Team Penske drivers have previously competed at the venue at other levels. Team Penske has three NASCAR Xfinity Series victories at the .875-mile short track, claimed by Brad Keselowski (2013, 2014) and Ryan Blaney (2015). Blaney has also won at Iowa in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (2012), a triumph that marked his first win at the national level. Additionally, Logano emerged victorious at the track early in his career in the ARCA Menards Series in 2007. The driver of the No. 22 Ford Mustang has also had a remarkable share of success when it comes to inaugural races over the last few years. Logano’s streak started when he won the Bristol Dirt Race – the first Cup Series event on dirt in more than 50 years – in 2021, before claiming the inaugural Clash at the Coliseum and the first Cup Series race at World Wide Technology Raceway in 2022.
TUNE IN: The inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway begins at 7 p.m. ET with coverage on USA, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
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