Ryan Blaney was able to score the first in a few different categories at the Iowa Speedway Sunday, June 16th.
When NASCAR raced the Iowa Corn 350 yesterday, it was the first Cup Series race at the Iowa Speedway. That made it special for the drivers and the fans. Since this was the first time NASCAR’s top series race at the track, everybody was guessing what the race would produce.
What it did produce was excitement for fans to watch. There were some tire issues. That caused a few cautions along with the yellows for the ends of the first two stages. There were eight caution periods in total. Ryan Blaney was the winner of stage one and Kyle Larson was the winner of stage two.
The track also produced some great side-by-side racing. There were nine drivers that exchanged the lead 17 times. Through most of the race it appeared that the win would be a battle between Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson. However, on lap 221 Kyle was caught up in an incident that would take him out of contention.
Ryan Blaney would go on to continue his domination of the race. He led a race-high 201 laps in the 350-lap race. In fact, he was the leader for the final 88 laps of the race. Near the end it looked as though William Byron might be able to challenge for the win, but he never got close enough to do so.
Ryan Blaney held on to win the race giving him a few firsts. It was the inaugural Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway making Ryan the first ever winner in the series at the track. It was his first win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was his first win at Iowa Speedway in the Cup Series. The win is Ryan’s 11th in his Cup Series career. The win also guarantees that he will be in the playoffs with a chance to defend his 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Championship.
William Byron did hold on for a second-place finish. Chase Elliott crossed the finish line third. See the complete race results for the Iowa Corn 350 here.
Following the race at Iowa Speedway, Chase Elliott moves up a spot to take over the lead in the point standings. Kyle Larson slips back to second place. Denny Hamlin holds steady in third. See the complete NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings here.
The next race on the schedule is the USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Sunday, June 23rd.
By: Buck Stevens
