Ryan Blaney was able to take first in several different categories on Sunday, June 16 at Iowa Speedway.
When NASCAR raced the Iowa Corn 350 yesterday, it was the first Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. It made it special for drivers and fans. Since this was the first time NASCAR’s top series raced at the track, it was anyone’s guess as to how the race would turn out.
What it produced was excitement for the fans. There were problems with the tires. That brought out several cautions along with yellows at the ends of the first two stages. There were a total of eight cautionary periods. Ryan Blaney won the first round, Kyle Larson won the second round.
The track also produced some great side-by-side racing. There were nine drivers who traded the lead 17 times. For most of the race, it looked like it would be a battle between Ryan Blaney and Kyle Larson. However, on lap 221, Kyle suffered an incident that would put him out of contention.
Ryan Blaney will continue his dominance of the race. He had a career-high 201 laps in the 350-lap race. In fact, he led the last 88 laps of the race. Near the end it looked like William Byron might challenge for the win, but he never got close enough to do so.
Ryan Blaney went on to win the race giving him multiple first place finishes. It was the opening race of the Cup Series at Iowa Speedway, making Ryan the first winner in the track’s history. It was his first win of the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season. It was his first Cup Series win at Iowa Speedway. The win is Ryan’s 11th of his Cup Series career. A win also guarantees he’ll be in the playoffs with a chance to defend his 2023 NASCAR Cup championship.
William Byron went on to finish second. Chase Elliott crossed the finish line in third. See complete race results for the Iowa Corn 350 here.
After the race at Iowa Speedway, Chase Elliott moves up a spot to lead the points standings. Kyle Larson drops to second place. Denny Hamlin is third. See the full NASCAR Cup Series Point Standings here.
The next race on the schedule is the USA Today 301 at New Hampshire Speedway on Sunday, June 23.
Author: Buck Stevens
