Ryan Blaney Wins at Iowa Speedway with Two-Tire Strategy

Ryan Blaney, Team Penske driver, won the first NASCAR Cup Series race at Iowa Speedway. Blaney took the lead with a two-tire strategy decided by his crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, during the final caution of the night. This strategy allowed Blaney to lead the last 88 laps and cross the finish line 0.716 seconds ahead of William Byron.

In the Iowa Corn 350, Blaney faced no unpleasant surprises near the finish, unlike his previous experience at Gateway. In the presence of his family and friends, Blaney secured his first win of the season and the 11th of his career in the NASCAR Cup Series. With this victory, Blaney has won at Iowa Speedway in NASCAR's three major national series: Truck Series, Xfinity Series, and Cup Series.

William Byron, who finished second, was not surprised by Blaney's victory given the performance of the No. 12 Ford. Byron, running on four new tires after a pit stop under caution, highlighted the competitiveness of Blaney and Kyle Larson, the pole winner.

Chase Elliott completed the podium, followed by Christopher Bell, who recovered from a practice crash to finish fourth. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. finished fifth, with Joey Logano, Josh Berry, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, and Brad Keselowski rounding out the top ten.

A key incident in the race was the contact between Suarez's Chevrolet and Larson's Camaro on lap 220, which sent Larson into the outside wall and significantly delayed him. Larson, who led 80 laps before the crash, finished in 34th place, losing the series lead to his teammate Elliott.

The next NASCAR Cup Series race will be on June 23 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.