With four races remaining in the regular season, the NASCAR Cup Series playoff race heads to Iowa Speedway with varying points battles across the standings.
On the bubble, the margin is as large as it’s been this season with Chris Buescher hanging onto the final provisional spot by 42 points over Ryan Preece.
But it’ll be hard to get comfortable for the three drivers above the cutline: Buescher, Alex Bowman (plus-63) and Tyler Reddick (plus-138). Since the advent of the Next Gen car, at least one driver below the cutline has won in the last four races of the regular season. Buescher, Ross Chastain and Bubba Wallace were bumped from the playoffs despite being above the cutline with four races left.
In the battle for the regular-season championship, the top four are separated by 20 points — the closest margin after 22 races since a 17-point gap among the top four in 2012.
Hendrick Motorsports teammates Chase Elliott, William Byron and Kyle Larson occupy the top three spots for the seventh week this season. Elliott leads Byron by four points with Iowa, Watkins Glen, Richmond and Daytona remaining in the regular season.
Sunday’s will mark the second for Cup at the 0.875-mile oval. Ryan Blaney won the inaugural race last year.
The track’s 25,000-seat grandstands have been announced as a sellout.
Details for Sunday’s Cup race at Iowa Speedway
(All times Eastern)
START: The command to start engines will be given at 3:38 p.m. … The green flag is scheduled to wave at 3:47 p.m.
PRERACE: The Cup garage will open at 12:30 p.m. … The national anthem will be performed at 3:31 p.m.
DISTANCE: The race is 350 laps (306.25 miles) on the 0.875-mile oval in Newton, Iowa.
STAGES: Stage 1 ends at Lap 70. Stage 2 ends at Lap 210.
PURSE: $9,797,935
ENTRY LIST: Click here for the 37 cars entered at Iowa Speedway.
TV/RADIO: USA Network will broadcast the race starting at 3 p.m. … Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will have radio coverage.
FORECAST: WeatherUnderground — Sunshine with some clouds. A high of 77 degrees with winds from the southeast at 5 to 10 mph. It’s expected to be 75 degrees with a 4% chance of rain at the start of the Cup race.
LAST TIME: Ryan Blaney led 201 of 350 laps to win the inaugural Cup race at Iowa Speedway on June 16, 2024.
