The beauty of stock car racing is that it doesn’t just take place in the biggest races or the most popular cities. Sometimes it’s best out in the Iowa cornfields.
Iowa Speedway hosts its second NASCAR Cup Series race this weekend. While it may be called the Hawkeye State, it’s the corn that is both the pride and joy of the Iowa Corn 350, and maybe the butt of a few jokes, too.
Regardless of how you like your vegetables, there’s money to be made out in America’s center.
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Ryan Preece Pushing for the Playoffs | 2025 Iowa Corn 350 Picks
Building Our Betting Model
Iowa is a short, flat track just under a mile, most similar to Richmond. Each of New Hampshire, Gateway (also known as World Wide Technology Raceway or St. Louis) and Phoenix are secondary comparables.
Last year, the series had visited three of those four prior to Iowa’s race date, but this year, only Phoenix has come before Iowa, which changes the “what have you done for me lately” comps. Nevertheless, it’s all accounted for in this week’s IBT Betting Model powered by ifantasyrace.com.
- 2024 Iowa Finish
- 2024 Iowa Total Speed Ranking
- 2024 Iowa Average Position
- 2025 Phoenix Average Position
- Short-Flat Track Average Finish Since 2024
- 2025 Conventional Tracks Total Speed Ranking
- Xfinity & Truck Series @ Iowa Bonus
2024 Iowa winner Ryan Blaney and runner-up William Byron make up the model’s top two, with the latter earning a sky-high 97 percent this week. Josh Berry earns perhaps his highest ranking of the season at P5 and each manufacturer is also represented in the bottom half of the top ten.
Even with the model’s data being more limited than normal, it’s hard not to trust the top of the board.
2025 Iowa Corn 350 Picks & Predictions
Ryan Blaney (+550)
The obvious place to start is with last year’s Iowa race winner, Ryan Blaney. He’s not the favorite to win again according to the books, but his +550 odds are fourth-best. Blaney has a win in all three series here, leading 201 laps last year to win the inaugural Cup Series event. He had T5 finishes in both Phoenix races last year and was one lap of fuel short of winning Gateway as well.
This year, it’s no secret that Blaney has had top speed with terrible fortunes. The No. 12 team has seven DNFs this year, with two of those in the last five races. However, a trio of T10 finishes in the past eight races since Blaney’s Nashville win shows at least some moderate ability to convert strong finishes.
William Byron (+900)
Just as he finished in last year’s Iowa race, William Byron projects as the runner-up in my picks and just below Blaney on the odds board as well. His +900 price is far more attractive, partly because of some tough luck for Team 24 as well. Byron has gotten the DNF tag in three of the last five races, earning just two T10 finishes in the past eight races.
The comparable tracks tell a better story for Byron. He led 83 laps and got a P6 finish in the spring Phoenix race and had T10s there last fall and in Richmond’s spring race. The North Carolina native also has Iowa wins in both the Xfinity and Truck series, so he’s very familiar with the Iowa Speedway.
Ryan Preece (+5000)
Though my first two picks have great stats and wins in 2025, I have a feeling that Iowa will provide a great chance for a new winner to lock in on the playoffs. In particular, I’ve got my eye on Ryan Preece.
The No. 60 driver got his jumpstart when he won here in the Xfinity Series in 2017. Short tracks are the Connecticut native’s bread and butter, with a P11 at New Hampshire being his best comp track finish last season. This year, Preece led 34 laps on strategy with the option tire at Phoenix, and he has six T10 finishes in the past 11 races.
Thanks for reading my 2025 Iowa Corn 350 picks & predictions. Be sure to catch us live every Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. EST on The Backroad!
Also, follow me on Twitter/X @ehicks39 for more NASCAR takes and betting advice.
*Photo Credit: Matthew O’Haren – USA TODAY Sports*
