Welcome to Iowa Speedway, where 350 laps, a short track, dirty air, track position, and a massive pile of dominator points are about to make this one of the more interesting DraftKings slates of the summer. The NASCAR Cup Series rolls into the 0.875 mile Iowa Speedway for the Iowa Corn 350 Powered by Ethanol, and this is not a week where we can simply identify six drivers we think will finish well and call it a day. With 350 laps available, someone is going to spend a significant portion of Sunday afternoon out front, and finding the drivers capable of controlling this race will be one of the first major pieces of the puzzle.
We also do not have decades of Cup Series history to lean on here. Iowa only joined the Cup schedule in 2024, with Ryan Blaney winning the inaugural race before William Byron followed it up with a victory last season. What we have seen through those first two races, however, has already given us a pretty clear message. Blaney led 201 laps in 2024, while Byron led 141 last year. That does not mean the winner has to be the dominator, but it does tell us that this is a track where one or two drivers can separate themselves from the field and accumulate a massive amount of DraftKings scoring through laps led and fastest laps.
Saturday’s O’Reilly Series race gave us another piece of the puzzle. Four of the top five finishers started inside the top six, which reinforces the idea that qualifying, early track position, and raw speed are going to matter here. At the same time, we still saw drivers move forward from deeper starting positions, so this is not a track where we should completely ignore place differential. The real challenge is figuring out how all of those pieces fit together. The expensive drivers capable of dominating are going to eat up a significant portion of the salary cap, which means finding cheaper drivers who can gain positions, finish well, and provide strong point per dollar production could be every bit as important to building the lineup around them.
That is what makes this slate interesting. We may want one or even two drivers with legitimate 100 plus lap dominator potential, but the remaining lineup spots still have to produce. A value driver starting 25th who can work his way into the top 15 could become an extremely important part of a tournament winning lineup, especially if that salary allows us to reach the elite cars we believe can control the race. We are not choosing between dominator points and place differential. We are trying to build the right combination of both while finding six drivers whose total scoring ceiling fits together under the salary cap.
Iowa itself is also a strange animal. It has the traffic and compact nature of a short track, but the long corners, progressive banking, aerodynamic sensitivity, and dirty air give it characteristics that can sometimes feel more like an intermediate. Drivers can search for different lanes, and the upper groove has shown signs of becoming usable, but clean air and track position remain extremely valuable with the current Next Gen car. Add in the partially repaved surface, tire falloff, pit strategy, restarts, and the importance of maintaining speed throughout a long run, and this becomes a week where practice and qualifying should tell us a tremendous amount. The dominators are where we start, but finding the five drivers who best complement them is where this slate will ultimately be won.
Iowa Data Chart
| Driver | DK Salary | Start | Avg Finish | Laps Led | Stage Pts | Avg Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| William Byron | $10,000 | 19 | 1.5 | 141 | 15 | 131.6 |
| Ryan Blaney | $10,500 | 1 | 2.5 | 230 | 33 | 103.8 |
| Brad Keselowski | $7,900 | 4 | 6.5 | 73 | 25 | 105.5 |
| Alex Bowman | $7,300 | 30 | 7.5 | 0 | 4 | 88.1 |
| Joey Logano | $9,500 | 3 | 7.5 | 0 | 5 | 88.8 |
| Chase Elliott | $9,000 | 32 | 8.5 | 12 | 13 | 105.0 |
| Josh Berry | $6,900 | 13 | 10.0 | 32 | 20 | 95.5 |
| Christopher Bell | $10,700 | 22 | 10.5 | 7 | 0 | 86.9 |
| Ross Chastain | $7,100 | 9 | 11.0 | 0 | 0 | 81.8 |
| Carson Hocevar | $7,700 | 18 | 11.0 | 0 | 4 | 82.0 |
| Bubba Wallace | $8,000 | 26 | 11.5 | 0 | 6 | 78.4 |
| Austin Dillon | $6,800 | 7 | 14.5 | 0 | 1 | 70.0 |
| Chase Briscoe | $9,200 | 20 | 15.0 | 81 | 6 | 93.1 |
| Ryan Preece | $7,000 | 36* | 16.0 | 0 | 2 | 57.6 |
| Daniel Suarez | $6,700 | 33 | 17.0 | 4 | 8 | 68.7 |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | $5,500 | 16 | 19.0 | 4 | 0 | 54.4 |
| Chris Buescher | $7,500 | 27 | 20.0 | 16 | 4 | 52.6 |
| John Hunter Nemechek | $6,200 | 21 | 20.5 | 0 | 0 | 53.4 |
| Tyler Reddick | $8,500 | 5 | 20.5 | 0 | 0 | 66.8 |
| Austin Cindric | $7,200 | 12 | 21.0 | 20 | 17 | 70.6 |
| Noah Gragson | $5,300 | 15 | 22.5 | 0 | 0 | 47.3 |
| Todd Gilliland | $5,800 | 17 | 23.0 | 0 | 3 | 51.8 |
| Ty Gibbs | $8,200 | 6 | 23.0 | 0 | 7 | 65.7 |
| Denny Hamlin | $11,100 | 29 | 24.0 | 0 | 5 | 57.1 |
| Erik Jones | $6,600 | 10 | 24.0 | 0 | 3 | 45.3 |
| Michael McDowell | $6,400 | 11 | 25.0 | 0 | 0 | 63.6 |
| Cole Custer | $5,100 | 36* | 26.0 | 0 | 0 | 44.5 |
| A.J. Allmendinger | $6,100 | 25 | 27.0 | 0 | 2 | 57.1 |
| Riley Herbst | $5,900 | 28 | 30.0 | 0 | 0 | 39.7 |
| Kyle Larson | $9,700 | 2 | 31.0 | 80 | 24 | 83.6 |
| Shane van Gisbergen | $6,500 | 23 | 31.0 | 0 | 0 | 43.2 |
| Cody Ware | $5,000 | 34 | 32.0 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 |
| Zane Smith | $6,300 | 14 | 33.5 | 0 | 0 | 35.5 |
| Ty Dillon | $5,200 | 31 | 35.0 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 |
| Conor Daly | $5,700 | 8 | — | — | — | — |
| Austin Hill | $5,600 | 24 | — | — | — |
Rank Points Ranking Chart
| Rank | Driver | DK Price | Start Pts | Avg Finish Pts | Laps Led Pts | Stage Pts | Rating Pts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chase Elliott | $9,000 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 20 |
| 2 | William Byron | $10,000 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 19 |
| 3 | Josh Berry | $6,900 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 18 |
| 4 | Brad Keselowski | $7,900 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
| 5 | Ryan Blaney | $10,500 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 17 |
| 6 | Chase Briscoe | $9,200 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| 7 | Alex Bowman | $7,300 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| 8 | Christopher Bell | $10,700 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 17 |
| 9 | Daniel Suarez | $6,700 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 17 |
| 10 | Chris Buescher | $7,500 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 16 |
| 11 | Carson Hocevar | $7,700 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 15 |
| 12 | Austin Cindric | $7,200 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 15 |
| 13 | Joey Logano | $9,500 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 14 |
| 14 | Kyle Larson | $9,700 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 14 |
| 15 | Bubba Wallace | $8,000 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 14 |
| 16 | Ross Chastain | $7,100 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 13 |
| 17 | Ty Gibbs | $8,200 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 13 |
| 18 | Ryan Preece | $7,000 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 13 |
| 19 | Denny Hamlin | $11,100 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 13 |
| 20 | Austin Dillon | $6,800 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 21 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | $5,500 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 22 | John Hunter Nemechek | $6,200 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 23 | Todd Gilliland | $5,800 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 12 |
| 24 | Cole Custer | $5,100 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
| 25 | Tyler Reddick | $8,500 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 26 | Michael McDowell | $6,400 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 11 |
| 27 | A.J. Allmendinger | $6,100 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 11 |
| 28 | Erik Jones | $6,600 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 11 |
| 29 | Riley Herbst | $5,900 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 11 |
| 30 | Noah Gragson | $5,300 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 10 |
| 31 | Cody Ware | $5,000 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 32 | Ty Dillon | $5,200 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 |
| 33 | Shane van Gisbergen | $6,500 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 9 |
| 34 | Zane Smith | $6,300 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 8 |
Elite Tier
Denny Hamlin – $11,100 – Underweight
I get the appeal with Hamlin starting 29th, and I will still have some exposure, but I am going to be underweight. The price is simply too high for me here, especially when we have so many other attractive options at the top of the board. He did not qualify well, and while the place differential opportunity is obvious, I am just not overly excited about paying $11,100 for him when there are several other elite drivers I would rather prioritize.
Christopher Bell – $10,700 – Overweight
Bell is one of my favorite leverage plays in the elite tier. I think a lot of ownership in this price range is going to gravitate toward the sexier names, especially Denny Hamlin starting deep in the field and the obvious dominator candidates near the front. That could leave Bell overlooked despite starting 22nd and having plenty of room to move forward. He gives us a combination of place differential and race winning upside, and I want to be overweight if the field does not fully embrace him.
Ryan Blaney – $10,500 – Overweight
Blaney is my favorite dominator target on the slate and will probably end up being my highest owned driver. He won the pole, won the inaugural Cup race here, and still ran extremely well last year despite William Byron ultimately stealing the victory on strategy. Blaney has already shown that he can control this race, and starting from the pole gives him the first opportunity to get into clean air and start piling up laps led and fastest laps. I think he has the best chance in the field to finish with the most dominator points, and I also think he has a legitimate chance to win the race.
William Byron – $10,000 – With the Field
Byron checks just about every box at Iowa. He won here last season, has finished extremely well in both Cup races at the track, and has already proven that he can lead a significant number of laps here. Starting 19th also gives him excellent place differential potential. I still want exposure, but I expect to have less of him than Blaney. He is an excellent play, but I am more comfortable staying around the field rather than making him one of my largest stands.
Chase Elliott – $9,000 – Overweight
Elliott may end up being my favorite overall play on the slate. Starting 32nd gives him massive move forward potential, and he has already shown that he can run extremely well at Iowa. He is going to be popular, and there is no reason to pretend otherwise, but sometimes the obvious play is obvious for a reason. At $9,000, the combination of salary, finishing upside, and place differential makes him one of the most important pieces of the entire slate.
Middle Tier
Brad Keselowski – $7,900 – Overweight
Keselowski is racing extremely well right now and has been excellent at Iowa. Starting fourth does remove the place differential cushion, but at this salary I do not necessarily need him to gain a bunch of positions. A top five finish is completely viable, and if he spends time near the front or grabs a handful of fastest laps along the way, he has more than enough scoring upside to land in the optimal lineup. His price makes him especially interesting because he can help us reach the elite dominators without sacrificing legitimate finishing upside.
Alex Bowman – $7,300 – Overweight
Bowman stands out immediately because of the starting position. He rolls off 30th, has already shown that he is comfortable at Iowa, and has produced strong finishes here. At this salary, the path is pretty simple. If Bowman gets anywhere near the top 15, he is already giving us useful place differential, and if he pushes toward the top 10, the ceiling becomes extremely attractive. He is one of the better combinations of historical performance, salary, and move forward potential on the slate.
Josh Berry – $6,900 – Overweight
Berry does not give us the same massive starting position bonus as some of the other plays, but he qualified well, has shown speed, and has already proven that he can run well at Iowa. At $6,900, he does not need to win the race or lead a huge number of laps to matter. A strong top 10 type performance could make him a very important salary saving piece, especially in lineups where we are trying to jam in one or two expensive dominators.
Value Tier
Ryan Preece – $7,000 – Overweight
Preece is another driver who grades out solidly across the board and gets a major boost from starting 35th. The move forward potential is obvious, and unlike some drivers starting this deep, he has shown enough at Iowa to make the upside believable. At $7,000, even a finish around the middle of the field could provide useful scoring, while a run into the top 15 would give him legitimate optimal lineup potential.
Daniel Suarez – $6,700 – Overweight
Suarez starts 33rd, which immediately gives him one of the better place differential opportunities in this price range. His Iowa history has been solid enough across multiple categories, and he does not need an extraordinary finish to pay off this salary. If he simply runs a clean race and works his way into the high teens or low teens, he can become a very useful piece of lineup construction.
Michael McDowell – $6,400 – Underweight
McDowell is simply not a name I am looking forward to clicking this week. There are too many other options around this price range that give me more upside, better place differential potential, or a stronger overall profile for Iowa. He is a driver I can use at certain tracks, but this is not one of the spots where I feel the need to force exposure.
DFS Outsider Dart Plays
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – $5,500 – Overweight
Stenhouse has been solid enough at Iowa to make him interesting at this price. Starting 16th means we still need him to gain some ground, but he does not need to do anything outrageous. If he can work his way to around 12th or 13th, that would probably represent something close to his ceiling and could absolutely put him into the optimal lineup at only $5,500. He is the type of cheap play who can open up the salary needed for the elite tier without completely sacrificing finishing upside.
Cole Custer – $5,100 – Overweight
There is nothing sexy about this play, but that is exactly why I like it. Custer starts at the very back of the field, so the equation is simple. He can only move forward. I think he is capable of running significantly better than where he qualified, and gaining somewhere in the range of 12 to 17 positions is not unrealistic. At only $5,100, that type of move forward performance could be extremely valuable and may be exactly what we need to make some of the more aggressive Blaney, Bell, Byron, and Elliott combinations work.
Frankie’s Fade of the Week: Tyler Reddick
Hey, meatballs. Tyler Reddick starts fifth, so I already know what everybody’s gonna say. “Frankie, look at the speed. Frankie, look where he qualified.” Yeah, yeah, beautiful. Four of the last six races, this guy finished 25th or worse, and the other two weren’t exactly anything to write home to Ma about. Frankie believes in momentum, and right now Reddick is colder than a guy who forgot to pay back the family. You know what happens when you get that cold? People stop asking where you are. Maybe he turns it around this week, but Frankie don’t like to wait. Frankie wants the money, and he wants it now. So do yourself a favor and don’t click that name. Capice?
Final Thoughts
This is the final year we are dealing with this weird mixed asphalt, patched together version of Iowa Speedway, and I think this race has a pretty good chance to be controlled by one or two drivers for long stretches. The key is figuring out which of that small group of potential dominators you believe in most, then mixing and matching the rest of your lineup around them. I also want exposure to one or two drivers starting deeper in the field who have a realistic path to move forward, because place differential is still going to matter even on a slate where laps led and fastest laps are so important.
From there, try to squeeze in a couple drivers who have shown legitimate speed and see what the salary cap allows you to do. Leave some money on the table if it helps you build something different. Add a little razzle dazzle, take a few chances, and do not be afraid to get away from the obvious construction if the lineup still makes sense. This feels like a race where we can eliminate quite a few drivers from serious consideration, lock in a strong core, and then rotate our dart plays around that foundation.
Stick to your convictions, mix and match the pieces, and do not overcomplicate it. Let’s go take down a fucking GPP.
It only takes one
