On Sunday at Iowa Speedway, Ryan Blaney delivered an impressive performance in the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Race, finishing fourth after an eventful day filled with strategic calls and multiple cautions. Starting the race from the sixth position, Blaney maintained solid track position throughout the opening stage and secured a pair of top-five finishes in the initial segments of the race. The 12 Wabash Ford Mustang Dark Horse team showed resilience and tactical savvy during the chaotic final laps, allowing Blaney to rebound from a mid-race pit stop to charge back through the field and claim a strong fourth-place finish.
Blaney’s consistency in the early stages was evident, as he maintained his place within the top five during the first 70-lap segment, finishing fourth in Stage 1. After a position gain during the stage break, he engaged in a competitive battle for the lead in Stage 2, eventually settling in second place. The race took a turn when a caution on lap 170 disrupted pit cycles, leading Blaney to make a timely four-tire stop that helped his team win the race off pit road. This strong pit work positioned him well for the closing laps of Stage 2, where he finished second again.
As the race progressed into the final segment, Blaney found himself leading with 115 laps to go when a series of cautions started to shake up the field. Crew chief Jonathan Hassler called Blaney to pit on lap 245 for fresh tires and fuel, a decision that dropped him to 24th place upon the restart. Undeterred, Blaney methodically advanced through the pack, reaching the top ten with 64 laps remaining. Despite the caution-filled conclusion and tricky track conditions, Blaney’s drive culminated in crossing the finish line fourth, marking his eighth top-five finish of the season.
“I just restarted a little further back than those guys and it took me longer to get in a decent spot. Honestly, it sort of surprised me just how hard those guys tanked at the end and my car kept chugging along. I ran Brad [Keselowski] down but everyone is so free it is hard to pass anybody. You are scared of spinning out and you are creeping around the bottom but it was a fun race. I am really proud of our group for sticking with it. I appreciate Wabash and Ford and Menards for doing what they do. Really good showing and just kept going. It has been a good last few weeks for us. I think the speed is there, just have to keep putting these races together. We had a good shot to win today but it just didn’t work out. The strategies just got really weird with all those cautions. We were on the back end of it and it just kind of cycled me behind. We recovered really nicely. Really proud of the 12 group.”
—Ryan Blaney, Driver
Austin Cindric Fights Through Challenges to Finish Twelfth
Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Menards/Ideal Door Ford Mustang Dark Horse team demonstrated strength and potential throughout the day, leading laps and earning valuable stage points in the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Race before ultimately securing a twelfth-place finish. Cindric started the day well, qualifying fourth, and quickly positioned himself within the top three early in the race. He finished Stage 1 in second place, gathering important stage points after a strong initial run.
During the race, Cindric noted changes in the track condition which prompted his team to make a four-tire stop with air pressure adjustments. This strategic move saw him restart the second stage from fifth, and despite a long green-flag run, he maintained his competitiveness in third place. When a caution flew on lap 170 during pit cycles, Cindric’s team executed another pit stop for tires and adjustments, allowing him to start third for the dash to the Stage 2 finish, where he again earned valuable points by finishing third.
The closing stage presented challenges, with multiple cautions and strategic calls impacting track position. Cindric briefly led the race after his team chose to stay out on several occasions during the final segment. However, a late-race pit stop on lap 263 for fresh tires and fuel dropped him to 28th place. He then fought his way back through a turbulent field, taking advantage of the cautions and steadily passing competitors to finish 12th.
“Proud of the fast race car and, honestly, good execution. There’s no predicting all those cautions that happened. I thought Brian and the team called a great strategy to really get ourselves ahead for the final stage and a run to the checkered—a shot to win—but also a car fast enough to drive back through the field on unequal tires, too. Not the result we deserved, but a great showing and a very playoff-esque run—what we need here in a couple months.”
—Austin Cindric, Driver
Joey Logano Overcomes Early Difficulties to Finish in the Top Ten
Joey Logano, driving the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang Dark Horse, faced handling issues early in the NASCAR Cup Series Iowa Race but managed to regroup and earn a ninth-place finish. Starting 14th, Logano had trouble with the car’s balance which affected his results in the first two stages, finishing 18th and 21st respectively. His team made continuous adjustments throughout the first 200 laps to improve the Mustang’s performance.
During the opening laps of the final segment, a caution while Logano ran 25th led his crew chief Paul Wolfe to call him for an early pit stop. This strategic decision allowed Logano to attempt reaching the finish on fuel with the aid of further cautions. As the race unfolded, six additional cautions provided the necessary conditions for the 22 team to stretch their fuel to the end. Logano restarted 12th with 64 laps to go, quickly advancing into the top ten and moving as high as eighth in the final laps before settling for the ninth-place finish.
“Really proud of the effort from this 22 team to come out of here with a top-10 finish. We really struggled early on but maintained in the top-20 range while we kept working on it. Paul [Wolfe’s] call to pit early in the final stage really paid off in the end and allowed us to get towards the top-10 as the cautions kept coming. Gives us something to build on heading into Watkins Glen.”
—Joey Logano, Driver
Upcoming Road Course Challenge at Watkins Glen
Following the intense and unpredictable action at Iowa Speedway, the NASCAR Cup Series will shift focus to road course racing at Watkins Glen on Sunday, August 10. The Go Bowling at The Glen event will begin coverage at 2:00 p.m. ET on USA Network, MRN, and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Drivers and teams will look to carry momentum from the regular season races toward success on this challenging circuit, making the upcoming event a significant marker as the season progresses.
