The Cup Series will returns after a week of for the short, flat track portion of the 2026 schedule. The Cup Series races at Iowa Speedway this weekend, Richmond Raceway next week and then they make a trip to New Hampshire Motor Speedway. These three tracks are similar, so we will burn a lot of allocations with the drivers who are good on the short, flat tracks. There are only four races left in the regular season, so it is important that the NASCAR Cup Series teams dial in their short, flat track setups this week. The Iowa Corn 350 can be seen Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on USA (The Cup Series moves from TNT to USA Network for the rest of the season).
Here are my picks for your season long Fantasy NASCAR games…
DRIVER GROUP GAME PICKS FOR IOWA
GROUP A DRIVERS
RYAN BLANEY (5): Blaney is a lock for Group A this week. He has been the master on the short, flat tracks. The No. 12 car went to Victory Lane in the last two races at Phoenix Raceway and finished 3rd at Richmond (almost identical track to Iowa). Blaney won the race in Iowa in 2024 and he finished 4th last year. Blaney has a good chance to win again Sunday.
CHASE BRISCOE (8): I wanted a Toyota to pair with Ryan Blaney. Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell should both be fast this weekend, but I will take a chance with Briscoe. He is on a hot streak right now. Briscoe finished 2nd at Sonoma, won at Chicago, finished 3rd at North Wilksboro and 4th last week in Indianapolis. That is a pretty good run this summer for the No. 19 team. Briscoe also won the pole, led 81 laps and finished 2nd last year at Iowa Speedway. He has the upside to win the pole and score bonus points Saturday and the No. 19 car should have the speed to compete for a win on Sunday. I just cannot ignore his 30th place start and 3rd place finish a few weeks ago at North Wilksboro.
* WILLIAM BYRON (8): The stats suggest playing Byron this week. It was really tough to decide between Chase Briscoe and Byron, but I went with the 2026 speed for the Toyota’s over Byron’s dominating stats at Iowa Speedway. Byron has the series-best average green flag speed, the series-best driver rating, the series-best average running position and the series-best average finishing position at Iowa Speedway. It is really tough to fade stats like that, but the 7th place finish at Phoenix and the 12th-place finish at North Wilksboro this year have me a bit more interested in Briscoe over Byron. You really cannot go wrong with either driver this weekend.
GROUP B DRIVERS
JOEY LOGANO (5): Logano is a lock this week and he will likely be a lock in the next three races. Logano ranks No. 2 on the short, flat tracks over the last year, just behind his teammate (Ryan Blaney). Logano just destroyed the field on the short, flat track at North Wilksboro. The No. 22 car lead 323 laps and had a ridiculous 149.9 Driver Rating. Logano also finished both of his races at Iowa Speedway in the top-10. Logano has a good chance to win in the Heartland.
BRAD KESELOWSKI (6): I know it is hard to trust Keselowski, but his best race over the last two years came at Iowa Speedway last year. Keselowski qualified 6th, raced his way to the front, led 68 laps, won both Stages and finished 3rd in the race. Keselowski has the 3rd-best average finishing position at Iowa Speedway and he ranks 4th in total speed over the two races at this track. Keselowski finished 7th at North Wilksboro a few weeks ago. He should have a good chance to finish in the top-10 again Sunday.
AUSTIN CINDRIC (7): I am going all in with Team Penske this week. Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano have dominated at Iowa Speedway. Cindric was really good in this race too last year. Cindric had a 6.8 average running position, ran 92% of the laps in the top-15, led 20 laps and had a 102.6 Driver Rating. Cindric also ranks 8th on the short, flat tracks over the last year. I have plenty of allocations left with Cindric, so he gets a spot in Group B.
BUBBA WALLACE (5): I will pair Wallace and his Toyota to the three Fords in Group B. Wallace has been pretty good on the short, flat tracks this year. He finished 6th in Phoenix and 6th at North Wilksboro. Wallace also ranks 3rd in Group B in average green flag speed on the short, flat tracks over the last year, just behind Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski. Wallace should have a good chance to finish in the top-10 again Sunday.
* TY GIBBS (2): I expect Gibbs to be one of the best drivers in Group B Sunday, but I need to save him for the intermediate tracks. The Toyota’s have a speed advantage on the large tracks this year. You can use Gibbs over Preece if you have 5 or more allocations left with the No. 54 car.
** AUSTIN DILLON (9): If you want to save allocations and be different from the rest of your league; take a chance with Dillon this week. His best track is Richmond Raceway and Iowa Speedway is almost an identical track. Dillon finished 10th at Iowa last year. I would not be surprised to see Dillon do it again Sunday.
GROUP C DRIVERS
DANIEL SUAREZ (5): I want to save Carson Hocevar, so I will play his teammate this weekend. Suarez is having one of his best seasons in the Cup Series. Suarez finished 9th at Iowa Speedway in 2024. He also finished 9th a few weeks ago at North Wilksboro. I expect the Spire Motorsports cars to qualify up front. That gives Suarez a good chance to score qualifying points Saturday. He is a good driver to take a chance with in Group C.
TODD GILLILAND (8): Gilliland is a boom or bust driver. Hopefully he isn’t too hung over from winning $1M at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Gilliland finished 12th at Iowa Speedway in 2024. He also finished 12th in Phoenix and 8th at North Wilksboro this year. This should be another good race for Gilliland.
*CARSON HOCEVAR (2): I would love to use Hocevar every week, but we cannot do that. Hocevar is clearly the best driver in Group C. I thought about using him for qualifying points only, but I rather have two choices in Group C to use in the race Sunday. You can use Hocevar if you have four or more allocations left with the No. 77 car. I trust my drivers from Groups A and B to carry this lineup, so I will take some chances in Group C Sunday.
* Be sure to check back Sunday morning for my starting lineup.
SPEEDWAY COLLECTIVE PICKS
GROUP A DRIVERS: My picks for Group A in the Speedway Collective game will be the same as my picks in Group A of the Driver Group Game. I thought about using William Byron in the Speedway Collective game to be different from the Driver Group Game, but I cannot ignore what Chase Briscoe did at North Wilksboro. Ryan Blaney and Chase Briscoe get the spot in Group A this weekend.
GROUP B DRIVERS: My picks for Group B will be the same as my picks in Group B of the Driver Group Game. Joey Logano is a lock for all lineups this week and Iowa Speedway is the best track for Brad Keselowski. Both of these drivers should run well Sunday.
GROUP C DRIVERS: My picks for Group C will be RYAN PREECE and AUSTIN CINDRIC. Hocevar is a good pick but I only have one allocation left with the No. 77 car. You can use Hocevar if you have four or more allocations left, but I will take my chance with Preece and Cindric this week.
GROUP D DRIVERS: My picks in Group C will be Todd Gilliland and Austin Dillon. Gilliland has been at his best on the short, flat tracks this year. I am out of allocations with Daniel Suarez, so Gilliland gets the spot (Use Suarez over Gilliland if you can this week). Dillon is at his best on the short, flat tracks like Richmond and Iowa. He is a lock in Group D this week.
* Be sure to check back Sunday morning for my starting lineup.
FANTRAX PICKS
* Each league in Fantrax is different. Some leagues have bench drivers and award qualifying points and others do not. The two leagues that I am playing in do not have bench drivers. Also, most leagues (including mine), do not require your lineup to be set until minutes before the race starts. My picks will change after practice and qualifying for most races. If you need bench drivers, you can use my picks from the Driver Group Game.
* Be sure to check back Sunday morning for my starting lineup.
Good Luck Sunday!
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