The Cup Series will returns after a week of for the short, flat track portion of the 2026 season. 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 Fantasy NASCAR picks for the race at Iowa Speedway this weekend…
DRIVER GROUP GAME
GROUP A: RYAN BLANEY (5): Blaney has been the best driver on the short, flat tracks over the last two seasons and Iowa Speedway has been his playground. Blaney led 201 laps and won the race at Iowa in 2024. He led 29 laps and finished 4th last year. That is an average finishing position of 2.5 at Iowa Speedway. Blaney posted the fastest speed on the long-runs in practice and the No. 12 car won the pole for the Iowa Corn 350. Blaney has a good chance to win Sunday.
GROUP B: JOEY LOGANO (5): Logano is starting to heat up as the Cup Series enters the final races of the regular season. He finished 9th in Atlanta, 3rd at Indianapolis and Logano destroyed the field at North Wilksboro. Logano led 323 laps on his way to Victory Lane in the last short, flat track race in North Wilksboro. Logano also finished both of his races at Iowa Speedway in the top-10. The No. 22 car has the speed and the track position to finish up front in the Iowa Corn 350.
GROUP B: AUSTIN CINDRIC (7): I was all set to start Brad Keselowski and then he crashed on his second lap in qualifying. I will pivot to the No. 2 car. Cindric was really good in this race 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. The No. 2 car posted the fourth-fastest long-run speed in practice and Cindric qualified 12th for the race. I will take a chance with Cindric at one of the best tracks for Team Penske.
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. Gilliland had some speed in practice and he qualified 17th for the race. I will take a chance with Gilliland and save my top drivers for another race.
SPEEDWAY COLLECTIVE
FANTRAX
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