CONCORD, N.C. - In what has become a trend during the past few years of NASCAR Cup Series schedule making, the sanctioning body added Iowa Speedway to the 2024 calendar over the offseason. The race will be the first time the Midwest circuit has hosted the highest level of stock car racing.
While the Cup Series may be new to Iowa, the facility itself has a lot of history in the racing world. IndyCar still utilizes the 1-mile oval on their calendar and the track has hosted NASCAR action in the past. From 2009-2019, the NASCAR Xfinity Series held 20 races there while the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series held 13 events. In that time, William Byron won at the Truck level in 2016 and again in the Xfinity Series in 2017.
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KEY NUMBERS TO KNOW FOR IOWA
Data provided by Racing Insights
Larson, No. 5 team
Sunday's main event falls on Father's Day and ironically, Kyle Larson has won the past two times this has happened during a race weekend (2017 and 2021). From a performance standpoint, the driver of the No. 5 entry has finished sixth or better in nine of the last 10 short-track races. With a victory on Sunday, it would be his first time earning back-to-back wins since 2021.
Elliott, No. 9 team
Consistency has been the mark of Chase Elliott's 2024 campaign thus far. Through 16 races, the Dawsonville, Georgia, native has yet to finish outside the top-20. He joins seven other drivers to accomplish the feat and is the first one to do it since Kevin Harvick in 2016. Elliott will look to add another short-track victory this weekend and build off two top-five results on short tracks this season.
Byron, No. 24 team
With a pair of victories at Martinsville Speedway, Byron and the No. 24 team have found success at short tracks in the Next Gen era. On Sunday, they'll aim to take this success to Iowa, a track where Byron has excelled in limited starts. In fact, in three NASCAR national series starts, Byron went to victory lane in twice ('16 Truck Series and '17 Xfinity Series). He'll aim to find this success again on Sunday.
Bowman, No. 48 team
Nine top-10 finishes currently mark Alex Bowman's consistent 2024 season. This weekend, the Tucson, Arizona, native will look to earn his third career short-track victory with a win at Iowa. He currently has wins at both Richmond Raceway and Martinsville Speedway in 2021. Bowman has a also scored a victory at Iowa in the developmental ranks, winning in the ARCA Menards Series in 2012.
Hendrick Motorsports
With Larson's win at Sonoma Raceway, Hendrick Motorsports has earned seven victories through the first 16 races of the season. Rick Hendrick's team has accomplished this feat four times with the only expectiom being 2007 where the team had won 10 of the first 16 events.
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DID YOU KNOW?
A driver from Rick Hendrick's team has won on Father's Day five of the last nine times the tour races on the date.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS AND TV COVERAGE
Friday, June 14
5:35 p.m. ET: Practice - USA Network
Saturday, June 15
1:05 p.m. ET: Qualifying - USA Network
Elliott will qualify in Group A while Larson, Byron, and Bowman will be in group B.
Sunday, June 16
7 p.m. ET: Cup Series race - USA Network
STAGE LENGTHS
Stage 1: Lap 70
Stage 2: Lap 210
End of Race: Lap 350
WILL THE RACE BE ON THE RADIO?
Yes, listeners can find both events on MRN Radio and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Channel 90)
CAN I STREAM ONLINE?
Yes. Download the NBC Sports App or Peacock for online coverage. Fans can also keep up with the action on X by following @TeamHendrick.