William Byron mastered fuel save in the chaotic final stage and held off Chase Briscoe and Brad Keselwoski to win Sunday’s NASCAR Iowa Corn 350, reclaiming the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series points lead.
The event held on Iowa’s 0.875-mile D-shaped oval featured an intense battle not just for the win but for critical points as the regular season neared its close, and it resulted in a thriller marked by bold fuel-saving gambits and nonstop on-track mayhem.
Qualifying saw Chase Briscoe claim the pole in the No.19 Toyota setting the standard for what would unfold into a race dominated primarily by the front-runners.
William Byron in the No.24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet started alongside Briscoe on the front row and immediately demonstrated his intent, seizing control early on and setting a blistering pace.
Byron led the field for the initial 67 laps establishing his car as the one to beat, but soon reported brake issues forcing him to temporarily drop from the lead.
Meanwhile, Brad Keselowski and his RFK Racing Ford methodically picked his way forward and ultimately secured his first stage win of the season ahead of his teammate Ryan Preece as Byron finished third in Stage 1.
The NASCAR Iowa Corn 350 suffered 12 cautions that slowed the race for 72 laps, such as Ty Dillon’s spin on Lap 273—one of four cautions in just 30 laps. These interruptions wrought havoc on fuel calculations, with crew chiefs scrambling to adjust on the fly.
The cautions helped Byron stretch his fuel load to 144 laps in a series of seven yellow flags within 65 laps of the start of the final stage – a luxury he had not enjoyed following his recent misfortunes.
A pivotal restart on Lap 277 proved decisive as Chase Elliott who had cycled into the lead pitted under green, handing control back to Byron.
As the final lap approached, Byron’s pace slackened slightly—a telltale sign that fuel was at its lowest— but the No.24 Chevrolet coasted under the checkered flag, just 1.192 seconds ahead of Chase Briscoe and 1.378 seconds clear of Brad Keselowski.
Full 2025 NASCAR Iowa Corn 350 Race Results – Iowa Speedway
“Man, how about that for some fuel mileage?” Byron said after the race. “We’ve had our fair share of things not go our way with fuel mileage!
“Just super thankful for Rudy, all these guys, all the engineers, all the engineers back at the shop just this whole race team, we’ve been through a lot this year.
“It’s been a lot of growing pains. It’s been tough on us. But it feels really good today to get a win.
“Honestly felt like we had a good car and just kind of raced it and just tried to be there at the end, and luckily the fuel was enough. I think I ran out right there. That’s why I stopped.”
Briscoe would finish second for his third runner-up in four races, while Keselowski’s third-place finish was his seventh top-10 in 11 recent starts, a remarkable turnaround after a rough start to the year.
Ryan Blaney, who won at Iowa in 2024, again delivered a strong performance for Team Penske closing out the day in fourth while Ryan Preece made it two RFK Racing Fords in the first five.
Not to be overlooked, Brickyard 400 winner Bubba Wallace overcame damage to claim a sixth-place finish for 23XI Racing, closely followed by Alex Bowman who delivered a solid seventh-place run.
Carson Hocevar scored a career-highlight eighth for Spire Motorsports after running within the top 10 most of the day, while Joey Logano and Austin Dillon rounded out the top ten.
Chase Elliott, riding high as the points leader entering Iowa, saw his 2025 NASCAR Cup Series points lead vanish as Byron vaulted back atop the standings courtesy of his commanding win and maximum points haul.
Elliott who briefly led mid-race and appeared poised for a potential victory ultimately faded after an untimely pit stop, finishing 14th. His teammate Kyle Larson was uncharacteristically absent from the lead fight, finishing outside the top 25.
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